Anastasia Klose (born 1978) is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

contemporary artist Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic ...

. Her work has received much attention in the art world due to the personal nature of her subject matter, often putting herself in humiliating situations. She is a graduate of both the

Victorian College of the Arts The Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) is the arts school at the University of Melbourne in Australia. It is part of the university's Faculty of Fine Arts and Music. It is located near the Melbourne city centre on the Southbank campus of the ...

(VCA) and the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

. She is also the daughter of artist and academic, Elizabeth Presa.

Works

Klose's work largely comprises elements of

video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...

performance A performance is an act of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Management science In the work place ...

and

installation art Installation art is an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called ...

. She is known for her

lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...

aesthetics with her use of iMovie editing software, generic fonts for text-based work and found objects such as cardboard or handwritten signage. The artist has also professed to drawing on the concepts of humiliation and embarrassment and has such her work has been likened to the antics of

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...

s such as

Sacha Baron Cohen Sacha Noam Baron Cohen (born 13 October 1971) is an English actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his creation and portrayal of the fictional satirical characters Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, Brüno Gehard, and Admiral ...

and the cast of Jackass."Nothing to hide"
The Age. 18 March 2007. Accessed 23 April 2008 In 2005, Klose filmed a video of herself engaging in

sexual intercourse Sexual intercourse (or coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion and thrusting of the penis into the vagina for sexual pleasure or reproduction.Sexual intercourse most commonly means penile–vaginal penetrat ...

with a fellow art student in a disabled toilet at the VCA entitled ''In the toilets with Ben'', and later the same year filmed ''Mum and I watch in the toilets with Ben'', where Klose and her mother viewed the former video together sitting on a couch. The same year Klose filmed a video of herself being slapped hard in the face by a male friend. In 2007, Klose was awarded the ''Prometheus Visual Arts Award'' by

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

's Institute of Modern Art Director, Robert Leonard for her ''Film for My Nanna.'' In the video the artist walks around the streets of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

wearing a

white wedding A white wedding is a traditional formal or semi-formal wedding originating in Great Britain. The term originates from the white colour of the wedding dress, which first became popular with Victorian era elites after Queen Victoria wore a whi ...

dress, with a cardboard sign around her neck which reads "Nanna I Am Still Alone!"."Nanna Art"
Institute of Modern Art. 25 May 2007. Accessed 23 June 2009

Responses

The term "aesthetic of the pathetic" has been attributed to Klose's work.

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

pundit A pundit is a person who offers mass media opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport). Origins The term originates from the Sanskrit term ('' '' ), meaning "knowledg ...

and ''

Herald Sun The ''Herald Sun'' is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the Murdoch owned News Corp. The ''Herald S ...

'' columnist

Andrew Bolt Andrew Bolt (born 26 September 1959) is an Australian right-wing social and political commentator. He has worked at the News Corp-owned newspaper company The Herald and Weekly Times (HWT) for many years, for both '' The Herald'' and its succe ...

said of Klose's work: "Only an artist could make sex films and still not find an audience", while referring to VCA art graduates in general as "unmistakable symptoms of culture sliding into vacuity, if not outright barbarity." In response, Klose made a film about Bolt. Australian Centre for Contemporary Art Director, Juliana Engberg however describes Klose as "an exceptional artist with a highly developed and sophisticated practice". Art critic,

Natalie King Natalie King (born 1966) is an Australian curator and writer working in Melbourne, Australia. She specializes in Australian and international programs for contemporary art and visual culture. This includes exhibitions, publications, workshops, ...

of ''Australian Art Collector'' says Klose's works are "refreshingly candid, funny and earnest - leaving us smiling wryly." Robert Leonard and others have acquainted Klose's work with

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

. ''

The Art Life The Art Life is a blog about the art scene in Sydney, Australia and was series of television programs broadcast on ABC TV. The Art Life Blog Established in 2004 using the Blogger online service, The Art Lif established itself as an independen ...

'' described Klose as "Humorous, self-deprecating and self-aware", while in an interview with the

South Australian South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

Contemporary Art Centre publication ''Broadsheet'', the artist was accused of

nihilism Nihilism (; ) is a philosophy, or family of views within philosophy, that rejects generally accepted or fundamental aspects of human existence, such as objective truth, knowledge, morality, values, or meaning. The term was popularized by Ivan ...

, but she responded by saying her practice was a way of confronting depression rather than escaping it. The artist has also described herself as "an awful, ungrateful,

spoiled brat A spoiled child or spoiled brat is a derogatory term aimed at children who exhibit behavioral problems from being overindulged by their parents or other caregivers. Children and teens who are perceived as spoiled may be described as "overindulged ...

of a woman".

Acknowledgments

Klose's work has featured at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art and the

Biennale of Sydney The Biennale of Sydney is an international festival of contemporary art, held every two years in Sydney, Australia. It is a large and well-attended contemporary visual arts event in the country. Alongside the Venice and São Paulo biennales and ...

She is represented by Tolarno Galleries in Melbourne, who represent other high-profile Australian artists such as

Bill Henson Bill Henson (born 7 October 1955) is an Australian contemporary art photographer. Art Henson has exhibited nationally and internationally in galleries such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Venice Biennale, the National Gal ...

and

Patricia Piccinini Patricia Piccinini (born 1965 in Freetown, Sierra Leone) is an Australian artist who works in a variety of media, including painting, video, sound, installation, digital prints, and sculpture. Her works focus on "unexpected consequences", conv ...

. In 2008 Klose was listed in ''Australian Art Collector'' as one of "50 of Australia's Most Collectable Artists"."50 of Australia's Most Collectable Artists"
Australian Art Collector. January - March 2008. Accessed 21 June 2009

References

External links

Anastasia Klose at Tolarno Galleries

Cardboard prop used in "The Silent Protest of Anastasia Klose"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Klose, Anastasia 1978 births Living people Australian women artists Feminist artists Victorian College of the Arts alumni University of Melbourne women Australian performance artists Women performance artists Australian installation artists Women installation artists Artists from Melbourne Australian feminists 21st-century Australian artists Australian video artists

Works

Responses

Acknowledgments

See also

References

External links