LIZART 5
Unlike flat objects hung on a wall or sculptures placed in a room, environmental installations must be inhabited to be appreciated. The components in an installation shape and define the space they consume, leading the viewer to a set of perceptions that is (or should be) unique. In short, the piece creates an environment. To experience it fully one should not only scrutinize the elements themselves but also be aware of how it feels to move through the work. The viewer must become aware of how things look from different angles, whether or not they line up, and how separate things become one when foreshortened. As the position of the viewer changes, so do the relationships of the objects to each other and to the viewer. The spatial awareness that we take for granted in getting around town becomes a primary form of observation in experiencing this kind of artwork. Tunga’s environment skillfully agitates the viewer in a subtle yet consistent way, stimulating a form of cautious but interested perusal.
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Along with the sensation of fear and exhilaration, Tunga’s environment is rife with symbols that suggest meanings, producing in the viewer a compelling drive to understand. One subtle aspect of the work is its tiny cast-iron lizards, perhaps 10 to 20 in all, found on almost every component of the piece. Once the viewer discovers them they serve to encourage careful scrutiny of the installation to find a clue that will explain their inclusion. The imposing metal forms become like the parts of a shipwreck or a crashed plane, lifeless save for the lizards that make it home. Like real lizards these go unnoticed at first, becoming apparent only after one gets accustomed to the environment.
Part of what makes an artwork successful is ambiguity. Without some elements of mystery or insinuation a work is simply obvious, like a one-liner, excluding more than a single, limited interpretation. But in Lizart 5 Tunga seems to be using ambiguity, not embracing it, as though he wants to keep us guessing, to prevent us from searching for something that he fears isn’t really there.
