{"id":54454,"date":"2017-07-25T13:28:00","date_gmt":"2017-07-25T11:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/?p=54454"},"modified":"2017-07-25T13:28:00","modified_gmt":"2017-07-25T11:28:00","slug":"rachel-maclean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/rachel-maclean\/","title":{"rendered":"The Scottish Artist Exploring the Power of Lies in Venice"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\" Rachel MacLean, Spite Your Face<\/em>,\u00a0<\/em>2017, Installation View<\/p>\n

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 \u2013 one where politicians have simple answers to complex questions.<\/p>\n

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\nVideo artist Rachel Maclean<\/a> also inhabits this universe. Her films have an Alice in Wonderland quality in that she is constantly playing with perception. In doing so the Scottish artist creates art incorporating performance, choreography imbued with narratives that are engrossing, terrifying, critical and violent.
\n\u201cGerms\u201d(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\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.
\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=GymQKifnfnE<\/p>\n
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\nGrowing up, Rachel binged on colourful children’s programmes “Sesame Street”, “D\u00f2taman” \u2013 a Gaelic TV show \u2013 as well as comedy such as “Alan Partridge” and “The League of Gentlemen”. And her influences are clear in her videos. The visuals are vibrant, rich and highly saturated, and her dialogue is absurd, witty and at times nonsensical. \u201cI\u2019ve always been interested in colour, and in some ways Scotland can be such a grey culture,\u201d she says. \u201cThere\u2019s something about colour that creates a reaction. On the one hand it can be quite seductive, but on the other this overload can produce nausea and I like that idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
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“I\u2019m interested in the power of the story. How, in the recent Brexit vote and US elections, the narrative was more powerful than the facts” \u2013 Rachel Maclean<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Before Instagram was king, Maclean was uploading videos of herself to YouTube playing different characters. That habit hasn\u2019t 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. \u201cLately, with more people involved in the productions, I feel more like a director,\u201d she says. \u201cBut I still like to have a quite hands-on approach to my work.\u201d One of her most ambitious creations is the epic 30-minute film \u201cIt\u2019s What Inside That Counts\u201d (2016), extracts of which were shown extensively in art spaces including the Whitechapel Gallery<\/a>. 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. \u201cEveryone has a marketing campaign for themselves these days,\u201d the artist says about young women who are expected to constantly perform a character online. It\u2019s 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. \u201cI\u2019m interested in setting up this colourful and seductive world but then hit the audience with something that\u2019s quite violent, especially against women. We\u2019re so accustomed to the exploitation of women\u2019s bodies, and that\u2019s disturbing. You\u2019re lulled into a false sense of security.\u201d\n<\/div>\n

\"\" Rachel Maclean, Photo by Patrick Rafferty<\/p>\n

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\nMaclean\u2019s offering for the 57th Venice Biennale <\/a>is equally bound with socio-political upheaval \u2013 namely, Brexit. The result is \u201cSpite Your Face\u201d, a major commission that references Carlo Collodi\u2019s children\u2019s tale, The Adventures of Pinocchio, while offering a scathing critique of a contemporary society so willing to believe in un- truths. \u201cI\u2019m Interested in the idea of the power of the story,\u201d she says. \u201cHow, in the recent Brexit vote and US elections, the narrative was more powerful than the facts.\u201d\n<\/div>\n
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“We\u2019re so accustomed to the exploitation of women\u2019s bodies, and that\u2019s disturbing”\u00a0\u2013 Rachel Maclean<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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. \u201cI got really interested how narratives run through culture, especially this rag to riches narrative, being between two worlds.\u201d Shot in portrait format in two languages, the film will be presented in a church, accentuating the above and below dichotomy. \u201cThe narrative implies that if you dream you can do it, if you try hard enough you can get it,\u201d she says. \u201cBut that is focused on the fame and ignores the socio-economic barriers that hinder success.\u201d With this, the artist\u2019s aim is to emphasise the lack of compassion that we saw during the Brexit campaign.\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"\" Rachel Maclean, Spite Your Face<\/em>, 2017 (stills)<\/p>\n

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. \u201cI feel both Scottish and British,\u201d says Rachel resolutely. At least it\u2019s certainly an exciting time to be Scottish right now, with the Scottish National Party flying their progressive flag high. \u201cThe recent political awareness in Scotland has energised young people from both camps,\u201d she says about the potential new independence referendum. \u201cBut no country is isolated, so there\u2019s no way of knowing if we are making the right decisions.\u201d 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.\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\n\u201cSpite Your Face<\/a>\u201d by Rachel Maclean is a Collateral Event of the 57th Venice Biennale at Chiesa di Santa Caterina<\/span>, which runs until 26 Nov 2017<\/strong>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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