Amir Baradaran has defined a new sphere of art by making a guerilla intervention on the Marina Abramovic show at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). This has sparked a sort of "Poetic Quarrel". In particular, Abramovic performs her piece called “The Artist is Present,” but now, the other artist Baradaran is present for a time as well. The Abramovic show itself is a great retrospective on the work of Ms. Abramovic as an artist who uses her presence and confrontation with the public as her actual work of art. Abramovic is known for inviting the presence of the public without moving or speaking while having objects on a table from household objects to a pistol.
Amir Baradaran intervenes into the exhibit as “the other artist.” In this way, by his clothing and expression, he introduces new ideas into the event. This is a welcome addition, because Abramovic is inviting the public to join and engage the performance of “the Artist is Present.” In fact, Baradaran’s intervention can be viewed as a 4-act play, that took place last Friday in NYC.
In the first act, Baradaran offers marriage to Ms. Abramovic in a play on how Abramovic sees the identity of her work as performance art, and the true body of her work. Now Baradaran offers marriage to show his love for that body of work. Abramovic is intervened on in a low voice, as part of a Persian offer of marriage, though not necessarily of a permanent kind, while Baradaran is wearing a flowing red dress. Next, Baradaran is in a suit jacket, but has over his face a series of veils made out of canvas. Each of these veils has a message written upon it. In this way, Baradaran complies with the desires of the artist Abramovic in avoiding verbal communication, and yet still communicating. The first veil has written, “In- out.” This conjures up the fundamental question of what defines the artist as being in the museum, or approved by society, or on the contrary, on the outs and not recognized. The second message is more amusing saying, “I am a nurse from New Zealand.” This defines Abramovic’s desire to be an anonymous figure when she wants to, and not have to get unnecessary attempt, in effect to escape from her fame and success. Finally the last veil states, “Non-resident alien,” which is perhaps the most difficult aspect of identity. The alien is one who is not accepted, though internally one who still has a human identity, though as an artist he is confronted with regulations, and in this case the near presence of security guards.
Baradaran returns to the Abramovic exhibit for the Third Act of his intervention. Here is again is sitting at the table, but this time chants a Sufi chant in Arabic, a foreign step beyond his Persian identity. Baradaran is drawn off into mysticism, while contemplating, but also changing the Abramovic event of “the Artist is Present.” Baradaran is trying to be as beautiful as possible, playing on one of Abramovic’s works “Art is Beautiful, Artist Must be Beautiful” and trying with his prayer to be a beautiful and spiritual as possible.
A final fourth act is added to Baradaran’s interventional exhibit of “The Other Artist is Present,” but this time it is outside the museum. Now Baradaran is outside the museum, but in a sense having become the mirror image of the exhibit inside, seating at a replica wooden table. Now, the other artist is seated, and an independent focus of public attention, with many people photographing him with their cell phone cameras. Baradaran is outside of the museum, but has penetrated inside the art exhibit as an outsider. Though Baradaran is now beyond the glass, he is fully participating in the artistic experience of Abramavic, only a few feet away from him, inside beyond the glass.
