Gregory Barsamian uses the art of animation and sculpture to transport the viewer into a dream world. They see the transformation of a yellow paste that is squeezed out of a tin. The paste turns into different objects until it becomes a rose that disintegrates and shortly afterwards the paste is reborn. An endless cycle that you can fill with your own thoughts and dreams.
Information on Gregory Barsamian.
Gregory Barsamian was born in Chicago in 1953. The artist graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in philosophy and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY. The kinetic sculptures by artist Gregory Barsamian animate three-dimensional, real objects in real time. The artworks are stroboscopic so-called zoetropes. Barsamian's carousels not only move in a vertical direction, but his figures are mounted helically on the carousel. This adds a further dimension. The figures therefore not only move to the left or right, but also up and down, telling longer stories to the eye.
Interview with Gregory Barsamian.
How does it feel to see your artwork again after twenty years and to restore it at phaeno?
"It's funny. Because it's a crazy work of art. And it's still good the way it is today! (He pauses to think).
You know, there's a logical side to life and that's important. But there is so much more. Namely the subconscious and dreams. And that's what this artwork shows. Because it is like this: Logic only uses a very small part of our brain capacity. Logic is important so that we can build a house, for example. But when it comes to emotions, we use much more of our capacity, usually in the subconscious. I show these emotions and dreams in this artwork and I also encourage people to think about them.
Overall, I'm happy with the artwork. It has been "doing its job" in the phaeno for a very long time.
Do you want to restore or change Secret life?
I will restore it. As best I can. I have old videos and photos of it. And I've brought the original colours with me. But it's shocking what has happened to the colours on the artwork in twenty years. Part of the reason is dirt and dust, part is oxidation and the pigments have also simply aged. At the end of the work, it will look fresh and colourful again.
How was the artwork created?
I made the artwork over 20 years ago just for the phaeno. It is unique and can only be found at phaeno. A big part of my thinking was that children should like it. But it should also fit in with our dreams of the world. Like dreams, the artwork doesn't have to make any clear sense. So it can appeal to everyone's imagination.
I worked on it for eight months. First I developed and tested the "stories" of the figures. Every single sculpture is handmade. That is the fate of an artist who animates his work. I had to create 130 objects, some of them very similar, which slowly evolve in front of the eye.
I created the artwork as a carousel. There are many machines like this. What is special about my artwork is that the sculptures are arranged on the rods like a helix. This adds another dimension. On a carousel, you only go round in a circle once. That only takes a few seconds. But my story is told in a "helix". So they also move up and down. So I gain a lot of time to tell and animate my stories.
Are there other works of art in the phaeno that inspire you?
Yes, I really like the work of Arthur Ganson, for example. He is a friend of mine. His work "little yellow chair" is great. A work by my wife Mary Ziegler is also in the phaeno. It's called "Free Radicals". We have pursued two very different artistic careers. Her artwork gives an insight into a small chaotic miniature world (editor's note: it will also be restored). Taming this chaos sometimes kept her very busy (laughs).
How does it feel to have your artwork in the phaeno?
The phaeno is the perfect place for this artwork. There is so much creativity here and phaeno's mission is good. I'm very happy with where it is.
Davy Champion is the phaeno curator responsible for this work of art. Although he has been working at phaeno almost from the beginning, this is the first time he has been able to meet the artist.
"It's a happy coincidence for me. Gregory Barsamian has done this. We actually only asked him if we could clean and restore the artwork ourselves. But as he is in Europe this year, he immediately offered to do it himself. That's why we have him here now. This is a very emotional moment for me, as I was particularly fond of this work of art from the very beginning. It's my absolute favourite at phaeno."
Until 18.11.2024
Get to know the artist at the exhibition.