James G: Kelley, Nauman, Simmons, and Dion

Mike Kelly works with sculpture and video in order to talk about memories and culture. His video pieces are cheesy and reference a ritualistic culture, referenced through a high school setting in “Day is Done.” His filmmaking style reminds me of the famous pop work “Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?” by Richard Hamilton in the way that it is referencing popular culture in an over the top way.
Bruce Nauman’s videos of his art studio at night or of him drilling into the ground remind me of the film “Empire” by Andy Warhol, 8 hours of footage of the Empire State Building where nothing happens. These are different in the aspect that viewers are waiting for a mouse or cat to scurry by, rather than watching nothing, but I feel like the both drive at a similar point of nothingness.
Watching Laurie Simmons make a movie from her previous work was really exciting. The puppets performing a musical was hilarious, her sense of humor reminds me of Dada or Pop while the themes remind me of feminist artists like Cindy Sherman or Barbara Kruger. I feel like she drives at similar points but with a sense of humor.
I feel like Mark Dion walks a fine line between science and art, which is really interesting. His intense research and technical outcomes are interesting, while his persistent referencing to nature is exhausting. He reminds me of Robert Smithson’s earthworks, with the laborious amount of detail and the attempts to subvert nature.