Rachel MacLean, Spite Your Face, 2017, Installation View
Humankind has always tried to stretch the line between reality and fantasy using, art, magic, and sometimes alcohol and harder substances. Recently, however, thanks to Brexit, Trump, Le Pen and Theresa May, that boundary has become indistinct. This wave of populism often feels like we are living in a parallel universe – one where politicians have simple answers to complex questions.
“Germs”(2013) is a three-minute video about a woman who sees germs everywhere and is easily coaxed by advertisements to try new products against them. The language used has that cocksure tone of a politician who’s about to tell you why you should vote for them. The fuchsia hues are heavy and hint at the tragic finale where the protagonist is battered to death by one of the germs with a spray bottle. A sad ending, no doubt, but Maclean’s luscious visuals have a pacifying effect on the viewer. Indeed, the artist uses this contradiction to throw into relief contemporary anxieties and problems such as narcissism, the sometimes negative effects of social media and the rising violence against women. Nonetheless, her narratives are confusing and fragmented, offering no real conclusion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GymQKifnfnE
“I’m interested in the power of the story. How, in the recent Brexit vote and US elections, the narrative was more powerful than the facts” – Rachel Maclean
Before Instagram was king, Maclean was uploading videos of herself to YouTube playing different characters. That habit hasn’t changed: she still plays almost every single character in her films, buys her own costumes from charity shops and uses soundtracks from musicians she finds online. “Lately, with more people involved in the productions, I feel more like a director,” she says. “But I still like to have a quite hands-on approach to my work.” One of her most ambitious creations is the epic 30-minute film “It’s What Inside That Counts” (2016), extracts of which were shown extensively in art spaces including the Whitechapel Gallery. The story is set in a futuristic, dystopian and post-apocalyptic world where data-starved zombies idolise a cyborg personality who is addicted to social media validation. “Everyone has a marketing campaign for themselves these days,” the artist says about young women who are expected to constantly perform a character online. It’s a ridiculous premise, but one which chimes with common experience, and a way for Maclean to illustrate the ways in which advertising and society keep finding new cute ways to police and torment women. “I’m interested in setting up this colourful and seductive world but then hit the audience with something that’s quite violent, especially against women. We’re so accustomed to the exploitation of women’s bodies, and that’s disturbing. You’re lulled into a false sense of security.”
Rachel Maclean, Photo by Patrick Rafferty
“We’re so accustomed to the exploitation of women’s bodies, and that’s disturbing” – Rachel Maclean
The film is set between two worlds, a glittering and ordered upper, and a warped and dirty lower. In the tale, a destitute young boy is enticed by the lure of wealth, power and adoration into the riches of the kingdom above. “I got really interested how narratives run through culture, especially this rag to riches narrative, being between two worlds.” Shot in portrait format in two languages, the film will be presented in a church, accentuating the above and below dichotomy. “The narrative implies that if you dream you can do it, if you try hard enough you can get it,” she says. “But that is focused on the fame and ignores the socio-economic barriers that hinder success.” With this, the artist’s aim is to emphasise the lack of compassion that we saw during the Brexit campaign.
Rachel Maclean, Spite Your Face, 2017 (stills)
In the past 12 months, the British have had to seriously ask themselves what it really means to be British. However, no one seems to really know the answer. “I feel both Scottish and British,” says Rachel resolutely. At least it’s certainly an exciting time to be Scottish right now, with the Scottish National Party flying their progressive flag high. “The recent political awareness in Scotland has energised young people from both camps,” she says about the potential new independence referendum. “But no country is isolated, so there’s no way of knowing if we are making the right decisions.” Whatever the outcome one thing is for sure: visual artists like Rachel Maclean will carry one digesting the illogical world we live in and create mad art that will help us understand it better.