Vijesti : Kiki Smith exclusively for "Vijesti": All that we are is just the wandering of nature (by Jelena Kontić)
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.
When I was young, I had so much to express and so much had to somehow come out of me... Now there is less and less of it in me. I had much more energy, need and enthusiasm. Now I have more space and silence than then.
This is what the great world artist says in an interview for "Vijesti". Kiki Smith looking at myself at the beginning of my career and today, almost half a century later.
The world-renowned American artist who was born in Germany, is one of the true stars of the world art scene who continuously pushes the boundaries of contemporary visual art, questioning the fundamental and archetypal themes of man, nature, the cosmos, myths...
Her works from the very beginning until today were presented at the large solo exhibition "Kiki Smit. Woven worlds" in Podgorica, in the Petrović Castle of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montenegro. The curator's settings are Milica Bezmarević, Mirjana Dušić i Ljuba Jovićević, and the artist herself was involved in the process, as well as her assistant Hilary Knee. Kiki Smit told Vijesta that she likes the exhibition a lot, as well as the gallery space of Dvorc Petrović.
The exhibition is open to visitors until February 21, after which the works will be returned to the parent gallery "Pace" in New York and will not be seen again in Europe anytime soon, so it is a unique opportunity for the Montenegrin, as well as for the regional and European public. .
Kiki Smit's works are a unique feeling of serenity, magnificence, but also a strong inner incentive to (re)connect with oneself, nature, life, creating space and setting aside time for introspection, with the conscious presence of centuries-old struggle... It is imbued with various works from different periods, and they all equally attract attention and complete the experience of a carefully designed and luxurious setting that brings the universe and spirituality of Kiki Smit closer to Podgorica.
About art, exhibitions, inspiration, beginnings, today..., Kiki Smit talks to Vijesti.
Your solo exhibition "Kiki Smith: Woven Worlds" was opened in Podgorica. How do you perceive the installation itself in Montenegro and have you thought about visiting it yourself? How did the preparations go and did you get any reactions?
The exhibition is very beautiful. I really like how the works are placed in the space, which I had the opportunity to work on together with the curators Milica Bezmarević, Mirjana Dušić, Ljubo Jovićević. And of course, the installation is also due to my excellent assistant, Hilary Deese, who helped with the installation. The space is extremely convenient for visitors to stay in, while in America we have very few opportunities to exhibit in classic gallery spaces.
Compared to the time when you were at the beginning of your career, how do you see today's opportunities and the position of artists and art in society, with regard to commercialism, consumerism, politics, but also digitalization, and artificial intelligence?
When I was young, nothing I did for ten or more years had anything to do with the art market, I just worked. I think the first works I sold were drawings I gave for $35 a piece, and that was after I had been in New York for at least six years. I don't think I sold anything after that for the next couple of years.
Having an artistic career, in the context of being able to sell my work for income, has been a great privilege for me all these years because I was able to make what I wanted. Sometimes I think that it has allowed me to create too much, that I have been lucky and that I really hang on to every idea I have. The world today is much different from the one in which I lived and created as a young person, and about 45 years have passed since then.
On the other hand, today there are many more opportunities for many different people from all over the world to participate in the art world and be a part of it. The art world today is much more international, culturally diverse, diverse in an open way, and that's something I'm extremely grateful for. The language of art has expanded and is moving towards great depths and new common knowledge.
I think that there is much more economic pressure on young people now than it was when I was young, even though none of us had money then either. The art market is certainly bigger and more international than it used to be. I can say that I am very happy that as a young person I met artists from different countries and that forty years later we are maintaining those friendships that were created. I want to keep my focus, because I am part of a large international group of artists that is constantly changing.
It is obvious that there is a lot of technology and that people are also technology oriented. I think artists are enthusiastic about learning new technologies, myself included, because they are tools and vehicles, that's how I see them.
The exhibition at MSUCG also represents a cross-section of your many years of creativity. When you look back on your career, creation, work, and even life, how would you summarize the previous decades, who were you at the very beginning, and who are you today with all that experience and creativity?
I have no idea who I was then. I had much more energy, need and enthusiasm. Now I have more space and silence than when I was younger. My work has always seemed autobiographical, after the factual. I don't know if it's like that anymore. When I was young, I had so much to express and that had to somehow come out of me, and now there is less and less of it in me.
With regard to that autobiographical moment, I would also say that your works are actually a testimony of different times, social circumstances, changes and themes... You yourself said that these are all fragments of your life... What do they do, how are they connected?
When I work on cycles, I always try to think of each thing I show and create as some facet of a jewel, where each thing shows a small part of its light and brilliance. There is no real and concrete whole to be revealed. I didn't try to do didactic work in relation to different movements, but I also function as an individual who lives in time and the specifics of given moments that greatly influence that individual. Man tries to move so that the weight of time does not overtake him and prevent him from moving...
Through multi-layered and strongly symbolic works, you often question the issues of identity, gender roles, spirituality, but also the relationship between man and nature, and the connection between the human and animal worlds. What initially encouraged you to research these topics and how do they further form the symbolism and narrative of your work? I assume that you yourself are searching for certain answers and knowledge, and I believe that you have come to some?
I don't know if I'm questioning something, but basically things usually come to mind that I create later. I believe in what I've been given and I'm curious enough to see how something will look if I put my energy into it. It seems to me that they rattle around - different subjects or images, but they also come and go.
It is known that religious and mythological motifs, as well as those from well-known fairy tales and fables, are often present in your works. How do you approach combining these traditional narratives with a contemporary expression? To what extent are these motifs and symbols that can be read in them relevant today, and always?
I have some works that I created 10-15 years ago when I was playing with figures that had recognizable attributes from fables, myths and fairy tales. But that idea, activity and creation came from me ten years ago and so it completely took off. In these stories, the natural world of animals and humans are not separate.
Nine of your twelve large tapestries are presented at this exhibition. Can you tell us something about the background of that cycle, the process of reflection and creation, and how elements such as earth, water, air and fire create special narratives in your works?
Initially and most of all then I was attracted to art deco, hippie art, medieval works and how they all have elements of spectacle in them. I found that fascinating. I made three tapestries called "Earth", "Sky" and "Underground", and actually only "Earth" adhered to my interests that I mentioned. After "Underground", the tapestries I created were much more directly influenced by the path I was on and the way I lived at that time. Then the "Harbor" tapestry was created as a result of a visit to the Skellig Islands on the west coast of Ireland. After that, "Visitor" and "Parliament" were the last tapestries I made for many different reasons. I hope that someday something new will appear to me, so that one day I will again be encouraged to make some new tapestries.
Your fascination with nature, animals, and female mythology suggests a unique perspective on the power of those elements. Do you consider it important through art to remind people of the primordial connection with the natural world and the importance of preserving that connection?
All that we are is really just nature's wanderings. I couldn't help but pay attention to it and dedicate myself to it. There is no separation (in those worlds, experiences)...
How do you perceive your role as an artist and the responsibility that comes with it, to promote certain values such as solidarity, understanding and coexistence with nature through your works, but also to fight for them? In this context, I will allow myself to say that your art can also serve as a kind of stimulating social intervention. Do you believe in the power of art to change, influence and make life and society better?
Honestly, I don't know. Art changes me and affects me, and I wish I could say that it made me better. I am a supporter of art because it has the ability to be very open, while most other disciplines try to fit into an already prescribed framework or confined space.
Art can be about anything, for anything, and it's just one of the ways we create visual manifestations of our existence here, but our existence is vast! I don't think artists are visionaries or see more than anyone else. But I like to do it and I like to watch it that way.
Multidisciplinarity is what distinguishes your work. What determines the choice of media you use to represent certain occupations, and is it an instinct or a challenge?
I am just a curious amateur who endlessly loves to learn through experience, gaining that experience. I am slow, it takes me a long time to start to know and recognize the shapes, volumes, dimensions of things. And their parameters are always changing...
The exhibition in Montenegro is a unique and rare opportunity for the audience from this part of Europe to see your works and hear your artistic voice. Is that contact with an audience from different cultures important to you and how does the communication and exchange that takes place affect your work, motives, inspiration, perception?
I am very grateful that I have the opportunity to present my works in Montenegro and many other places, in addition to my place and neighborhood, because I believe that my work has completely different meanings in different places. There's no way to control how the audience will take things, how they'll receive a work, and nobody really wants to manage that.
Sometimes you learn new things about your own creativity and what you do, and these things would probably never occur to you if you were only in your own house, that is, if you were only exhibiting in the area close to you. Therefore, I think cultural exchange is very important for everyone.
Do you have any plans for the future and would you like to add something to our conversation?
I don't have any plans for the future, other than just following my inspiration and letting my work go where it wants to go, and getting the house in order...
Article published on https://en.vijesti.me/