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Symbolic Materials

Emma Ledger
Write About Art 6
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Time has changed art. It has stretched its very boundaries as new, modern and contemporary artists emerge. As they break through, creating new, intriguing and meaningful works of art, they defy traditional processes, materials and methods, and challenge what falls within the definition of art. The field of art has expanded as its meanings and concepts become the main focus of works. The materials used in modern day art not only create the work of art itself but add to its meaning, and ultimately change the concept entirely. A rose may be a rose and imply love, purity and beauty. But what does a rose made out of sharp needles imply? It mixes a sense of danger and fear with the subject matter of a rose, possibly indicating the harsh and sharp reality of love and beauty. 

Fiona Hall is an extraordinary Australian artist whose works use the symbolism of materials to convey her ideas about some of the biggest issues in the world. From plastic to money, Hall uses it all to create her sculptures, which are not just works of art, they open people’s eyes to reality and the detrimental effect humans can have on the world and each other. Slash and Burn (1997) is one of Hall’s many works which use materials in this way. It consists of thirty-six neatly knitted body parts suspended in mid-air (Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2006). The shiny, extravagant surfaces of the sculptures glisten, revealing the vacant facial expressions of the suspended heads, which present a look of disbelief, as their mouths lie open. In the air feet, hands and heads are attached to a single line of loose flowing... The rest of this article is available to subscribers of Eyeline

Michelle Reader, Seven Wasted Men, 2006

Michelle Reader, Seven Wasted Men, 2006. Scrap wood and household waste. Created for Cambridgeshire County Council. 

Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan, Passage ‘The Eighth Fleet’, Project Another Country, 2011

Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan, Passage ‘The Eighth Fleet’, Project Another Country, 2011. Installation view. For Stealing the Senses, Govett Brewster Art Gallery, New Zealand.