155 Untitled, Mixed Media, Teun Hocks, 2003
Teun Hocks is a Dutch photographer, painter and performer. His work involves an “Everyman” character that has gotten himself into strange, often comical situations. Each image implies a narrative that inevitably elicits questions about how he got there in the first place and what will he do next. The performances in his work range from burlesque to tragicomic (ICP). “His lonely Buster Keaton-like persona perseveres through odd and unforgiving environments, struggling to find ground in an unstable, often absurd, universe” (ICP). In an interview with ARTINFO, Hocks is asked if he is anything like the nervous, self-obsessed character. His reply states that, while this character does partly come from him, that these images are not self-portraits.
Hocks’ process for creating imagery begins in pre-production. He builds or paints his backdrops or any other props that are needed for his concept. He then snaps a black and white photo which he then enlarges and prints. He tones it sepia and later adds oil paint to everything, coloring the scene and/or adding in elements that weren’t part of the original set construction. Though, more currently, some of his work has featured digital painting instead of oils. In the same ARTINFO interview, Hocks describes his process as a way in which he has control over all of the elements involved, so that he can get exactly what he pictures in his head, or close to it. The surreal worlds that Hocks has created act like portals that allow a greater insight, and the viewer the opportunity to delve deeper into his story-telling and his creative process (PPOW).
I find from a lot of Hocks’ art he works with smaller universal concepts-you take them for what they are and go. For instance there is an image of a man chained to a work desk that looks like a doghouse. One could easily take this as a man who is controlled by his job. Hocks leaves the work open; one could read deeper into this piece, or one could simply see the light commentary on a stereotypical work environment. Though interspersed with those pieces, he does have much more conceptual work that he illustrates with very quaint subject matter. Many of his pieces remind me of something a child would come up with for lack of having a better way to explain his emotions. I do not mean that negatively, for I think that is exactly what Hocks aims to produce. His work has a cartoon quality about it that is very engaging, and though perhaps he both maturely and immaturely expresses his ideas, the resulting effect does not leave the viewer questioning the intent of his process. The accumulation of all the elements of his pieces all work together to communicate his message seamlessly and effectively.
Hocks uses the sets he builds as props, along with objects he physically brings to the set. He interacts with his props and environments both directly and indirectly. This is a question I have to experiment with when using my moths. What message does acknowledging their presence give? What if I’m unaware of them? What if I only interact with one particular moth? In one of Hocks images he is standing on a floating piece of ice with his briefcase, umbrella and hat all on separate pieces floating around him. Here he acknowledges their presence, clearly slightly dumbfounded by how he is supposed to retrieve them. In some of his images (such as this one) I feel that he attributes human or animal-like characteristics to his props; his body language in this image questions: “what the hell?” as though his things have separated from him on their own volition and are now floating away leaving him stranded.
Another question that has been presented to me, and that Hocks addresses in his images, is how objects stand in as language and specifically what purpose they serve. Another image shows Hocks sleeping at night in a field surrounded by books. The bulk of the books are propping up his head while he has each hand and foot tucked in between the pages of others. I see these books as a portal for this character to dream through. While we’re not seeing his dreams, or have any idea what they could be about, the books about his hands and feet imply that they are vivid, imploring all senses. Perhaps it is a metaphor for how involved Hocks is in his story-telling and creation processes. While it is evident that Hocks’ hand is present in his work stylistically, here he is touching each thing specifically, perhaps to show a more literal interpretation of the artist’s hand.
Hocks was born in 1947 in Leiden, Holland. He went to school at Ausbildung Academy voor Beeldende in Kunsten, Breda. He has an extensive resume of solo and group exhibitions that he has shown in internationally for over 20 years (PPOW).
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