Drawing Restraint

On Saturday, I went to SFMoMA to see Matthew Barney's Drawing Restraint show. I went with a friend and my dad, which was fun, because it gave me the opportunity to try to explain Matthew Barney's Drawing Restraint series and how all the disparate parts of the show fit together, which is a huge challenge. But I always find that seeing art alone versus with other people are vastly different experiences-- either way, I get excited about the work (either because the show is wonderful or because it sucks), and I talk a lot. Adding the fact that Barney's work is so infinitely complicated and manic, I felt like I never shut up. So the result is the opposite of one of my favorite Modest Mouse lyrics: "My thoughts were so loud I couldn't hear my mouth". When I go to a museum with friends, I talk so much that I forget to think, or rather I'm thinking but don't actually hear the thoughts. So I can say that I enjoyed the show, especially having seen the movie, Drawing Restraint 9, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to go through it again to actually have a nuanced opinion... I can say that I reeeeaaally want to do a show on symbolism, juxtaposing contemporary artists (Barney being an obvious example) with Northern Renaissance painters. This body of Barney's work is perfect, because it includes so much maritime imagery. All of the photos and sculptures that include sea life remind me so much of vaintas paintings, often still lifes of seafood and fruit, food that looks beautiful at first and then rots quickly, which were (and continue to be) symbols of the fleeting nature of life. Barney's Drawing Restraint series adds to that ideas about the contrasts between East and West, man and nature, guest and host, particularly emphasizing the fact that people are merely guests in the house of nature. This work shows how Barney has matured as an artist; issues of sex and gender are still present but take a backseat to issues that are far less explored in contemporary art, so Barney is able to pull away from being "just" a body artist. I also thought the film was really beautiful, and I definitely recommend it. I have to admit, I never saw any of the Cremaster movies from start to finish, but I'm pretty sure that Drawing Restraint 9 is much less frenetic. It has a very hypnotic rhythm to it, largely thanks to Bjork's amazing musical score. So, I'll be visiting SFMoMA again before the show closes. I have more to say about other temporary shows there, but that will have to be for another post.