Sarah Morris’s vivid and energetic exhibition is at Dirimart Gallery. While paintings make people wonder about her technique, her films on display at the Garibaldi Building in Galatasaray help reveal Morris’ “second” world
The vivid colors in Sarah Morris’s paintings attract attention. The colors and shapes make people desire to almost touch them and make the viewer to wonder how the colors can be so vivid.
Antenna (with the courtesy of Dirimart and artist)
“One can see all the evidence of the painting is handmade,” said Morris about her paintings. “One can see all of the little mistakes. It is like a process, an open structure, it has set procedures.”
During the creation of her paintings Morris is also thinking about the films. “Both films and paintings have a very different type of speed. Film is very fast, expensive and more dynamic than painting, these two different speeds complement each other,” she added
Those two different techniques are different parts of Morris’ personality. “Two different means to engage with things but both of them use a system of coordinates, which involves a lot of thinking and conversations with people. You can look at them as an excuse to be involved.”
Morris has a double major in politics and semiotic communications. “I look at all different systems, how form is designed, how it affects our mood and our behavior,” she added.
This is like trying to look for a hidden code within a space, Morris said, adding that it is an ongoing process like tracing a line. “You are going to get to the end but those things are constantly changing,” she added.
Morris has lots of dualism in her works. Living in New York and London and being a dual citizen reflects in her works.
(with the courtesy of Dirimart and artist)
“I am never static, I am always moving between things and disciplines, between ideas. I actually do not think paintings have a static image either,” she said.
There is a diagram of perception, according to Morris, “And that diagram continues in space and continues in my thoughts and it is not resolved. It is splintering and creating the next painting. It is a serial production.”
Art has always been a commodity, according to Morris. “This is a basic fact you have to be aware as an artist.” An artist has to be aware of how they are going to be used and present a strong relationship to this in their work, Morris said. Art is being used as capital and it has always been the case, she added. “Artists are not in full control.”
Morris said she hoped her paintings, or films, can change the perceptions of people. “It can change the way you approach things. It can also change the way you approach public space, and I think all space is public.”
Origami and copyright incident
Morris uses many different sources of material for inspiration. Her source materials have also been very upfront in the recent incident in which she is being challenged in a multi-party lawsuit brought by origami artists, according to Morris.
According to a Guardian newspaper article published in June, the six origami artists allege that Morris’s collection of abstract paintings entitled “Origami” – a series of at least 37 works – are merely colored-in copies of their intricate origami representations of hummingbirds, grasshoppers and other animals, birds and insects, produced using the centuries-old Japanese craft of paper-folding.
“I could understand if one of those people made an origami piece and photographed it or made a sculpture and made it an art piece. But this is not the case,” she said.
The instructions used by Morris have nothing to do with the origami artist market, the artist said. “It has a different meaning and different use value. It has a different audience.” Morris said she respects the origami artists and their creations. “But this incident ultimately it comes to money and ego. I was promoting how they think and their approach,”
Morris said she was using origami in a symbolic way.
“I am very seriously engaged with the things that I am trying to do. But I think all ideas are public.”
Morris is not the first and will not be the last artist to be accused with such an allegation. Once again the result is the same, as art becomes more visible, an artist has to go through every kind of experience, she said. “It also can become propaganda and it can be used for many different things by many different people. Art has always been like this.”