BARRY WOLFRYD – SPEKTAKULARIZIRANJE MARGINE: PROŽIMAJUĆI SVJETOVI BARRYA WOLFRYDA

IZJAVA UMJETNIKA Murano, Italija Srpanj 2023.

ARTIST STATEMENT Murano, Italy July, 2023

U ovoj novoj seriji staklenih skulptura koju sam izradio za HDLU u Zagrebu, Hrvatska želio sam istražiti temu rata kao klišej. Čini se da anticipiramo rat kao datu činjenicu u svakodnevnom životu.

Baš kao što možete ići u kupovinu namirnica, vičući (…) „Dušo, ne zaboravi mlijeko”. Staklo je bilo idealno za ovaj projekt. Prozirne, neprozirne, fluidne i lomljive karakteristike materijala imaju metaforičke kvalitete. Ono predstavlja ultimativan materijal koji, kada se slomi, lomi se u komadiće kojih ima previše da bi se mogli prebrojati sa stvarnom točnošću, poput žrtava na bojnom polju.

10 komada, koji čine ovu kolekciju, osobni su pogled na te ratne klišeje. Naslovi kao što su Shell Shocked i A Drop in the Bucket daju nam naznake za ono što se stvarno događa iza djela. Ovaj krhki materijal kroz svoju fizičku prirodu prenosi delikatnu ravnotežu života u sukobu.

In this new series of glass sculptures that I have produced for the HDLU in Zagreb, Croatia I wanted to explore the theme of war as a cliché. We seem to anticipate war as a given fact in everyday life. Just as you might go shopping for groceries, calling out (…)”

Honey, don’t forget the milk”. The glass was ideal for this project.

The transparent, opaque, fluid, and fragile characteristics of the material have metaphoric qualities. It represents the ultimo material that when it breaks the pieces like victims on a battlefield are too many to count with any real accuracy. The 10 pieces that make up this collection are a personal view of those cliches of war. Titles such as Shell Shocked and A Drop in the Bucket give us clues to what is really going on behind the piece.

This fragile material transmits through its physical nature the delicate balance of life in conflict.

O umjetniku:

About the Artist:

Barry Wolfryd rođen je u Los Angelesu u Kaliforniji, ali većinu svoje umjetničke karijere ostvario je u Meksiku, gdje živi više od 45 godina. Wolfryd je započeo studij umjetnosti 1972. na Housatonic Community College u Bridgeportu, Connecticut. U dobi od 22 godine preselio se u Cholulu, Puebla, Meksiko, gdje je nastavio studij na University of the Americas, a od 1975. do 1979. na Allende Institute u San Miguel de Allendeu, Guanajuato.

Godine 1982. studirao je na Chicago Art Institute, a 1984. na National Institute of the Arts u San Luis Potosíju, Meksiko.

Godine 1985. seli u Mexico City, gdje živi i ima svoj atelje.

Wolfrydov rad obuhvaća slikarstvo, kombinirane tehnike, skulpturu u keramici, bronci i staklu, objekte i grafiku.

Usredotočen je na korištenje ikonografije i imaginarija pop kulture kao sredstva za kritiku. Od 1985. godine održao je više od 40 samostalnih izložbi i sudjelovao na više od 120 skupnih izložbi.

Među njima i izložbe u relevantnim muzejima, institucijama i galerijama u raznim zemljama.

Barry Wolfryd was born in Los Angeles, California, but he has carried out most of his artistic career in Mexico, where he has lived for more than 45 years. Wolfryd began his artistic studies in 1972 at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport, Connecticut. At age 22, he moved to Cholula, Puebla, Mexico, where he continued his studies at the University of the Americas, and from 1975 to 1979, at the Allende Institute in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato. In 1982, he studied at the Chicago Art Institute (student-at-large) and in 1984, at the National Institute of the Arts in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. In 1985, he settled in Mexico City, where he lives and maintains his studio.

Wolfryd’s work encompasses painting, mixed media, sculpture in ceramics, bronze and glass, object art, and graphics. He focuses on the use of iconography and popular imagery as a vehicle for criticism. Since 1985, he has held more than 40 individual exhibitions and participated in more than 120 group presentations. Among them, are exhibitions in relevant museums, institutions, and galleries in various countries.

Hrvatsko društvo likovnih umjetnika | Croatian Association of Fine Artists Galerija PM | PM Gallery Trg žrtava fašizma 16, 10000 Zagreb, www.hdlu.hr IMPRESUM | Nakladnik/Publisher: Hrvatsko društvo likovnih umjetnika/Croatian Association of Fine Artists, Trg žrtava fašizma 16, 10 000 Zagreb, hdlu@hdlu.hr, www.hdlu.hr, | Za nakladnika/For the publisher: Tomislav Buntak (predsjednik/president) | Upravni odbor HDLU/Executive board of HDLU: Tomislav Buntak (predsjednik/president), Josip Zanki (dopredsjednik/vicepresident), Ida Blažičko (dopredsjednica/vicepresident), Fedor Fischer, Vida Meić, Romana Nikolić, Alen Novoselec | Umjetnički savjet Galerije PM/ Artistic board of PM Gallery: Mia Akrap, Branka Benčić, Tomislav Buntak, Ivan Fijolić, Vida Meić, Leila Topić, Josip Zanki | Ravnateljica/ Director: Ivana Andabaka | Voditeljica galerije/Gallery coordinator: Martina Miholić | Grafički dizajn/Graphic design: Duje Medić | Predgovor/Preface: Josip Zanki | Tisak/Printed by Cerovski | Naklada/Copies: 100

Organizator / Organizer:

Uz potporu / Supported by:

B A R RY W O L F RY D SPEKTAKULARIZIRANJE MARGINE: PROŽIMAJUĆI SVJETOVI BARRYA WOLFRYDA / SPECTACULARIZING THE MARGIN: INTERWOVEN WORLDS OF BARRY WOLFRYD Galerija PM | 14. 9. - 8. 10. 2023. | PM Gallery | September 14 - October 8, 2023

Spektakulariziranje margine: prožimajući svjetovi Barrya Wolfryda

Spectacularizing the Margin: Interwoven Worlds of Barry Wolfryd

U umjetničkom opusu Barrya Wolfryda prisutne su dvije konstantne i ponavljajuće linije a povezane su kulturnim konstruktima koji su ga oblikovali. Jedna je vezana uz Wolfrydovu rodnu zemlju Sjedinjene Američke Države a druga uz Meksiko i grad u kojem od 1985 živi i stvara, Mexico City. Wolfyd je rođen u Los Angelosu i formalno umjetničko obrazovanje započeo je na Housatonic Community College u Bridgeportu u Connecticutu.

Preselivši se u Meksiko 1975. godine svoje je obrazovanje nastavio na različitim uvaženim visokoškolskim institucijama u Meksiku i SAD-u. U svom mi je kazivanju više puta istaknuo da su ga na različitim stranama svijeta pitali „kako si ti došao u Meksiko“, na što bi on jednostavno odgovorio „pa u VW kombiju“. Upravo se u tom Wolfrydovom odgovoru očituje dihotomija njegove umjetničke poetike; američka jednostavnost i otvorenost (kao što je to živjeti nomadski od doba Jacka Kerouaca pa sve do filma Nomadland)11 i meksička sklonost mistificiranju, natprirodnom i sudbinskom (u meksičkoj kulturi materijalizirana u ikoničnim proslavama Dana mrtvih ali i u opusu Leonore Carrington).

Te se dvije linije, američka i meksička u Wolfrydovom se umjetničkom opusu kako onom slikarskom tako i kiparskom izmjenjuju i nadopunjuju stvarajući tako jedinstvenu poetiku.

Tako u slikarskom ciklusu Honey I'm Home (2011. – 2012.) ironizira svijet američke srednje klase citirajući reklame namijenjene „američkim domaćicama“ iz 50ih i 60ih i ubacujući u njih subverzivne nadrealističke glitcheve (poput idealnog supruga, dude, kuće i automobila u tosteru – u radu It's All Toast), ali iste prizore nadopunjuje i prikazima meksičke macho „kulture“ (kao što su dva zamaskirana muškarca sa sombrerima na glavi od kojih jedan pleše a drugi ima uperen pištolj – u radu Turning Up the Heat). U svom kiparskom ciklusu Glass Sculpture (2011. – 2022.) skulpturama od stakla kreiranih u Murano tehnici odlazi još dalje pa tako u radu Elotepec Sacred Corn Hill kreira neku vrst ritualnog prinosa bogovima u post-popartističkoj maniri, postavljajući simbolički klip kukuruza na planinu Elotepec kojeg s jedne strane brda zadivljeno promatraju crne muške glave, dok mu s druge strane crvene muške glave okreću leđa, odnosno tjeme.

U Galeriji Proširenih medija, Barry Wolfryd nam se predstavlja ciklusom radova, koji se vežu uz njegovu aktualnu izložbu u muzeju Arocena, Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico, pod nazivom Fragility of The Absurd (2023), a koji čine nove skulpture kreirane u Murano tehnici. Po Wolfrydovom statementu on u ovim radovima preispituje Rat kao određeni kliše, odnosno reprezentaciju Rata u medijskom prostoru po kojem se isti tretira kao običan dio svakodnevnog života kao što je to odlazak po namirnice ili druga kupovina. Međutim u svojoj umjetničkoj strategiji, u ovim radovima Wolfryd odlazi još dalje te ironizira ali i istovremeno i spektakularizira dva tradicijska umijeća odnosno umjetničke tehnike koje su zbog količine turizma u Veneciji i Meksiku postale ne samo komodificirane već su otišle potpuno u smjeru kiča pretvorivši se tako u forme marginalnih kulturnih pojavnosti.

Prva je naravno Murano tehnika izrade staklenih predmeta u radionicama na venecijanskom otoku Murano (od XIII. stoljeća do danas), a druga je ona meksičkih diorama odnosno Nicho arta, oblika narodne umjetnosti u zemljama Srednje i Južne Amerike u kojemu se malene figurice od različnih materijala mogu postavljati u staklene kutije (minijaturne oltare). U radu Salute to the Past Wolfryd postavlja malene ljiljane (cvijet je važan dio

Within Barry Wolfryd's artistic oeuvre, two constant and recurring threads are present, intertwined with the cultural constructs that have shaped him. One is linked to Wolfryd's native country, the United States of America, and the other to Mexico and the city where he has lived and created since 1985, Mexico City. Wolfryd was born in Los Angeles and began his formal art education at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Upon moving to Mexico in 1975, he continued his education at various esteemed higher education institutions in Mexico and the USA. During our conversation, he pointed out several times that he has been asked around the world, "How did you come to Mexico?" to which he would simply respond, "Well, in a VW bus ". This very response from Wolfryd embodies the dichotomy of his artistic poetics: the American simplicity and openness (such as living a nomadic life from the time of Jack Kerouac to the movie Nomadland)11 and the Mexican inclination towards mystification, the supernatural, and the fateful (materialised in Mexican culture through iconic celebrations of the Day of the Dead and the works of Leonora Carrington). These two threads, American and Mexican, alternate and complement each other in Wolfryd's artistic oeuvre, both in painting and sculpture, thus creating a unique poetics.

For instance, in his series of paintings, Honey I'm Home (2011 – 2012), Wolfryd ironizes the world of the American middle class by referencing advertisements targeting "American housewives" from the 1950s and 1960s by incorporating subversive surrealistic glitches into them (such as the ideal husband, pacifier, house, and car in a toaster – in the work It's All Toast). However, he also complements these scenes with depictions of Mexican macho "culture" (such as two masked men with sombreros, one dancing and the other holding a pointed gun – in the work Turning Up the Heat). In his series of sculptures, Glass Sculpture (2011 – 2022), featuring glass sculptures crafted in the Murano technique, Wolfryd goes even further. In the work Elotepec Sacred Corn Hill, he creates a kind of ritual offering to the gods in a post-pop art manner, symbolically placing an ear of corn on the Elotepec mountain. On one side of the hill, black male heads observe the corn cob in awe, while on the other side, red male heads turn their backs, or rather, their heads away. In the Expanded Media Gallery [Galerija Proširenih medija], Barry Wolfryd presents a series of works related to his current exhibition at the Arocena Museum, Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico titled Fragility of The Absurd (2023), featuring new sculptures created in the Murano technique. According to Wolfryd's statement, in these works, he re-examines War as a certain cliché, that is, the representation of War in the media space where it is treated as an ordinary part of everyday life, much like going grocery shopping or doing other routine activities. However, in his artistic strategy, Wolfryd takes it a step further in these works, both ironizing and simultaneously spectacularizing two traditional arts or artistic techniques.

These techniques have been commodified due to the influx of tourism in Venice and Mexico, transforming them not only into kitsch but also marginalizing their cultural significance. The first technique is, of course, the Murano technique of crafting glass objects in workshops on the Venetian island of Murano (from the 13th century to the present day). The second is that of Mexican dioramas, known as Nicho art, a form of folk art found in Central and South American countries. In Nicho art, small figurines made

1 Fascinacija američkom cestom i putovanjem prisutna je u Kerouacovom romanu Na cesti objavljenom 1957., jednako kao i u filmu Chloé Zao Nomadland iz 2021. godine.

1 The fascination with the American road and travel is present in Kerouac's novel On the Road published in 1957, as well as in Chloé Zao's movie Nomadland from 2021.

Nichoa) uz poprsje vojnika u šljemu koji salutira. Glava vojnika koji pozdravlja zastavu važan je dio američke militarističke kulture, a Wolfryd je cinično de-konstruira postavljajući vojniku flaster na usta i zatvarajući mu na oči dva različita novčića za siguran prelazak na Drugi svijet. Jedan je novčić plave boje s bijelim točkicama, drugi je žuti s bijelim točkicama dok su na . dvije crvene trake. Wolfryd više nego jasno aludira na zastavu SAD-a.

U radu Interface of an Object I postavlja bijelo poprsje na stilizirani crni stup dok u radu Interface of an Object II postavlja crno poprsje na žuti stup. Stupovi se naravno opet naslanjaju na interijere američke srednje klase a Wolfryd tako kreira neku vrst anti-biste.

Na prvom i drugom stupu nalaze se slična poprsja, žena duge kose na prvom prekriženih ruku gleda ponosno u daljinu a na drugom sklapa ruke prema nebu. Obje geste vezuju se uz ponos prema zastavi, domovini, odnosno tugu i traumu zbog gubitka voljenih. U završnom radu iz ove serije Interface of a Object III odlazi korak dalje postavljajući sada na glavu žene šljem ali i odijevajući je u romantičnu, lepršavu košulju i pozicionirajući je sada na crveni stup. Jednaku strategiju i poetiku Wolfryd primjenjuje i u drugim radovima iz ovog ciklusa kao što su Shell Shocked (buljavo hipnotizirajuće poprsje), Falling Through a Black Hole (kaktus koji nosi čudne plodove), As the Crow Flies (vrana na upozoravajućem prometnom objektu), On Target (ruža kao cilj) i A Drop in the Bucket (niz sladunjavih metaka). U ključnom radu iz ovog ciklusa Knowing When to Quit plavu stiliziranu glavu koja se nalazi na postamentu u obliku drona probija ružičastim pištoljem destruirajući potpuno sladunjavost Murana ali i Nichoa.

Na taj način jasno ukazuje na medijsko banaliziranje ljudske patnje u Ratu ali i pretvaranje prostora u teritorij i ljudskih bića u obično biološku masu što svaki Rat sam po sebi jest. Barry Wolfryd nam svojim ciklusom Fragility of The Absurd, fascinantno koristeći ironiju ali i izravnu kritičnost prema sadašnjem vremenu površnosti i beznađa otvara pitanja o prožimanju kulturnih slojeva, marginalnim pojavnostima i liminalnim prostorima ali isto tako i o re-intepretiranju dvije velike kulture: meksičke – tradicijske i folklorne; i one američke – kako one nevidljive svakodnevne tako i one previše vidljive spektakularne.

Josip Zanki

from various materials are placed within glass boxes (miniature altars). In the work Salute to the Past, Wolfryd places tiny lilies (an important element in Nicho art) next to the bust of a soldier in a helmet who is saluting. The soldier's head saluting the flag, an important part of American militaristic culture, is cynically deconstructed by Wolfryd as he places a band-aid over the soldier's mouth and covers his eyes with two different coins for a safe passage to the Other World. One coin is blue with white dots, and the other is yellow with white dots, both adorned with two red stripes. Wolfryd's reference to the American flag is quite evident. In the work Interface of an Object I, he places a white bust on a stylized black pedestal, while in Interface of an Object II, he places a black bust on a yellow pedestal. The pedestals, of course, once again refer to the interiors of American middle-class homes, and thus, Wolfryd creates a kind of anti-bust. On both the first and second pedestals, similar busts can be found: a woman with long hair on the first pedestal, her arms crossed as she gazes proudly into the distance, and on the second one, she stretches her hands towards the sky. Both gestures are associated with pride for the flag, the homeland, and also sorrow and trauma due to the loss of loved ones. In the final work of this series, Interface of an Object III, Wolfryd goes a step further, placing a helmet on the woman's head, dressing her in a romantic, flowing shirt, and positioning her atop a red pedestal. Wolfryd applies the same strategy and poetics in other works from this series, such as Shell Shocked (a bug-eyed hypnotizing bust), Falling Through a Black Hole (a cactus bearing peculiar fruit), As the Crow Flies (a crow atop a cautionary traffic object), On Target (a rose as the goal), and A Drop in the Bucket (a sequence of corny bullets). In the key work of this series, Knowing When to Quit, he pierces a stylized blue head placed on a drone-shaped pedestal with a pink gun, completely destroying the corniness of Murano as well as Nicho.

In this manner, he clearly points to the media's trivialization of human suffering in War and the transformation of space into territory and human beings into mere biological masses, which is inherent in every War. With his Fragility of The Absurd series, Barry Wolfryd employs irony and direct criticism of the current era's superficiality and hopelessness, raising questions about the interplay of cultural layers, marginal phenomena, and liminal spaces. Simultaneously, he explores the reinterpretation of two grand cultures: the Mexican – traditional and folkloric and the American – both the invisible everyday culture and the overly visible spectacular one.

Josip Zanki