Odd, Very Odd

In searching the web every day for interesting pieces of art, I come across some very odd things.  I usually post what I think is pleasing to me, things I personally think are beautiful, or thought provoking.  Funny and odd come into play as well, and today’s artist cracks me up.

Seat Assignment: Lavatory Self-Portraits in the Flemish Style,
Nina Katchadourian

Katchadourian was in the lavatory on a flight when she spontaneously put a tissue paper toilet seat cover on her head and took a picture with her cell phone.  It reminder her of 15th-century Flemish art.  The black background was created by hanging her black scarf on the wall.

Here is a little reference for you, some old Flemish masters:

She subsequently took a long flight from San Francisco to Aukland, and made several more trips to the lavatory, cell phone in hand, to compile a collection of her Lavatory Self-Portraits.

Seat Assignment: Lavatory Self-Portraits in the Flemish Style,
Nina Katchadourian

I love the expressions on her face.  See more of this series on her website:  www.ninakatchadourian.com/photography/sa-flemish.php

Katchadourian works in a wide variety of media, including sculpture, video and sound.  Her work has been exhibited in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and New Zealand.

Her website is interesting – and there is a lot of stuff there to peruse.  One of my favorites is the Mended Spiderweb Series.

Mended Spiderweb #19 (Laundry Line)
Nina Katchadourian

She actually used red sewing thread to mend broken spiderwebs, held in place by the sticky spider web itself. The morning after her first patch job, she discovered a pile of thread laying on the ground.  Apparently the spider repaired the web and discarded the unwanted man-made materials.

I am left speechless at the process of creativity, and how she views & interacts with the world around her.