A Sister History by Adam Milner explores bodily materials—blood, flowers, hair, belly button lint, false eyelashes—and closes gaps between natural and artificial, human and non-human, inside and outside.
The works, comprised of rigorously collected and mined material from himself, friends, strangers, and other living things, collectively ask questions about who or what has a body and who has control over those bodies. The acquisition of many of these materials hinges on complicated social ...
A Sister History by Adam Milner explores bodily materials—blood, flowers, hair, belly button lint, false eyelashes—and closes gaps between natural and artificial, human and non-human, inside and outside.
The works, comprised of rigorously collected and mined material from himself, friends, strangers, and other living things, collectively ask questions about who or what has a body and who has control over those bodies. The acquisition of many of these materials hinges on complicated social contracts and negotiations, exchanges the artist has chosen to not overtly publish within the exhibition. Whose hair we see and how the artist obtained it, for instance, are left unknown but point to histories of power dynamics surrounding the control of bodies. Objects in the show become hard to place— are they sentimental mementos, exploitive trophies, or precious material?
A Sister History serves as a sequel to A History of Man, Milner’s recent exhibition at Casa Maauad. The first exhibition drew its title from Historia del Hombre, an extensive series of children's comic books from the 70’s designed to teach a world history. The illustrations are staggering in their masculinity: pages upon pages of men (either shirtless or fancily dressed), shouting, pointing, waving around sheets of paper, crossing bodies of water, and piercing each other with bullets, arrows, or swords. And there are few women depicted at all. This sequel continues a conversation about how bodies are controlled and utilized in a manner that is decidedly quiet and anti-masculine.
Adam Milner (b. 1988 USA) has exhibited at the Aspen Art Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, David B. Smith Gallery, Gildar Gallery, Casa Maauad, Florin Christopher Zurich, and has a site-specific work at the Andy Warhol Museum up through January.
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A Sister History de Adam Milner explora la materia del cuerpo - sangre, flores, pelo, las pelusas del ombligo, las pestañas - y quita la separación entre lo natural y lo artificial. El lado humano y el no humano. Adentro y Afuera.
Las obras son compuestas de materiales rigurosamente recolectados de los cuerpos del artista, de sus amigos y de desconocidos provocan cuestiones sobre el verdadero propietario del cuerpo y su agencia. El tener posesión de estos materiales depende de contratos sociales, negociaciones y intercambios que jamás son explícitamente expresados por el artista ni la obra en si. La materia prima de las obras y la manera en la que se exhiben dan inquietud sobre su verdadero origen y significado. Serán estos souvenirs sentimentales, trofeos de una explotación o materiales invaluables?
A Sister History combate y continua la exposición de Milner llamada A History of Man que ocurrió a mediados del año en Casa Maauad. Dicha exposición toma su nombre del impreso Historia del Hombre, una extensa serie de cómics para niños de los años 70’s diseñados para enseñar la historia del mundo. Las ilustraciones son asombrosas en su masculinidad: páginas y páginas de hombres (ya sea sin camisa o vestido ostentosamente), gritando, señalando, agitando alrededor de hojas de papel, cruzando cuerpos de agua, y perforandose con balas, flechas o espadas. La representación de lo femenino, lo delicado, la mujer es casi ausente en la saga de estos comic..
Adam Milner (b. 1988 USA) ha expuesto en el Aspen Art Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, David B. Smith Gallery, Gildar Gallery, Casa Maauad y Florin Christopher en Zurich, actualmente tiene una exposición en el Andy Warhol Museum de Pensilvania hasta finales de Enero 2017.