I went to Andreas Gursky's exhibition at NGV yesterday. I'm telling you the truth, I stayed there longer that I thought I would be. First impression was, damn, those photos are huuuuge! But yeah, Gursky's work are full of details, even the smallest object looks very clear, so they have to be huuuuuuuuge so we can see everything.
Im not that kind of artsy-fartsy person. Honestly, I like art, but I dont know things about it. I went to exhibitions because I enjoy looking at art works. Sometimes, I try to interpret what I see, but I think Im more often to admire it and try to imagine how that was made. I like thinking about the process.
So when I saw Gursky's photos, I was in an awe. All of them are taken from some position which I can't even think of. Where was he when he was taking them? It was taken from a plane, or I dunno where. I like how he took it from the 'priviledge point'. It's maaaaaarvelous. Also, I like the details, his architectural objects and also his message about globalisation.
Anyhow, I'd like to show you some of my most favourite.
This one is Kamiokande. If you look closer you would see 2 people on small boats. I didn't know what this is, but it looked so grand, so glamourous, it's like golden orbs hanging on a giant cave's wall on a river. It was so beautiful, it made hip-hop video background lights looks boring. I made some research on the name, and I found out that Kamiokande is a neutrino observatory lab in Japan. I couldn't possibly try to find any message or interpretation in it because it is simply one of the best thing I have ever seen in my life.
My second favourite would be Montparnasse. It was a photo of a block of apartment in France, they building itself looks simple, just like any other apartment building, built in the modern art era. May be you can't see it from this small picture, but actually there are a lot of colour in it. Soft colours, different in each apartment unit, this soft colours create something very dynamic, and so pretty, you would stare at it for a long time. Moreover, in each window you can see the details of what's on the inside, what these people are doing, you can see someone's lacey curtain, and even someone's little aquarium. I asked the guide there how he could possibly made it. She said, Gursky used multiple camera, took each one of the apartment details and stitch them together with digital technology. Also, the colours, he added some colour to it. It was again maaaaaaaarvelous, amazing how he created a painting effect in his art works.
The two photographs above are Madonna, and Pyongyang I. I like them both being in the same room, next to each other, while showing two different things. The first one is taken during one of Madonna's concert, you can actually see her in the left handside, on the stage, and around her are all the fans watching her and admiring her. Again details is shown with excellent clarity, you can see the audience's face! On the other hand, Pyongyang I was also about admiring someone, but in a very different way. In this case children are forming lines, make pictures with colour cards, and dance with pompoms in order to give respect and admire the Leader of North Korea. I think it's almost like militery to form lines like that. So, yeah, some theme but yet so different. Get it?
