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Vantaa - Erkka Nissinen (The Netherlands, 2008, video, 11:30 min)
Nissinen's
inventive and idiosyncratic new video work provides us a glimpse of a world in
which a trio of overweight chefs, a transvestite and an animated panda bear act
out disjointed narratives of perverse social interaction. The relentlessly
satirical investigation of social behavior, deviation and transgression is
expressed as the intersection between the absurd and the humorous. From the sequences in Night School emerge passing meditations on morality and
ethical relativism, as we witness moments of supposed inner realization in the
most unlikely situations. The skillful integration of animation and actual
space and actors in both video works underscores the importance of caricature
and parody in conveying any reality. In the spirit of Wittgenstein, the form of language, sound and repetition
expand the limits of logic to create a structure of absurdity. In Vantaa, spelling
lessons set to synthesized melodies punctuate a search for the protagonist's
missing yogurt. The singing of animated flowers and neat rows of
Crayola-colored houses recalls the set of an educational program for children,
although instants of obscenity bring it closer to Paul McCarthy meets the
Teletubbies. Nissinen cleverly implicates composers Schoenberg and Stockhausen
in Vantaa, creating a cultural context while drawing inspiration from the
radical originality of both figures. In the show, paintings referencing his language of animation, accompany the
video pieces. Canvases of cartoonish squirrels, flowers and caterpillars appear
as bizarre and eerie renderings of typically harmless creatures.
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