Vanessa Beecroft, 1999
Two performances, Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 August 1999, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney.
VB40 The Effects of Rules in Aesthetics
A Vanessa Beecroft performance is a piece that lasts one day. The purpose is to work on a specific subject and to create an image or a portrait that has the effect of a monument, even if it lasts briefly, the references are classical paintings and portraits, the girls are contemporary models. The practice is to stand, not talking, and to wait until it ends, being watched as a picture and photographed as though on a photo shoot.
It is important that the relationship between the given rules and what the girls will actually be doing is proportionate to the relationship between the image given to the audience and its reaction to that image. This work is not complete. It depends on these factors and the tolerance from both the participants and the audience. Ultimately, the essence of the work is visual, and it refers to the fine arts and the concept of beauty. The brief excursion into real life is just a pretence of social truth to get back into the safe territory of museums and art institutions.
Vanessa Beecroft 1999
