Niccinichi’s Weblog

Intro:
For the past ten years, the work of Vik Muniz has placed a basic question before his viewers: Can we believe what we see? The artist was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil and currently lives and works in New York City. He has been praised as a “master illusionist,” yet also criticized for making his connections too easy. While he does admit that he delights in subverting the expected and that growing up in Brazil turned him into a trickster, both of these views fail to take into account the artist’s true purpose: “…to show people a measure of their own belief.”

Body #1:
• TS: Vik Muniz is often called a “master illusionist” or a “picture tease” because his work capitalizes on our susceptibility to be misguided by our preconceptions
o Exploits our tendency to draw conclusions too quickly
• Chocolate syrup portraits, thread landscapes, Principia, etc
o Exploration into power of representation and unexpected materials
o Transcends gimmickry

Body #2:
• TS: On the other hand, many critics feel that his connections are too obvious and simplistic.
o Skills and wit aren’t enough
• “Only does such marvelous tricks because he can”
o Criticized for aiming to please
• Makes art look like a fun adventure (not serious)

Body #3:
• TS: When considering this wide range of opinions about Vik Muniz’s work it is important to note that the purpose of his art is “…not about fooling someone, but giving someone a measure of their own belief, how much they want to be fooled.”
o The point is that it is simplistic and that we aren’t confused
o Asks viewer to rethink images and their meanings (“photographic delusions”)
o Conceptual approach may seem simplistic but ultimately goes to core of photographic representation
o We want to make sense of things we see (Duck example)
o Viewer: “my mind is too sophisticated to fall for something as silly as this.”
o Make people aware of the fallacies of visual info and the pleasure to be derived from them

Body #4:
• TS: Even though Muniz’s connections are simple, his work still provokes intrigue.
o Doesn’t necessarily cause deep introspection and isn’t necessarily vouching for some social cause, but does make you think about observation
o Just enjoys simple human capabilities of sight
o “His images simply but powerfully remind viewers of what it means to see and how out preconceptions can color every experience.

Conclusion