About political artist Tania Bruguera
- visualartchina
- 2021年10月4日
- 讀畢需時 2 分鐘
As Tania Bruguera has done many artworks about political issues, she contended that political issues of her country had affected her a lot. Cuba has undergone Cuban revolution and it entailed big change to people in Cuba including Tania Bruguera. Due to transformation of national system, socialism, she had experienced restrict of thinking. Then, Evidently, it has also influenced her artworks how she thinks and give message. As she had had childhood mainly affected by government, I could see some artworks that her point of view is very cynical and careful to authority which can control people for its advantage such as ‘Tatlin’s whisper #5’ and ‘Tatlin’s whisper #6’ which has message about terrorism. From her experience of having socialism education in her child hood, her sharp perspective to see phenomenon is made by irony that her country which had made her to do prominent social things had given her limitation of freedom of thinking and behaviors for long time in her childhood. Thus, what she sees is paradox of institution such as authority of government and police, the way people look immigrants.
Her artwork called ‘Tatlin’s Whisper #5’is about the authority of nation and public organization. In this artwork, there are two police officers riding horses. And they demand audience to move as police officers usually do in our lives. Audience become to follow their demanding without any questioning even though they don’t know why police ask them to move. So then, audience begins to behave as though they are citizens in front of two people in police uniforms, This artwork is a bit different from others in terms of style. It let people think it’s real situation, artist doesn’t reveal that it’s art. I would say this style is completed by participation of audience. So, audience’ unconscious habit pressed by public power is reminded to audience by artist’s intention through this performance.
I think the main idea of this artwork is a question for people about terrorism as Tania Bruguera mentioned in interview. Sometimes, I question whether police work based on the justice or their advantage or certain people’s advantage. And, from my point of view this is what Tania Bruguera wanted to provoke audience.
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Jonah Westerman.Fig2. Tania Bruguera born 1968.Tatlin’s Whisper #5”. TATE. Published by TATE. https://www.tate.org.uk/research/publications/performance-at-tate/perspectives/tania-bruguera Tania Bruguera, “Tatlin’s Whisper #5” 2008
MLA
Donovan, Thom. “5 Questions (for Contemporary Practice) with Tania Bruguera.” Art21 Magazine, Art21 Magazine, 14 Apr. 2011, magazine.art21.org/2011/04/14/5-questions-for-contemporary-practice-with-tania-bruguera/#.XXOwX_ZuJN7.9 Sep.2019
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