narrative material realism

Topic Artists:

Aganetha Dyck, beehives formed onto victoria figurines
William Loveless, glue paintings
Sally Resnik Rockriver, geochemical formations ceramic glazes in blown glass
Yoshioko Tokujin, crystals grow to the vibrations of music from swan lake
Ellyn Weiss, layered wax sculptures

Disclaimer:
The writer refers to her own work in this article.

NARRATIVE MATERIAL REALISM
(Materiality that is not Abstraction nor Without a Story...
but Creates its own Reality.)

I designed the term "Narrative Material Realism"
as a way to describe my own work.
This blog includes other artists (listed above)
who I think have a similar approach.
I will be adding to the topic as I get feedback from them.

My geochemical formations lead to these question:
Is geology abstract or real? Can a rock tell a story?
Is a rock an artifact with historical value?

In this proposed definition of "narrative material realism",
the narrative is derived from the origination properties
of the material and a new reality is born.

To understand this type of work,
one must move beyond the thought
that "materiality" is purely abstraction.

The object holds information
about the history of how it was formed.
Its own reality is derived from a material narrative.
In some cases,  the reality of the material creates the narrative.

This is NOT abstraction, formalism, or pure materialism.
It is NOT Representationalism.
Also, NOT a facsimile or imitation of a pre-existing reality.
The work is an artifact of its own origin.

It tells the story of its inception, harvest,
and placement in an art context.
It is strengthened by being surrounded by related outgrowths.
These components have a dialogue with each other.

Notes on Context
The viewer's relationship to the work is richer
by knowing previous works and their titles.
The artist takes responsibility and
establishes a future discourse by using language.

This clarifies that the forms are not an end in themselves.
Titles show just how the objects are a means to a narrative.
The final context shows intentionally and eliminates abstraction.

*(See Arthur Danto's writing on "Red Square".)

There are several artists working in this vein
that can be found on the "Pioneers in Art" Facebook group.

Links:
http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2014/02/artist-aganetha-dyck-collaborates-with-bees-to-create-sculptures-wrapped-in-honeycomb/
http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/tokujin-yoshioka-crystallize

Art Source: Hi-Fructose Magazine

New NMR work:
VIDEO  "INTO THE UNFOUND" 2014
Work in progress Sally Resnik Rockriver with video editor Rob Steinberg
TRAVELS through a new reality of collaged geological formations.