Anastasia Klose
Encyclopedia
Anastasia Klose is an Australian contemporary artist. Her work has received much attention in the art world due to the personal nature of her subject matter, often putting herself in humiliating situations. She is a graduate of both the Victorian College of the Arts
(VCA) and the University of Melbourne
. She is also the daughter of artist and academic, Elizabeth Presa.
, performance
and installation art
. She is known for her lo-fi
aesthetics with her use of iMovie
editing software, generic fonts for text-based work and found object
s such as cardboard or handwritten signage. The artist has also professed to drawing on the concepts of humiliation and embarrassment and has such her work has been likened to the antics of comedian
s such as Sasha Baron Cohen and the cast of Jackass
. In 2005 Klose filmed a video of herself engaging in sexual intercourse
with a fellow art student in a disabled toilet at the VCA entitled In the toilets with Ben, and later the same year filmed Mum and I watch in the toilets with Ben, where Klose and her mother viewed the former video together sitting on a couch. The same year Klose filmed a video of herself being slapped hard in the face by a male friend. In 2007 Klose was awarded the Prometheus Visual Arts Award by Brisbane
's Institute of Modern Art Director, Robert Leonard for her Film For My Nanna. In the video the artist walks around the streets of Melbourne
wearing a white wedding
dress, with a cardboard sign around her neck which reads "Nanna I Am Still Alone!".
columnist Andrew Bolt
said of Klose's work: "Only an artist could make sex films
and still not find an audience", while referring to VCA art graduates in general as "unmistakable symptoms of culture sliding into vacuity
, if not outright barbarity." In response, Klose made a film about Bolt. Australian Centre for Contemporary Art
Director, Juliana Engberg however describes Klose as "an exceptional artist with a highly developed and sophisticated practice". Art critic, Natalie King of Australian Art Collector says Klose's works are "refreshingly candid, funny and earnest - leaving us smiling wryly." Robert Leonard and others have acquainted Klose's work with feminism
. The Art Life described Klose as "Humorous, self-deprecating and self-aware", while in an interview with the South Australian Contemporary Art Centre publication Broadsheet, the artist was accused of nihilism
, but she responded by saying her practice was a way of confronting depression
rather than escaping it. The artist has also described herself as "an awful, ungrateful, spoiled brat
of a woman".
She is represented by Tolarno Galleries in Melbourne, who represent other high profile Australian artists such as Bill Henson
and Patricia Piccinini
. In 2008 Klose was listed in Australian Art Collector as one of "50 of Australia's Most Collectable Artists".
Victorian College of the Arts
The Faculty of the VCA and Music is a faculty of the University of Melbourne, in Victoria . VCAM is located near the Melbourne central business district, on two campuses, one - the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - on the Parkville campus of the University of Melbourne, and the other - the...
(VCA) and the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
. She is also the daughter of artist and academic, Elizabeth Presa.
Works
Klose's work largely comprises elements of videoVideo art
Video art is a type of art which relies on moving pictures and comprises video and/or audio data. . Video art came into existence during the 1960s and 1970s, is still widely practiced and has given rise to the widespread use of video installations...
, performance
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
and installation art
Installation art
Installation art describes an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called Land art; however, the boundaries between...
. She is known for her lo-fi
Low-technology
The term low-technology is a description of those crafts and tools whose inception predates the Industrial Revolution.A test for low-technology may be that it can be practiced or fabricated with a minimum of Capital investment by an individual or small group of individuals; and that the knowledge...
aesthetics with her use of iMovie
IMovie
iMovie is a proprietary video editing software application which allows Mac, iPod Touch 4th generation, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and iPad 2 users to edit their own home movies. It was originally released by Apple in 1999 as a Mac OS 8 application bundled with the first FireWire-enabled consumer Apple...
editing software, generic fonts for text-based work and found object
Found object
A found object, in an artistic sense, indicates the use of an object which has not been designed for an artistic purpose, but which exists for another purpose already. Found objects may exist either as utilitarian, manufactured items, or things which occur in nature...
s such as cardboard or handwritten signage. The artist has also professed to drawing on the concepts of humiliation and embarrassment and has such her work has been likened to the antics of comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
s such as Sasha Baron Cohen and the cast of Jackass
Jackass (TV series)
jackass is an American reality series, originally shown on MTV from 2000 to 2002, featuring people performing various dangerous, crude, ridiculous, self-injuring stunts and pranks...
. In 2005 Klose filmed a video of herself engaging in sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
with a fellow art student in a disabled toilet at the VCA entitled In the toilets with Ben, and later the same year filmed Mum and I watch in the toilets with Ben, where Klose and her mother viewed the former video together sitting on a couch. The same year Klose filmed a video of herself being slapped hard in the face by a male friend. In 2007 Klose was awarded the Prometheus Visual Arts Award by Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
's Institute of Modern Art Director, Robert Leonard for her Film For My Nanna. In the video the artist walks around the streets of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
wearing a white wedding
White wedding
A white wedding is a traditional formal or semi-formal wedding originating in Europe.The term originates from the white color of the wedding dress, which first became popular with Victorian era elites, after Queen Victoria wore a white lace dress at her wedding; however, the term now also...
dress, with a cardboard sign around her neck which reads "Nanna I Am Still Alone!".
Responses
The term "aesthetic of the pathetic" has been attributed to Klose's work. Conservative pundit and Herald SunHerald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
columnist Andrew Bolt
Andrew Bolt
Andrew Bolt is an Australian newspaper columnist, radio commentator, blogger and television host. Bolt is a columnist and associate editor of the Melbourne-based Herald Sun. He has appeared on the Nine Network, Melbourne Talk Radio, ABC Television, Network Ten and local radio...
said of Klose's work: "Only an artist could make sex films
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
and still not find an audience", while referring to VCA art graduates in general as "unmistakable symptoms of culture sliding into vacuity
Vacuity
Vacuity can refer to:*Emptiness*Śūnyatā, the Buddhist term about the impermanent nature of form*Vacuity , an alternative rock band from Kitchener, Ontario...
, if not outright barbarity." In response, Klose made a film about Bolt. Australian Centre for Contemporary Art
Australian Centre for Contemporary Art
The Australian Centre For Contemporary Art is a contemporary art gallery in Melbourne, Australia. The gallery is located on Sturt Street in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, in the inner suburb of Southbank....
Director, Juliana Engberg however describes Klose as "an exceptional artist with a highly developed and sophisticated practice". Art critic, Natalie King of Australian Art Collector says Klose's works are "refreshingly candid, funny and earnest - leaving us smiling wryly." Robert Leonard and others have acquainted Klose's work with feminism
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
. The Art Life described Klose as "Humorous, self-deprecating and self-aware", while in an interview with the South Australian Contemporary Art Centre publication Broadsheet, the artist was accused of nihilism
Nihilism
Nihilism is the philosophical doctrine suggesting the negation of one or more putatively meaningful aspects of life. Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism which argues that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value...
, but she responded by saying her practice was a way of confronting depression
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
rather than escaping it. The artist has also described herself as "an awful, ungrateful, spoiled brat
Spoiled brat
A spoiled child is a child that exhibits behavioral problems from overindulgence by his or her parents. Spoiled children may be described as "overindulged", "grandiose", "narcissistic" or "egocentric-regressed"...
of a woman".
Acknowledgments
Klose's work has featured at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art and the Biennale of SydneyBiennale of Sydney
The Biennale of Sydney is an international festival of contemporary art, held every two years in Sydney, Australia. It is the largest and best-attended contemporary visual arts event in the country...
She is represented by Tolarno Galleries in Melbourne, who represent other high profile Australian artists such as Bill Henson
Bill Henson
Bill Henson is an Australian contemporary art photographer.-Background:Henson's art has been exhibited in many locations, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Venice Biennale, the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, the Art Gallery of New South Wales in...
and Patricia Piccinini
Patricia Piccinini
Patricia Piccinini is an Australian artist and hyperrealist sculptor. Her art work came to prominence in Australia in the late 1990s. In 2003 she was selected as the artist to represent Australia at the Venice Biennale....
. In 2008 Klose was listed in Australian Art Collector as one of "50 of Australia's Most Collectable Artists".
See also
- Victorian College of the Arts Alumni
- University of Melbourne Alumni
- Tracey EminTracey EminTracey Karima Emin RA is a British artist of English and Turkish Cypriot origin. She is part of the group known as Britartists or YBAs ....
- Australian Feminist Art TimelineAustralian Feminist Art TimelineAustralian Feminist Art Timeline lists exhibitions, artists, artworks and milestones that have contributed to discussion and development of feminist art in Australia. The timeline focuses on the impact of feminism on Australian contemporary art...
