My experience in Chelsea: “Suicide Man”
First of all, I want to point out that I had never really explored the neighborhood before. I can certainly say I was missing out. It’s quite different from the rest of the city. I guess you could say that there’s an alternative vibe that automatically hits you in its premises. The main thing that you notice is that the area is specifically dedicated to the various galleries that were present. It is an area where freedom of artistic expression is diverse and prevalent.
The fact that the galleries are grouped together allows you to focus your attention exclusively to what is being presented. Viewers get an opportunity to forget about their daily routines in the city and enter Chelsea: a virtual melting pot of diverse cultures. It is obvious that all types of people frequent the neighborhood and that certainly adds to the experience of being there.
The painting that most struck my attention was called “Suicide Man” (If my memory doesn’t fail), found at Athe Pace Wildenstein Gallery. After walking past numerous interesting and noteworthy objects, I was shocked to see one that greatly differed from all others: A dead man lying on a gray table with two prescription drugs labeled ‘56 Lithium Carb Tabs’ and ‘100 Paracetanol’, along with a pack of cigarettes (With a note saying ‘Smoking harms your health’, I must add). A suicide note is next to him which reads, “All my life, I have not been man enough. But perhaps this is my first selfless act.” Several questions filled my mind. Why did this man do this? What must have happened in his life? It took me a moment to come to reality and realize it was only a work of art. Its emotional intensity had certainly gotten to me. It was obvious that there were strong feelings put into the art work and it certainly had me thinking.
An important thing to emphasize was the strong shock value of the work. The gallery itself was noticeable for the great variety of works but nothing as morbid and hideous as this work was there at all. One thing to note is that it was the only work showing a dead person or even dealing with the theme of death in such a direct way. It certainly stood out from everything else for its dark depiction of art.
Come to think of it, it was interesting how the painting featured certain artifacts such as perscription drugs and cigarettes to deliver a message. Separate from each other, those objects are meaningless. However, upon seeing the terrifying image of a sad, lonely body, the pieces of the puzzle come together. All of a sudden, the note has a meaning. The simple gray table becomes a table of death. I found this an extremely effective method of exploring the work’s simplicity, demonstrated with the use of the objects. And yet at the same time, the body is extremely detailed and well-crafted. The author of this work has perfected his wax creation. Viewers can carefully outline each element of the man’s face, from his eyebrows to his facial markings. In other words, the work proved to be a successful combination of simplicity and intricacy.
An important message that I got from the artwork was that lives come and go all the time. The gift of living can be a blessing and yet it can also be a curse. To this unhappy man, apparrently none of it was worth it anymore. Which leads me to wonder what motivated the artist to create something like this. Was there anything going on in his life? Was he influenced by an event that happened to him? I’m not sure if these questions will ever be answered but it’s important to ask them.
I must also say that I was incredibly impressed that the entire Athe Pace Wildenstein Gallery was created and designed by a single artist. To think that my artist was able to go from a work like “Suicide Man” to a model of an elephant really allows me to admire his work even more.
I find that the same gallery proved to be a great representation of what current art scene in New York is like. There are really no limits to how one can express himself. Proof of that is the incredible diversity, once again, of all the works that were shown. To me, it appears as if nothing is off limits and that anything can be a valid representation of art. To an artist, I’m sure that for this reason Chelsea may be the ideal setting for the divulgation of his work.
September 25th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
I completely agree! First off, the whole exhibit was fantastic, and, for me, completely overwhelming. There were so many pieces of artwork, all brilliantly made, and extremely interesting and creative. As I wandered through the maze of these pieces, the Suicide Man definitely caught my eye and held it. I ended up just staring at it for a few moments, because it was so unexpected in this exhibit, this world, of fantasy and colors. It was so contradictory to so many of the other pieces it really made an impression on me, and perhaps that was the artist’s intention. I felt that not only did the piece simply convey the impact of suicide, it also was a piece that had political significance, particularly the fact that the artist decided to add the detail of the warning label on the cigarettes. Overall, it was definitely one of the pieces that left the biggest impression on me.
September 25th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
i think that there’s also a bit of irony; smoking kills, but it wasn’t what killed him; and was his suicide really a selfless act? or was it the ultimate example of him not as a man? i mean… it has been said that the most selfish thing you can do is commit suicide and leave the world to pick up the pieces. anyways, it seems like a really interesting piece.