Page 45 - Studio International - March 1972

intention lay in letting this process of hobby-horse about life-enhancing 'tactile And the pay-off is hilarious as you realize that
depersonalization take over, forcing his body values' had been given a new meaning. these superb appendages are nothing more than
to become a collection of non-representational William Wegman is another artist who likes his elbows, bunched up so cleverly that even
forms going through their combinations in a to employ his own body, but his show at the nipples are beguilingly simulated.
carefully cultivated void, I became aware of the Situation's Horseshoe Yard premises in early Wegman's wit is gentle, domestic and tinged
intrinsic character of knuckles, thumbs, February demonstrated a very different with Surrealism. He makes his navel sing by
elbows and wrists. In other words, Rinke was outlook. Where Rinke marshals his resources drawing it in and out to the accompaniment of a
refuting my exclusively abstract interpretation into a Teutonic display of tenacity and falsetto and bass hum. He persuades a fish to
by transmitting his own heightened strength, Wegman shambles along from one talk and turns lamps into human beings.
understanding of each separate component's video sequence to the next without any apparent Inanimate objects take on personalities of their
unique nature. In one frame he provides a order or over-all discipline. He makes Rinke own, and a dog called Man Ray is treated as his
reminder of how subtle and flexible the finger look like a fanatical purist, and the German equal. Much of the fun is light, knockabout
can be, converging his thumbs on his nostrils makes him look like a haphazard buffoon. But stuff, but occasionally he comes up with a
as a base, sliding his index fingers down the the truth is that Wegman relies heavily on a neatly executed idea which contains rather
bridge of his nose from above, then locking deadpan, almost absurdist humour, and much more complex meanings. In one video,
his middle fingers up to form a delicate of his hit-or-miss approach is due to the Wegman crawls backwards projecting milk on
pyramidal apex at the top. And elsewhere, he awkward fact that jokes sometimes misfire. The to the floor from his mouth and disappears,
produces the polar opposite of this digital Situation selection contains its fair share of only to be replaced by the dog who walks
house of cards by concentrating solely on howlers, and it could do with some ruthless forward lapping it all up again. The wayward,
brusque, swinging sweeps of forearm: one editing : the composite effect is far less evenly unassuming tone of these quirky excursions
shooting in horizontally over his face, the other sustained than Rinke's stern anthology. But could prompt a lofty dismissal, but it would be
rising up vertically like a massive column to rest there are, on the other hand, palpable a mistake to underestimate an original talent
underneath his chin. In either case the essential compensations. When Wegman's naked torso which could easily grow and mature as
quality of a human member is revealed with minces towards the screen, dressed in a Wegman becomes more certain of his aims.
admirable force, and I came away from the draglike loin-cloth, the camera moves slowly On Kawara, by contrast, whose One Million
exhibition wondering whether Berenson's old up to reveal a remarkably ample pair of breasts. Years was shown at Horseshoe Yard during
I19