Candice Breitz

After hearing a verbal overview of Candice Breitz's work in class, I was very intrigued and excited about attending her lecture.  Her own descriptions of her work were nearly as fascinating as actually viewing the pieces.  I tried to scribble down quotes as much as possible, since her language was so vivid and interesting.  For example, she described pop culture as a "perverse, ominous collective archive," later saying her work was meant to "operate as a virus from within that shared archive."  It struck me as such a beautiful way to describe an already incredibly captivating body of work.

She discussed the audience/celebrity relationship and how one cannot exist without the other.  Her work taps into our vast pop culture and pulls something out of it which is ultimately worth more than the media she is drawing from.  Though the experience of viewing the Babel Series is undoubtedly more powerful in the gallery setting it is meant for, I was still quite entranced by it in the small clips she provided for us in the lecture.  What I was most affected by, however, was the Mother + Father series.  We only viewed Mother, though I watched Father on my own later.  It gave me a great deal to consider, not only of the media's interpretation of parenthood, but of my relationships with my own parents.   Overall, the combination of viewing her work and hearing her wonderful use of language in discussing her artistic intent was a singular and incredibly interesting experience.  I hope to one day view her work in a gallery and gain the full effect.