The Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Sept 11-Nov 24, 2002
Fictions: New Narrative in Contemporary Photography and Video

by Cate McQuaid

.... "Denise Marika, whose 'Battle Photo Series (I-VII)' is in "Fictions," says that work references ancient Greek art.

"The connection to art history shows a line between us as contemporary people and people from earlier time periods," Marika suggests. 'There are some things that are as ancient as cave dwellers and as contemporary as everyday life.'

"Like many images in the show, 'Battle Photo Series (I-VII)' was made in conjunction with a video piece. It features seven steel beams, each containing a sliver of an image of a nude man and woman struggling. Marika 'played' the woman in the piece.

"She was a student of Chris Burden's at UCLA in the early '80s, where she also studied with Charlie Ray - both artists known for using their own bodies in their work.

"'Working with them allowed me to activate my social voice - and my psychological voice - to have a physical body in the piece,' says Marika. 'That's where I found the combination of things that were going to be my tools.'" ....

top