arts

She Hears Birds

Artist: Susan Mentis

How can people see themselves hearing birds visually? Susan created a touchable and visible way for audience to feel how they hear birds.

This is an art work in a small gallery from 401 Richmond Gallery in downtown. This artwork made by acrylic painting on carvas is basically white. With concavo-convex image hanging on the wall, the bird and the word “flighty” is hard to recognize and understand.

Since all expressed are only the flying bird and the “flighty” word, I found it difficult to understand. People who have no idea about conceptual art may regard it as a rough and uncompleted work. The introduction besides is unable to explain enough. Some of my friends made a question that why the picture means hearing while some skipped this rectangle image on the wall. Several even described it as a meaningless and time-consuming thing. It is common because people who can’t get used to the new art often evaluate art subjectively. “ Many people have felt that art of the twentieth century is difficult, and difficult works make them anxious, uncomfortable and even angry. Some people think this is a terrible thing, yet others precisely what art ought to do.”

Art sometimes is an imaginable connection and relation. Susan implied on the introdution board:” flighty was a word used to label a patient ans ‘she hears birds’ was a reason for institutionalization” Audiences who lack of imagination to associate a word with human are lack of capacity of understanding this work. Though ignored by the majority, the work makes sense to some people. It alerts us to take an eye on the institutionalization. The difficulty is the element that attracts and values through time.” Difficulty arises from a relationship between viewer and awork.” The more difficult the work is , the more people would be interested in it.

In my view, the work is a quite successful one that moved me. Leaving many to be imagined by viewer, the meaning of the work could be appreciated in different perspectives. Blank means more than fully covering. The work could be thought in either political or human way. The impact caused by human should be paid attention to. That is the last reason why I found it difficult. ” In visual art, unsettling difficulty that pushes for change does not just arise from problem with basic comprehension, it can also arise in a work’s involvement with moral issues.”

In conclusion, different art works are separately difficult to different people. It depends on how they present and the viewers themselves. Susan leaves a deep impression on the audience with the simple picture but complicated meaning. Her work represents the contemporary perfectly. It is necessary for people to appreciate conceptual art nowadays.