By: admin Category: ART+FASHION Date: 15.Jun.2011

Suffering for one’s art is an enduring cliché in the world of art. So much so that that the adjectives “tortured” and “tormented” often precede the word “artist” in numerous settings. This broad assessment of the creative type can be attributed to the great emotionality necessary for producing a great work of art. However, emotions do not have a physical presence and rely on the personal responses projected by the viewer himself. Luckily, Laurel Nakadate has made it easy for us and made her suffering a part of the art itself.

“365 Days: A Catalogue of Tears” is just what it sounds like. For every day in the year 2010, Nakadate would find a moment in her day to cry and photograph the experience. To aid her in her performance, which one can imagine did not always manifest with great ease, she prepared a special playlist. Some of the songs included were “No Name #1” by Elliott Smith, “This Hungry Life” by Tanya Donnelly and “The Disintegration Loops (dlp 1.1)” by William Basinski. No doubt these songs would incite a different reaction from others, which leads me to consider a possible follow-up project for Nakadate in the future.

“365 Days: A Catalogue of Tears” is currently on show at MoMA P.S.1. For more information on Laurel Nakadate, please visit: http://www.nakadate.net
Photo by Laurel Nakadate.