ARS artists appeared in Venice

This year’s Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition also featured two artists invited to the ARS 06 exhibition: Willie Doherty, Ireland, and Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba, Japan. Kiasma Magazine met them in sunny Venice.

Willie Doherty lives in Derry, a small town in Northern Ireland. The situation in the area is the key to his work. "I would not describe myself as a political artist, although the starting point for my works is the Northern Ireland situation. I think being political means choosing a particular perspective."

ARS 06 displays Doherty’s video installation Non-Specific Threat, which was also seen in Venice. The video focuses on a young man around whom the camera revolves. The work is based on stereotypes of terrorists as conveyed in the media. Although the man does not behave in a threatening manner, the viewer will associate him with violence.

The idea of the work comes from an incident in Belfast a couple of years ago, when pupils were stopped from going to a North Belfast Primary School that became a hotbed of controversy between Protestants and Catholics. The incident was dramatised for television and the actor playing the scapegoat also appears in Doherty’s work. "The actor in the BBC drama gives a face to the threat. The aim of my works is to depict threat and find a language to describe it."

Doherty says working in Derry has two dimensions. On the one hand, the locality and the conflicts in it provide a wealth of topics to discuss. On the other, living in a slightly remote location distances him from the art world. "International exhibitions, such as ARS 06, are a way for me to be part of a larger whole."

HISTORY UNDER WATER

The works of Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba, who was born in Japan, educated in the U.S. and currently resides in Vietnam, show the influence of the three cultures. "My cultural background is evident in my works. They are informed by the history and past experiences of these three countries."

Nguyen-Hatsushiba’s video works move in the underwater world and they discuss the recent history of the area. The racing underwater rickshaws refer to the slow recovery of Vietnam from the chaos caused by decades of war and political turmoil. The other work is connected to the 1968 assault when the North Vietnamese troops struck during the most important holiday of the year, the New Year, despite a truce. The artist describes the problematic relations between the U.S., Vietnam and Japan in his work Okinawa. "The locations of the works play a major role, they have to support the history."

Getting used to working underwater took its time. "I had never scuba dived before, so when shooting my first work, I had to learn how to move and behave underwater. I am still a little scared in the first few days of a shoot."

Although Nguyen-Hatsushiba’s works are based on historical conflicts, their underwater setting also has dreamlike beauty. "Art should have an element of beauty, that’s why it’s called art."

Piia Laita