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Lot Essay
'I was interested in the bite because it's both intimate and destructive; it sort of sums up my relationship to art history.' --Janine Antoni
Installed at the Sandra Gering Gallery in 1992, Janine Antoni's Gnaw was the artist's first solo exhibition. The work is made up of two enormous cubes, one of chocolate and the other of lard, which bare the artist's own teeth marks. After shaping the cubes, Antoni used the removed material to sculpt two dozen heart shaped chocolate candy boxes, and three hundred lipsticks which are composed mainly of lard. The heart shaped candy boxes, reminiscent of a lover's gift on Valentine's day, were displayed in a mirrored room on glass shelves. Evident in this installation is the contrast betweeen the dark and inherent sweetness of the chocolate and the light and repellent presence and texture of the lard, simultaneously evoking a strong sense of desire as well as disgust. Gnaw received particular attention during its installation as it was adopted by the media to further illustrate the growing concern of the rise in eating disorders.
Antoni's work in general involves bodily rituals and materials used in everyday life: bathing, eating, cleaning, sleeping, the physicality of working and movement. Together these subjects comment on such issues as desire, and various perceptions of image and beauty in an age of consumerism. Slow to produce her pieces, Antoni is clearly interested in the idea of the physical process of creation, evidenced by the labor intensive, disciplined, and repetitive nature involved in the production of her thoughtful work. Moreover, the artist's involvement with dance in her childhood seems to have informed an interest in performance and body art. The result being further explorations of such issues as feminity and grace.
Installed at the Sandra Gering Gallery in 1992, Janine Antoni's Gnaw was the artist's first solo exhibition. The work is made up of two enormous cubes, one of chocolate and the other of lard, which bare the artist's own teeth marks. After shaping the cubes, Antoni used the removed material to sculpt two dozen heart shaped chocolate candy boxes, and three hundred lipsticks which are composed mainly of lard. The heart shaped candy boxes, reminiscent of a lover's gift on Valentine's day, were displayed in a mirrored room on glass shelves. Evident in this installation is the contrast betweeen the dark and inherent sweetness of the chocolate and the light and repellent presence and texture of the lard, simultaneously evoking a strong sense of desire as well as disgust. Gnaw received particular attention during its installation as it was adopted by the media to further illustrate the growing concern of the rise in eating disorders.
Antoni's work in general involves bodily rituals and materials used in everyday life: bathing, eating, cleaning, sleeping, the physicality of working and movement. Together these subjects comment on such issues as desire, and various perceptions of image and beauty in an age of consumerism. Slow to produce her pieces, Antoni is clearly interested in the idea of the physical process of creation, evidenced by the labor intensive, disciplined, and repetitive nature involved in the production of her thoughtful work. Moreover, the artist's involvement with dance in her childhood seems to have informed an interest in performance and body art. The result being further explorations of such issues as feminity and grace.