Esther Neff
estherneff.wordpress.com
estherneff.wordpress.com
PROTAGONY: $100 for Truth
PROTAGONY: $100 for Truth involves an assembled body or “jury” of 12 individual artists: Lorene Bouboushian, IV Castellanos, Christen Clifford, Shawn Escarciga, Ayana Evans, Simone Johnson, Anya Liftig, Iki Nakagawa, Sierra Ortega, Elaine Thap, Bret Schneider, and april vendetta. Each artist is offered $100 in exchange for a “statement of truth” in the form of a brief text and 3-minute video. After receiving the texts and video, Esther Neff attempts to substantiate and embody subjective interpretations of each artist’s judgements of truth in brief performances resulting in material remains (e.g. sculptural objects/wall works) .
PROTAGONY: $100 for Truth culminates as 1) all 12 videos, each pairing the “jurist” artist’s video and that artist’s statement with the interpreting artist’s video responses, are shown online. 2) the material remains made by Neff are mailed to each of the 12 involved artists, images of these pieces are also shown online via the exhibition. 5) videos and images may be shared "mnemonically" via social media.
In the context of Home As Situation, this social performance frames self-jurisdiction and social substantiation as a homeboundings or homebases and acts of truth-evaluation as homing devices. Challenging binary conceptions of public vs. private spheres, active vs. mental processes, and economic vs. ideological notions of value, individual/intellectual property, justice, and materiality, the process operates through social, conceptual, and financial contracts. Demanding that artists intentionally materialize “truths,” is both idealistic and absurd, while attempts to understand, interpret, and materialize truths are earnest and interpersonal, enacted between friends, colleagues, comrades. While cultural actors (artists) especially tend to disbelieve the idea of any universal or non-relative “truth,” art is also often claimed to be “more true than true” in spiritual or affective ways. As a theatrical third option, this performance/process proposes that feelings of being at home in this world (more valuable than money) are directly materialized by attempts to have one’s personal, emotional, and political truths substantiated.
PROTAGONY: $100 for Truth culminates as 1) all 12 videos, each pairing the “jurist” artist’s video and that artist’s statement with the interpreting artist’s video responses, are shown online. 2) the material remains made by Neff are mailed to each of the 12 involved artists, images of these pieces are also shown online via the exhibition. 5) videos and images may be shared "mnemonically" via social media.
In the context of Home As Situation, this social performance frames self-jurisdiction and social substantiation as a homeboundings or homebases and acts of truth-evaluation as homing devices. Challenging binary conceptions of public vs. private spheres, active vs. mental processes, and economic vs. ideological notions of value, individual/intellectual property, justice, and materiality, the process operates through social, conceptual, and financial contracts. Demanding that artists intentionally materialize “truths,” is both idealistic and absurd, while attempts to understand, interpret, and materialize truths are earnest and interpersonal, enacted between friends, colleagues, comrades. While cultural actors (artists) especially tend to disbelieve the idea of any universal or non-relative “truth,” art is also often claimed to be “more true than true” in spiritual or affective ways. As a theatrical third option, this performance/process proposes that feelings of being at home in this world (more valuable than money) are directly materialized by attempts to have one’s personal, emotional, and political truths substantiated.
Ayana
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Elaine
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Christen
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april
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Shawn
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Simone
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Anya
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Lorene
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Iki
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IV
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Sierra
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Bret
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