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kris martin
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With work that is occasionally destructive, sometimes explosive
but always deceptively simple-looking, the young Belgian artist has
been quietly building a big reputation in Europe and now New York.
ArtReview went to Ghent to find out what all the fuss is about
words JESSICA MORGAN
portrait ROBI RODRIGUEZ
time had apparently stopped: the world (or at least a small but – a loved one or something as mundane as the shopping yet to be done
densely populated area of Regent’s Park) stood still. The cause for this for the evening meal. The interruption of business-as-usual, an aspect
standstill was Kris Martin’s work at the Frieze Art Fair, One Minute Silence of critique within the piece, appealed to me: commerce interrupted by
(2007), a piece that consisted of an unexpected request through the something approximating its opposite, an act of giving time and mental
loudspeaker system to remain silent for the next minute. The purpose space for a possible, immaterial ‘other’.
of this silence was not explained. Could it be in respect of an unfamiliar At the heart of his work, Martin has declared, is the desire to
war memorial? A gesture of solidarity with a recent event? The lack of create an open-ended proposal for the viewer: ‘I see every single
definition perhaps resulted in the success of the reaction, compelling, piece as an invitation for the viewer to reflect: trying to activate one’s
as it did, the great and good of the artworld to come to a sudden halt: individual thoughts about one’s own life, without having any intention
a sea of paralysed subjects caught in the bewildering conundrum of to force one’s thoughts to go in a certain direction… trying to give an
trying to ascertain what their inaction was in aid of. Mobile phones audience a very active role is a very ambitious project, and I can be
went unanswered, breaking what was otherwise an unholy silence extremely satisfied when it happens sometimes.” One Minute Silence
that followed the announcement, bringing to a momentary pause the clearly embodies, in an almost literal manner, this idea of making space
constant din of deals, greetings and conversation that had preceded it. for reflection and the possibilities that such an opening presents.
The request for silence brought with it a reaction of stillness (perhaps Constantly directed in life as we are, this concept of indetermination
the only proper way to react to such a request), and having been and the consequent need to establish meaning is something fairly
prepared for the announcement through prior discussion with Martin, rare. Martin’s work, whether of the immaterial and ephemeral nature
I was able to slip around the statuesque presence of so many previously of the piece described above or his equally important object-based
bustling bodies now at a standstill. Reaction afterwards was mixed, with practice, is almost alarmingly unafraid to enable such deep reflection.
some irritated at the possible misuse of a loaded communal act, but With apparently little or no hesitation, he takes on many of the major
the majority were fascinated by the power that such an unformulated questions of human experience – religious belief, the brevity of
request could have: a social contract respected even in the context of existence, the contrast between corporeal and spiritual being – while
high commerce and individual consumption. often liberally referencing major works (literary and artistic) and events
Martin himself, when asked about the work, had expressed an from history. It is an approach that on paper seems doomed to fail:
interest in what would be thought of by the public during the seconds the significance and complexity of the subjects he selects being such
following his request. Searching for a possible consequence in the that any attempt to align a contemporary art work with them would
announcement, they may come to think of the day’s news or the recent seem to result, almost inevitably, in failure to withstand the comparison
past; or perhaps their thoughts would wander to more personal terrain (or simply the impression of pretentious association).
artreview 42
Kris Martin.indd 42 5/12/07 12:14:18
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