Laura Matei Solo Exhibition 劳拉 玛得个展
March 20, 2010- April 15, 2010
Opening: March 20, 2010 from 16:00 till 18:00
Curated and coordinated by: Manuela Lietti, Pier Giorgio Giraudo
In cooperation with Studio Giangaleazzo Visconti, Milan
Held at: Fun Art Space, Beijing (inside 798 Art District)




Laura Matei: The Poetics of Fragility
By Manuela Lietti
The belief that the process of making falls for the most part outside the sphere of artistic creation is rooted in the field of modern and contemporary art ever since Duchamp’s contribution to the art world, and lies at the origin of the dichotomy, often overtly emphasized, separating the conception of the artistic gesture from its placement into practice. The subsequent separation between the contemporary artist’s hand and brain has led him towards the gradual but inevitable rejection of his nature of homo faber, a definition more suitable for a craftsman rather than for an artist. For years this attitude has contributed to the primacy of the conceptual approach over the manual one, emphasizing the artist’s ability to "feel" at the expenses of his natural inclination to create. Therefore all those approaches rooted in materiality and conveyed by it have been restrained to the "sub-circle" of craftsmanship.
The body of work of Laura Matei (1965, Buzau, Romania) is the visual transposition of a gesture resulting from a thinking hand and an operating mind. In Matei’s work, the conceptual elements are expertly combined with a manual approach which is strongly pursued, sought after and put into practice by the artist herself. Relying on the immediate availability of what reality offers, similar to the approach of the bricoleur as described by Claude Lévi Strauss, Laura Matei selects the materials to incorporate into her works and personally assembles them with meticulous yet simple gestures, filled with an almost archaic quality. She embraces this practice relying on a composed mind and a self-confident approach typical of those people who feel at ease in “perceiving by doing something”. It doesn’t seem inappropriate to compare Laura Matei to the figure described by Lévi Strauss in “The Savage Mind” as "the one who performs a job with his own hands, using methods that are different from those used by craftsmen" thus fitting to the "equipment at his disposal, namely a ‘limited’ set of tools and heterodox materials." However, unlike Lévi Strauss’ bricoleur, the artist consciously chooses to incorporate certain materials in her poetic and not just "because (s)he has nothing else to rely on." In the process of making, the artist relies on embroidery as her primary tool. This highly traditional and popular technique with an exquisitely feminine millenary history has acted as the trait d'union of all Matei’s works since the very beginning of her career and literally it is the only technique she relies on to combine the various components of her works. In this way, the artist approaches the vast repertoire of the everyday with such a curiosity that she is able to transform the dismissed into a sort of wonder, the unnoticed into a form of enchantment and the ordinary into an extraordinary event. Extremely humble materials like coloured wrapping paper, transparent film, and wool strands play a primary role in the visual vocabulary of Matei. These materials, assembled with formal rigor and painstaking accuracy, are filled with a sense of fragility and lightness that act as a counterweight to the selection of the subjects represented: Iconic personalities who have shaped and have become part of the global collective memory.
This is the case of personalities of Romanian origins but renowned at a global scale like Nadia Comaneci, the prominent gymnast, and Johnny Weissmuller, the most popular Tarzan ever to grace the silver screen. In the series of installations and photographs inspired by Nadia Comaneci, the gymnast is portrayed while, relying on her histrionic and impeccable appeal, she masters the agonistic arena with the grace and the self-confidence that have always distinguished her. However it is the material used to shape the body of the gymnast –transparent wrapping film- that reminds the viewers that they are facing not only the celebrated athlete, the Romanian national treasure that transcended the Olympic scoreboards, unable to represent her level of perfection, but also a teenager who, despite having won adversaries and proudly faced challenges of any kind, appears in all her humanity/vulnerability. A collection of bones and sinews, whose body is a medium to shape with delicacy and to handle gently, stands as a metaphor for the precarious balance between her strong collective identity as an athlete/myth and her personal fragility typical of a young woman.
"Tarzan," the icon of machismo and masculinity for excellence, is represented by Johnny Weissmuller who was born in Romania but moved at a very young age to the United States. Weissmuller, an actor, but also previously, an undefeated swimmer throughout his agonistic career, is presented in Matei’s works in a different way from the usual cliché of the victorious man, the playboy who married five times as he is often remembered. He doesn’t embody any myth but his identity develops from a stateless man, forced to use the date and place of birth of his brother to be issued an American passport and be ensured his eligibility to compete as part of the United States Olympic team, to finally become the Johnny Weissmuller/Tarzan who entered the history of cinema. This element lies at the basis of works like "The Tarzan Brothers," "Cheetah and the almost Tarzan," and the ironic series "Bi-tarzan" in which the animal at the centre of the composition is the witness to the derailment of the identity of the Weissmuller brothers, accomplices and both worthy of the title of Tarzan.
The visual tension dominating the two series cited above is rooted in the fracture between the boldness of the public image of the characters portrayed -highly self-motivated in their strenuous quest for emancipation- and their problematical private life, characterized by sensitive issues related to their condition of emigrants, and the shaping of their personal identity. But perhaps appropriately for these issues, their private image is not less daring. In these series, strength and fragility act as two components at first considered antithetical, but in afterthought correlated. The fragility of Nadia Comaneci and Tarzan/Johnny Weissmuller is not denied, it is simply regarded as a natural extension of their humanity. Thanks to this element, leaving behind the limitations imposed by their “characters”, the two become unlimited “human beings”, and for this reason they embrace their uncertainty and fragility. Their heroism is not defined by their being victorious on the stage, but inasmuch as to their being human, perhaps unlimitably so, in their daily lives.
The fragility of the subjects portrayed is inherent in the nature of a human being: It is part of his anthropological structure and therefore it is what allows a human being to be what he is. The series “Rubber Ring” features ordinary people -a student as well as a pregnant woman, a chubby man and a stringy one- that despite their social differences, are united by their universal weakness and need of protection from the hostile and threatening external environment. The subjects are literally rescued by the artist: They are portrayed at the centre of a spiral, reminiscent of zebra crossings, and enclosed in a Plexiglas dome. The zebra crossings, used previously in the work of Matei to symbolize a situation of risk, are in this case, a protection wrapped around the subjects to insulate them from danger. The transparent Plexiglas dome that contains them becomes an extension of their physical and metaphorical body, a defence or a talisman to rely on to face everyday life, made visible by the artist but that in reality can only be imagined by each of us.
The visual oxymoron also dominates the "Bloom" series: Transparent skulls covered with gift-wrapping paper of different floral patterns. Appealing to the eye and of immediate allure, these skulls normally symbols of the memento mori par excellence, in this particular case bring to mind the flowering of ideas, the sprouting of creativity, the unfolding of intellectual abilities. These components, characterized by the energy of an eruption and the sense of wonder brought about by a small miracle, raise what could be a mere bunch of bones to a metaphor for the essence of man himself. The bright floral papers complement the transparency of the skulls contributing to create works in which the emotional and rational elements superbly co-exist. Again, the transparent film is far more than a means of expression: It is the symbol of the transience of the creative moment, its subtlety, making it elating because transitory, precious because fleeting.

Interview with the artist: Ten questions to Laura Matei
By Pier Giorgio Giraudo

Are you a self-taught artist or did you undergo a formal training? If so, what is your specialization?
I graduated in painting from Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan. My teachers were [artist] Alberto Garutti, [critic and curator] Giacinto Di Pietrantonio, [critic and curator] Laura Cherubini and [artist] Grazia Toderi.

Where does your fascination for such everyday life, humble materials arise from?
Perhaps it arises from the fact that just by holding out your hands, taking what is within your reach and transforming it simply by a gesture, you can create a sort of miniature wonder, deeply touching everyday life’s universe.

In your early career, many of your works were based on embroidery. How did you switch from embroidery to a three-dimensional approach? Do you think you will use embroidery again and is it still an primary part of your artistic ethos?
Embroidery is a constant feature in my works. My works made of transparent film, which will be part of this exhibition in Beijing, hold up because they are sewed rather than glued. Since it plays a primary role in my work, I think I will keep on using embroidery each time a material or a work requires it.

The leitmotif of these works is the fragility characterizing the subjects both with regard to the materials employed and from a psychological point of view. Sculptures look almost untouchable due to the fragility of the material they are made of and some of your characters are portrayed as human beings rather than legendary heroes. Is this correct?
Definitely, this could be a major key of interpretation for these works.

What is the meaning of material fragility in your works both from an esthetic and ontological point of view?
Broadly speaking, fragility strikes me when it is disarming, that is, when it pushes to lay weapons down by what is usually considered a weakness. I’m interested in fragility when it turns out to be strength.

Despite their being fragile, many of your works seem to have a light, ironic, almost playful side. Is this true?
I always try to get some sort of aesthetic lightness and creative immediacy along with the lowest production costs. Everything else (irony, playfulness, etc.) may just be side effects.

What’s the origin of the different series featuring in this exhibition in Beijing?
In “Rubber Ring” I stress the need for care and protection people struggle to express. The series “Nadia Comaneci” is about the burden of being a legend lying on the shoulders of a frail baby-athlete. In “Tarzan,” I investigate the double identity imposed on Johnny Weissmuller by the dull immigration bureaucracy of the time. While in the “Bloom” series, I like to emphasize the mystery of the blooming of ideas and emotions, revealed through a transparent skull-cap.

The series “Tarzan” and “Nadia Comaneci” are about two celebrities reminding of your country. What’s the reason for such a choice?
I wanted everybody to know and be familiar with my characters. Whereas Nadia Comaneci frailty was known or suspected by many, the story of Johnny Weissmuller is truly incredible. Not only were they both of Romanian origin, they were also immigrants, like me and many others in the last decades. My goal was highlighting the relationship/contradiction between frailty and strength.

How did you choose the paper used for the skulls in the “Bloom” series?
I needed floral images to express myself. Gift paper was particularly suitable in that it showed mind creativity as a gift which comes when you don’t expect it.

What about the technical aspect in your sculptures? Do you create them by yourself or do you have any assistants?
I’ve always created my works by myself. The sculptures made of transparent film are a pile of film bandages, held together by seams, with neither stiff structures inside nor glue. Just plastic sheets and cotton thread. I only used iron wire for the “Bloom” series, to build the dental arch. However, this is clearly visible, no tricks.


Can you tell us about the work you conceived for the Beijing exhibition?
As for the “site-specific” work, it is the evolution of a former work. In 1999, it was just a single engraved paper roll, entitled “A thousand sheets”. It was about getting the maximum volume with minimum intervention. In this case too, the image recalled a sort of flowering, a small explosion. Today, in 2010, only by putting a few rolls one on the other this work looks like a sort of plant. Thus, the bamboo canes obtained from paper rolls of different diameters are put one on the other and engraved in some cases. I consider this work as being specifically dedicated to China: It is inspired by the plant which is the symbol of this country and made of paper, which was first invented by the Chinese.