The Art of Connection

Every one of us has our own strong, memorable experiences relating to our relationships housed within ourselves; body and mind. Many artists create art as a way to form logical understanding and consciousness regarding the life surrounding them. As viewers, we are drawn into the work as outsiders looking at a world that relates in some way to our own. We make the connections. We discover ideas in relation to life and delve deeper into ourselves through viewing art.

Photographer Elinor Carucci is one artist who takes us on a journey into details of her surroundings and into a private part of her world; her documentation of her relationships and everyday reality.

Carucci conveys something quite universal in her work. She displays the real relationships she has with specific people in her life. Her photographs thrive on intimacy yet they don’t feel as if they are intruding on their subjects, or viewers.

Performance artist Marina Abramovic explores and also pushes the boundaries of the physical and mental. Her performances consider the relationships between herself and the audience. She devises experiments aimed at defining limits. Abramovic also created acts of performance art with her partner of many years, Ulay. Together they investigated their psychological reliance and also the compelling relationship between themselves and the audience.

The connections we feel through art is an indicator of the internal relationship we have with ourselves. How we decipher artwork hints at the way we perceive our own presence and relevance, both personal and interpersonal. Our conscious thoughts often scrutinise and objectify art and the decisions we make about this are interpretations of our past and present experiences.