Single Work Analysis: Feelings From Lisa Reihana’s Pursuit of Venus [Infected]

 

Lisa Reihana, Pursuit of Venus [infected], Shown at the AGO, Only One Image From the 64 Minute Video

        Lisa Reihana’s piece, Pursuit of Venus [Infected], depicts a pixelated video of the negative connotations of colonizers' interactions with indigenous people through the use of video, performance, and digitized illustrations. Reihana’s goal was to represent issues of gender, colonial violence, and identity through the history of the Pacific people and a European captain. Correcting the misrepresentations of colonial art as romantic and noble within her piece. Exposing the diseases and the broken promises by new settlers. Each panel depicts a different event simultaneously going off. Voices of traditional indigenous languages are recorded over top of one another. Overwhelming the senses while displaying moments of history in a 21st-century technological way. 

        Reihana’s inspiration was drawn from the French wallpaper of Jean-Gabbriel Charvet and Joseph Dufour’s Les Sauvages de la Mer Pacifique. Depicting the Pacific voyages from Captain James Cook within 20 panels. Taking a 21st-century approach, moving images is to invoke the same amount of activity within Reihana’s piece. The background acts as a scroll while the actors interact in the background and foreground. Charvet and Dufour’s piece is a romantic depiction of resource exchanges and trips within the colonies. Lisa invokes the truth onto the viewer, surrounding death, misrepresentation, and hard truths. 

        When first walking into the space, you are confronted with the large screen taking up the entire wall. Users can interact by sitting, standing, or lying down. The piece is on a loop and interruption from the audience is encouraged to watch the video over and over, taking in the details of each scene that unfolds. There is a singular large bench and carpeted floor space to endure the eight-minute video. You can watch from the very front and be face-to-face with the screen or see it from a whole which has multiple scenes to take in at the same time. Sounds of voices and nature overwhelm your senses while adding another dimension to the piece. The storyline is hard to follow until you watch it a couple times. Each scene needs full attention. However, the artist strategically plays them at the same time drawing in the viewers to stay and sit with the information at hand. 

        My first initial reaction was goosebumps. The dark space it is displayed in, even though large, allows you to have an intimate moment with the piece. The space is encouraged to be filled and shared with members of the public. Each member watches different scenes simultaneously being played out by actors. I felt connected to the public by witnessing these recounts of death and disease, yet,  we were watching them at different times and in silence. I believe it is powerful when a piece is set in its own space and if this had been in a gallery with other distractions it would have taken away the impact of the piece. I sat for my initial viewing to see it all the way through without distraction. It allowed me to focus on each section of the screen as I watched it over and over. 

        The materiality of the piece almost creates a child-like imagination of the cruel actions of the colonizers. It is as though you are watching a video game unfold. You are a bystander to the cruel results of their actions and you are unable to assist or turn back time. Activities span from circle storytelling to art-making, to fighting. The colonizers are interacting with the indigenous people, showing almost a happy depiction of people coming together. However, this goes to show how the peaceful interaction of these two groups turns south really quickly. 

        It acts as a moving mural. We are only able to watch and not able to interact. We can witness the traditional actions and histories of the Pacific indigenous people. However, each piece is supposed to be highlighted for a moment. Offering a glimpse into their rich culture and traditions. The colors are vivid and almost cartoon-like. The characters themselves are based on historical figures, in one instance the Captain is represented as both a man and woman to inform the viewer of their misunderstanding of James Cook’s sexual identification. Her attention to detail is precise but not all the costumes were authentic. To bring this historical understanding to a 21st-century audience she used technology to invoke curiosity in all ages. It also allows younger children to understand the interactions and faults of colonizers. 

        A subject that continues to be huge within schools and the workplace, righting the wrongs of the past or at least acknowledging the historical implications of our ancestors. It is important now more than ever to preserve and teach these histories. This is a living tapestry that has been showcased in many settings to many audiences. It is digestible while overwhelming yet informing the public. 

        This piece provoked frustration, yet passion for learning more about this history. The Pacific people have complex social structures. This piece playing these pieces over in unison made me feel like this was the message she was portraying. She wanted the audience to understand that colonizers diminished their cultures and made them feel like they had the superior culture. This piece was a focal point at the AGO, it is with the other indigenous pieces yet it is highlighted as the focal point which it rightfully needs to be. Turning history into art without creating a misunderstanding of their culture or the complexities of their social life.