康奈妮亞•柏卡

康奈妮亞.柏卡1956年生於英國柴郡;1980至82年在雷丁大學攻讀美術;現時在倫敦生活及工作。

康奈妮亞.柏卡是雕塑及裝置藝術家。她的作品題材源於對日常物件的操控、解構以及重新解讀,扎根於事物的根本源由,且總是帶著一絲暴力的因子。《冷暗物質:一個爆開的景象》(1991) 是柏卡早期最著名的作品之一。一個起初被置於奇森海爾畫廊中裝滿園藝工具的小棚,後來被移至另一處由英軍定點引爆;其碎片被搬回畫廊,並懸掛在天花板上;由一只亮著的電燈泡照射而產生幢幢陰影,就像重返爆炸前的瞬間。除此以外,在作品《三十塊銀子》(1988-9)中,柏卡壓平了一千件銀器;在《總有一天這塊玻璃會碎》(1995)中,她用槍把一條珍珠項鍊射入一套西裝裡;法國惡名遠播的皇后瑪麗.安托瓦內特因犯叛國罪而被送上斷頭台,柏卡就用那砍頭刀將物品切碎。她的另一組發人深省的著名作品《或許》(1995),在倫敦蛇形畫廊展示了女演員蒂達.史溫頓在玻璃櫃裡睡覺的姿態。

柏卡以隕石為主題的一系列作品《隕石降落》(1998),顯示她對隕石的著迷。每幅作品都是利用在納米比亞找到、年代追溯至1836年的鎳鐵隕石做的。石頭經加熱後,被置在放大了的英國地圖「從A到Z」上。石頭位置各有不同,蓋過的地點均為各個知名或不知名的地標。當石頭被移開後,就只剩下一個燒焦了的烙印,露出焦化易碎的紙層。隕石道出了人們對未知世界的恐懼,柏卡藉此希望突現我們在自然力量下的無助,製造一種警世的觸動。

1997年,柏卡獲「特納獎」提名。近期個展包括︰波羅的當代藝術中心(蓋茨特赫德,2010);白教堂畫廊(倫敦,2008);弗里斯街畫廊(2008);及伊康畫廊(伯明翰,2007)。主要的聯展包括泰特三年展「這樣的日子」(泰特英國美術館,倫敦,2003);英國藝術展(麥克萊倫畫廊,格拉斯哥,1990);列斯城市藝術廊(列斯,1990),以及海華特畫廊(倫敦,1990)。

Cornelia Parker

Cornelia Parker was born in Cheshire, England in 1956. Between 1980 and 1982, she attended University of Reading to study Fine Art and is now based in London where she lives and works.

Cornelia Parker is a sculptor and installation artist. Her work involves the manipulation, deconstruction and rereading of ‘everyday’ objects. With a strong rooting into the history of such things, there is also a common thread of violence that underlies her work. Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View (1991) is one of Parker’s most famous early works. A shed full of garden implements was placed in Chisenhale Gallery before being removed and exploded in a controlled blast carried out by the British Army. The fragments were then brought back into the gallery and suspended from the ceiling and lit from a single bulb in order to create dramatic shadows, as if to recreate the split second moment before the blast. As well as blowing things up, Parker has flattened a thousand silver objects for Thirty Pieces of Silver (1988-9), fired a pearl necklace from a gun into a suit for the work One Day This Glass Will Break (1995) and sliced through objects with the guillotine that once beheaded Marie Antoinette, the infamous Queen of France who was convicted of treason. Another of her famous, and more contemplative works, The Maybe (1995), involved displaying actress Tilda Swinton sleeping within a vitrine at the Serpentine Gallery, London.

Meteorite lands….(1998) are part of a series of works created as part of Parker’s ongoing fascination with meteorites. Each work was made using a found piece of meteorite from Namibia, called Gibeon Meteorite, that dates back to 1836. This piece of rock was then heated and placed on enlarged maps of the UK, commonly known as A to Z’s. The placing of the rock in each of the works is different with the locations underneath representing some well known, as well as lesser known, landmarks. As the rock is removed, just a charred edged hole remains, revealing the burnt, fragile layers of paper. In this way, Parker evokes an apocalyptic sensation where the meteor encapsulates a fear of the unknown and highlights our helplessness against the forces of nature.

In 1997, Cornelia Parker was shortlisted for the Turner Prize. Recent solo shows include BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, 2010; Whitechapel Gallery, London, 2008; Frith Street Gallery, 2008 and Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, 2007. Major group shows include Days Like These, Tate Triennial, Tate Britain, London, 2003 and the British Art Show, McLellan Galleries, Glasgow; Leeds City Art Gallery, Leeds; Hayward Gallery, London, 1990.