WI-CH

A Growth Which Was Seeded in a Gesture

(after a portrait of Marina Abramović)

105 x 105 cm

oil on linen

2014

Artwork by

Winston Chmielinski

I'm actually a big fan of Chmielinski's work, and this one especially.

Marina Abramovic is a great Serbian artist, based in New York who focuses on performance art, specifically on the limits of the body and the powers of the mind. She's performed at the MoMA numerous amount of times, but one stands out to me: at her 2010 MoMA retrospective, Marina performed 'The Artist is Present' as part of the show, where she shared a minute of silence with each stranger who sat in front of her.

The story goes that Marina and Ulay had started an intense love story in the 70s, performing art out of the van they lived in. When they felt that their relationship had run its course, they decided to walk to the Great Wall of China, each from one end, meeting in the middle for one last hug, then never seeing each other again.

Years had gone by but Ulay decided to show up at the MoMA that day and sit with her for a minute, in silence. The footage of their encounter is incredible, and would recommended youtube-ing it.

 However, Chmielinksi's work is usually very vibrant and bold. Yet this piece - whilst still quite colourful, typical to Chmielinksi's style - is more subdued, playing on the details. I love it.

My dream house would consist of having one of Chmielinksi's works on a big white wall.