Is the cinema a representation of female experiences or is it the other way around? It is the question one asks when getting acclimated to the oeuvre of Mika Rottenberg. Rottenerg is an Argentine-Israeli visual artist. Her expertise lies in the video, films, and sculptures. In 2008, she co-founded Infinite Earth Foundation. It aims to produce cheaper and more affordable photographic prints for art enthusiasts. Mika Rottenberg is represented by Hauser & Wirth.
Mika Rottenberg Artist Style
A Mika Rottenberg artwork can be best studied through the lens of labor dynamics and its contribution to upholding the bourgeoisie. She posits the ethics in capital-making in a highly divided contemporary society. The women participating in a Mika Rottenberg artistic project gain notoriety for their physical nuances. She utilizes these unique qualities and posits the question of marginalization. Therefore her work transcends the limitations of race, sexuality, geography, and time. Her work analyzes the relationship of biology to material goods.
Rottenberg juxtaposes the studio sets with the real world locations to present a fictional environment with non-fictional tropes. The resulting visual masterpiece weaves an elaborate subversive narrative, one which the fans of absurdism continue to relish.
Mika Rottenberg Artist Ventures
Mika Rottenberg is an industry veteran – working since 1998. During this time, she has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions and group performances. With each visual production, she produces an architectural marvel. Two of Rottenberg’s most famed projects are mentioned below.
Spaghetti Blockchain
Mika Rottenberg’s Spaghetti Blockchain is a haven for ASMR lovers. While her previous work functioned on the physicality of her subjects, Spaghetti Blockchain focuses on the female Tuvan throat singers. She films them singing. However, these enthralling sounds are quite not enough. She juxtaposes them with the humming of the Large Hadron Collider. While the delectable mix of these two sounds envelops the listeners, she adds varied sounds – smacking a gelatin cylinder, the metallic sounds of magnetic balls, and scraping clay.
Mika Rottenberg’s Spaghetti Blockchain takes a user on an auditory journey. While the audience can indeed notice the diverse texture, images, and colours from the video, the real magic remains with the sounds. Her work seems to be a conundrum. On one hand it feels pleasurable to the ears, on the other, it proves to be discomforting and makes the listeners queasy.
Remote
The film is a collaboration of Mika Rottenberg and Mahyad Tousi. It is her first feature film. Mika Rottenberg’s Remote details the escape of the protagonist Unoaku (played by Okwui Okpokwasili) via a VR set. The film was created during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, although it is set in 2039 Kuala Lumpur, or what looks like an absurd version of the city.
Remote follows the daily monotonous routine of Unoaku. She is a yoga aficionado, tends to her hydroponic plants, and works using VR. Her life is thrown into disarray once she immerses into the manufactured lives of Eunji and Soju, a Korean livestreamer and her lovable Westie. Unoaku along with a group of women are the only ones who take notice of the clock hands turning backwards – a bizarre occurrence. From here, she falls down into a rabbit hole, where her reality blends with her virtual life.
Mika Rottenberg’s Remote is a testament to her prowess as a director and a storyteller. This work is a mix of absurdism and surrealism. While the colours and seemingly-normal kitsch remind the audiences of David Lynch, she incorporates the absence of time, self, and physical touch in the film.
Photo Courtesy – The Art Newspaper
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