RONI HORN

    

RONI HORN

Born September 25th 1955, Roni Horn has established herself firmly in the world of visual arts as an experimental and unique artist. Her work has spanned the artistic spectrum, ranging from sculpture, drawing, site specific installations and last but not least, photography. Born and raised in New York, she still lives and works there to this day. She received a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and a MFA in sculpture from Yale University.

                  

Horn's first photographic installation,You Are The Weather, was a series of photographs where she took over 100 separate pictures of a model whose face was supposed to reflect the weather changes of Iceland, which Horn grew cautious for. I understand this to a point. If the model shows a certain facial change then it is symbolic to the change in the weather. However in my opinion when you are asking the model to give a neutral expression to the camera, how do you expect something so volatile as a human face to accurately reflect the change in the weather. I understand perhaps if she took a photo of a woman clutching her coat to portray the deprivation of sun shine and warmth, but how were one hundred separate photos that in my opinion aren't even that different, supposed to give across her idea? Perhaps I'm not that 'deep' to look further than the fact all of the photos look pretty much the same. Reading the reviews of this installation I am absolutely baffled. 

On a contrasting view, the picture which is positioned at the top of this post I feel is quite interesting. There is something quite interesting about the use of shutter speed on this photography which plays on the innocence of the figure. The erraticness of the smiling clown that causes the blur that gives quite an angry and almost sinister side of the figure which before personifies happiness and fun. There always has been something quite creepy about a clown's constant smile.