Kathrine Worel

Personal Website

Bio

Kathrine Worel is a cross media artist whose most recent work explores the idea of surface. Worel’s practice as an artist and curator is deeply influenced by her desire to discover and create personal, visual and metaphorical connections. Kathrine currently lives and works in Oakland, California where she and her husband split their time between studio and a sustainable urban “farmette” which they fondly call Ghettopia.

Worel作为一位艺术家和策展人，她的艺术实践源于她从视觉上或象征意义上对发现和建立人与人之间联系的渴望。Worel现在居住并工作于美国加州奥克兰，她和她的丈夫一半时间在他们的工作室，一半时间在他们的可持续性城市“小农场”，他们也亲切地把它称之为“贫民乌托邦”。

Project

Domestic Bliss, single channel video, 2008
Untitled photo series (numbers 1 – 7), 2008

Besides exploring the melding of art, advertising and appropriation of the surface trappings of “exotic” cultures and religions, both of Katherine Worel’s pieces, “Domestic Bliss” and the “Untitled” photo series, celebrate unexpected manifestations of the divine in everyday life. While creating the “Domestic Bliss” video, Worel created photos inspired by the discovery of Prada yoga mats and a quote from 9th centaury Buddhist monk Lin Chi stating, “You meet the Buddha on the road, kill him.” The “Domestic Bliss” video shows sewing , the archaic domestic ritual, that like knitting, has become fashionable among women with spare time and income. However, what is a leisurely activity for some, is a daily necessity for others. The performative gesture of sewing oneself together, besides referencing historical body art performances, speaks to repairing, fixing and making a permanent connection. It represents “fixing” a state of bliss by taking a humble, homey approach to achieving a transcendental state.

家庭福佑单频道录像，2008
无题照片系列 (1-7)，2008

除了探讨艺术和广告的融合，和对表面的异国情调文化和宗教的挪用，Katherine Worel的“家庭福佑”和“无题”照片系列颂扬了神灵在日常生活和情境中无法预知的显现。在创作“家庭福佑”录像时，Worel受Prada的名牌瑜珈垫和九世纪佛教名僧临济的一句话“逢佛杀佛，逢祖杀祖”的启发，创作了“无题”照片系列。
“家庭福佑”展示了刺绣这老式的家庭仪式，如编织一样，现在这一活动已成为有闲余和有钱妇女的时髦活动。虽然对于某些人来说这是个休闲活动，但是对于另一些人来说却是每日的必须。这个把自己缝起来的行为姿势，除了参考艺术史中的身体艺术，同时也是一个关于维修和建造永久联系的描述。在这个背景下，这个作品希望再现和“维修”一个幸福的状态，用谦逊和家庭式的途径来成就一个超越的境界。