Everything Real Is Imagined (After Dante) consists of nine sculptures or dioramas (a sampling of which are depicted here, each referencing scenes from Dante's Inferno as modern allegories of political strife. Taplin's story begins as Dante's does with the uncertain sense of whether or not we are in a dream or reality
Everything Real Is Imagined is part of the larger group exhibition These Days: Elegies for Modern Times
From ArtsBoston:
George Bolster, Chris Doyle, Micah Silver, Robert Taplin, Sam Taylor-Wood and Pawel Wojtasik In 1967 Jackson Browne penned the lyric: "These days I seem to think about/ How all the changes came about my ways/ And I wonder if I'll see another highway." As the world shifts around us in ways that are profoundly disorienting, Browne's song resonates. Bringing together six artists whose work is infused with that lyric's sense of wonderment, and with the poetic and musical tradition of the elegy, These Days: Elegies for Modern Times responds to today's changing world with installations, photographs, painting, sculpture and video. The exhibition is at once an extended lamentation, but also full of a revelatory sense of possibility and hope. Opening Saturday, April 4, 2009 the exhibition features work by George Bolster, Chris Doyle, Micah Silver, Robert Taplin, Sam Taylor-Wood, and Pawel Wojtasik. Two of the artists will exhibit works from the past year while the other four have created new installations specifically for the exhibition including two room-size works: a 12' tall, 36' diameter video panorama and a full-size chapel-like environment.
Robert Taplin
Everything Real Is Imagined (After Dante)
(click on photos to enlarge to a better viewing size)
Thus My Soul Which Was Still In Flight
(The Dark Wood)
Across The Dark Waters
(The River Acheron)
Shadow Shot Sunday is hosted by Tracy at Hey, Harriet in Brisbane
Although not alive, the position and movements are so real looking, the look so lifelike in form and place. The situations are lifelike, and I am not sure it is all lamentations - the look of the mundane might not be so bad: the gentleman leaving the bed to begin a day of accomplishment, or those on the boat enjoying the water on a hot day. Maybe or not - art is meant for us to see perhaps the less obvious.
ReplyDeleteNice post!
Fascinating shadow shots, Gina! Hope you're having a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteSylvia
This is wonderful! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGreat shots in these and much to contemplate. I find it hard to know what is in the artists mind; perhaps that is the point.
ReplyDeleteDante is the point of reference but since I have not read the Divine Comedy I can only ponder the possible meaning of these powerful images.
Marvelous photos! and a unique and wonderful idea for Shadow Shots.
ReplyDeleteI love your idea, great thoughts.
ReplyDeleteSimply fascinating...as I'm left to ponder the meaning in each work and the message there...thanks!
ReplyDeletevery cool!
ReplyDeletehappy shadow shot sunday.
paz
love these and they are all saying 'something', that being i am not sure what!
ReplyDeletethe last one seems haunting somehow...
xoxo
boatman thrusts an oar
ReplyDeletetoward drowning man and hauls him
aboard to safety
Sphinx, these are wonderful photos of very unusual art works. At least they are unusual to me... I don't know if I like them. I hope you don't mind... :)
ReplyDeleteThanks to all for taking the time to leave a comment. As always it is very rewarding to get some feedback.
ReplyDeleteMary: I don't mind if you don't like the artwork. I don't think it's the type of art that is meant to convey beauty or happiness. Art has never been exclusively about beauty. If it makes me, I think, I like it in a very particular way. These installations were influenced by Dante's Inferno, so they are most certainly disturbing in nature. They are very well done and they made me think. I do like THAT.
those are quite amazing artworks...
ReplyDeleteThank you.
ReplyDeleteGreat figures.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos.
Great words from Dante.
Cheers!
JzB
JazzBump: I got a charge out of your profile! I'm shallow, too. Not to mention intellectually lazy. Or maybe the shallowness is a by-product of the laziness. Or maybe I'm just too much of a space cowgirl to do any better! ;-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun exhibition - it makes for great shadows as well!!
ReplyDeleteI think one mark of great sculpture is that it takes great photographs, with facscinating and beautiful compositions possible from every side and angle. Thanks for these - they prove my point.
ReplyDeleteThis would be an amazing exhibit to attend! I'm glad you captured part of it to share with us! The one I'm most drawin to is the third one of the people sitting around the table. Hope you have a great week!
ReplyDeleteKitchen Girl, Steve and Hey Harriet:
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming by.
Steve: these sculptures were brilliantly done. This was, for me, the knock-out work in the over-all exhibition called These Days.
Hello Gin?
ReplyDeleteNow your talking. Love the miniatures and they're shadows. I thought, at first for real. Silly me.
Fascinating shot, girl. Job well done, as usual.
Happy week and have a nice evening to you.
xoxo