Chisenhale Gallery Teachers’ Resource pack
Exhibition: Daniel Sinsel
28 January – 13 March 2011
Daniel Sinsel, Untitled, 2010. Oil on canvas. 51 x 35.8 x 3.1 cm
http://www.chisenhale.org.uk/education
Registered charity number 1026175
How to use this pack
This pack has been designed as a resource for teachers and pupils to gain a greater
understanding of the exhibition though a series of activities.
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Each activity relates to themes explored in the exhibition.
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The activities in this teachers’ resource are designed for key stages 3 and 4 but can
be adapted to suit the ability and age of the students. Additionally, the activities
can be worked on in groups or individually.
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The activities are suitable for the classroom and can also be adapted for
homework.
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Each activity has four key points:
Think: This allows students to consider the ideas behind the work in the
exhibition in relation to what they are going to create in response.
Research: This is the process that allows students to gather information to
make their own artwork and to research Daniel Sinsel’s.
Make: This is the actual process of creating their artwork.
Curate: This enables the students to learn how to display the work created
and to understand the relationship between their work and other works
within a space.
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There are images throughout this resource that can be used to remind you of
the way in which the artist works in order to help the students with their
questions and activities.
Daniel Sinsel
Chisenhale Gallery presents a new body of work by Daniel Sinsel with his first solo
exhibition in a public gallery. Sinsel’s small handcrafted paintings and sculptures
explore classical themes of space, volume and illusion and combine art historical
references with a personal iconography*. He focuses on the nature of painting and the
particular qualities and associations of the materials he uses – including marble dust,
silk and gold, as well as terracotta, pasta and nutshells.
Daniel Sinsel (b. 1976, Germany) is an artist who is based in London. He has
exhibited nationally and internationally and his recent solo exhibitions include Galerie
Micky Schubert, Berlin and Sadie Coles HQ, London (both 2009). His recent group
exhibitions include ‘Jerwood Contemporary Painters’, Jerwood Space, London; ‘The
Concrete Show’ Galleria Franco Noero, Turin; ‘Matthew Brannon, Matthew Cerletty
and Daniel Sinsel’, Office Baroque, Antwerp (all 2010); ‘Nus, Nudes’ Galeria Fortes
Vilaca, Sao Paulo (2009) and ‘Beck’s Futures 2006’, ICA, London.
Daniel Sinsel, Untitled, 2010. Oil on canvas. 38.2 x 34 x 2.8 cm.
*See glossary in the appendix.
Responding to the exhibition
The questions below could be explored in groups through discussion, mind maps or
presentations.
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Having looked at the exhibition make a list of ten words that the work makes
you think of.
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Daniel Sinsel uses a variety of materials in his work. Make a list of all the
different materials you can see.
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Sinsel’s work often involves using one material as a medium to represent
another. For example in Untitled (2010), pictured on the previous page, oil
paint is applied using trompe l'oeil* techniques to describe pasta. Why do you
think he does this?
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Sinsel’s paintings and sculptures use materials in unusual ways. Choose one
work in the show and describe the different techniques that you think might be
involved in this.
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Do any of the motifs used in Sinsel’s paintings remind you of other paintings
you have may have seen, either in books about art history or at different
galleries you may have visited in London*?
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Many of Sinsel’s works reference different architectural forms. One example
of this, which is featured in this exhibition, might be Untitled (2011), which is
made from raw silk and suspended by aluminum brackets. How do such works
affect the way you think about your relationship to the architecture that
surrounds you?
Daniel Sinsel, Untitled, 2011silk, aluminum brackets, 243 x 180 x 130cm (approx)
Photo: Andy Keate.
*See glossary in the appendix.
Equipment and materials you will need:
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Paint
Cardboard
Paper (preferably of a large size)
The use of contemporary art/art history books
The use art magazines
Pens
Pencils
Crayons
Access to a photocopier
Scissors
Scrap materials (eg. Toilet rolls, empty bottles, old packaging etc.)
Daniel Sinsel, 2011, installation view at Chisenhale Galley, London
Photo: Andy Keate
Activity 1: Art historical references and collage
About this Activity
Sinsel’s paintings and sculptures combine references from art history and everyday
culture to create works which have many layers of meaning. Artists often recycle and
re-use images from art history. This activity seeks to explore how images from art
history can be used together with other elements to create new combinations (or new
art works).
Think
Choose one work in the exhibition that uses, or makes reference to, something you
recognise. For example, this could be something you see everyday, like certain shapes
of food or architectural forms. Make a note of this and discuss in groups the different
things that you have individually recognised in the works.
Research
Start by looking through art magazines, books about art history and on the Internet.
Try to find one image that reminds you of one of the works you have seen in the
exhibition. In groups compare and discuss the different images you have chosen.
What are the similarities and differences between the images?
Make
1. Start by looking through books and magazines to find images of artworks
(either historical or contemporary), which are of interest to you.
2. Then photocopy these images.
3. Choose one image that you have photocopied and work on top of it, using
pens, crayons or paint to either add or subtract elements from the image to
create a new composition*. When doing this, think what is of importance to
you about the image and add or delete elements so as to emphasize that.
4. You can then add parts of other images to this composition, using scissors and
glue, to create a collage.
Curate
Look at the different works that have been made in your class and in groups arrange a
display of them on a wall. How does the meaning of a work change depending on
where you hang it or what other work is it hung next to?
Further Research
Look at other artists who have also used or re-cycled images and references from art
history in order to create new works. What similarities do you notice between the way
other artists have re-used images from art history and the way Sinsel does?
*See glossary in the appendix.
Activity 2: Personal iconography And materials
About this Activity
A consistent element throughout Sinsel’s body of work is his use of personal
iconography*. This activity is designed to think about how artists use personal objects
or imagery and to consider what role it plays in their work.
Think
Look at the work in the exhibition. Across the different works do you notice any reoccurring imagery that you think might be of personal importance to the artist? For
example, certain materials, shapes or techniques. In groups discuss your findings.
Research
Through looking at Sinsel’s use of iconography and materials; research in the library,
in books and on the internet, other artists whose work also makes use of specific
iconography and materials that holds significance for them? Is their use of such
materials similar to Sinsel’s?** What images or objects are special to you? Make a
list.
Make
From your list choose one thing. Now try to imagine how you can represent this
image or object using other materials. For example how can different every day
materials, such as paint, cardboard, paper, be used to describe your favorite object?
The purpose of this activity is not to make something that looks exactly like your
chosen thing but rather to use completely different materials in an imaginative way so
that they describe something about your chosen thing.
Curate
Once you have made your object, carefully consider how you would display it. How
might the way an object is displayed affect the way someone experiences it? For
example how might showing one object in close proximity to another affect the way it
could be thought about? Similarly how does displaying your work in a particular
context* affect the way it might be thought about? Is there somewhere that is of
particular significance to you where you might choose to display your object?
*See glossary.
**See appendix for some examples.
Activity 3: Objects and contexts
About this Activity
Architectural forms such as grids and columns are employed as re-occurring motifs*
in much of Sinsel’s work. This activity seeks to explore how different contexts and
architectural forms can serve as framing devices for various figures and objects and
how this can affect how they are thought about.
Think
Start by looking at one of Sinsel’s works in the exhibition. Choose a work where you
can see a figure or object that is depicted in a specific context. One example of this
might be Untitled (2011) where an architectural setting featuring two columns, frames
a Lucio Fontana* painting.
Daniel Sinsel, Untitled, 2011, Oil on Linen, 120 x 85cm.
Photo: Andy Keate
What type of building do you think this is? Do you think this building is real or
imaginary? What do you think the relationship between the depicted building and
object is?
Research
In order to research this activity further look on the Internet, in the library and through
different art history books, for artists who also explore how different architectural
forms can serve as framing devices for depicted figures and objects.
Make
This activity will involve using the object that you made in Activity 2. Think of a
place that is related to the object you have made in the previous activity. This may be
a real or imaginary setting. For example it might be somewhere that you visit
regularly where you encounter your object, like a park, shop or museum, or it might
be somewhere that is completely fictional to which you associate the object, like a
place described in a book or something you have seen in a film.
Using pencils, paint and paper make a drawing of your object framed in this setting.
This might involve visiting this place (if it is real) and taking some photographs,
which you can then work from, or alternatively you can look for inspiration in
magazines and books or work entirely from your imagination.
Curate
Once you have made your drawing, create an exhibition that shows it in the same
space as your object made in Activity 2. Think carefully about how you want the two
works to be shown together. For example how closely will the works be shown
together? Will you display the object at the same angle as you have depicted it in your
drawing?
Daniel Sinsel, Untitled, 2011, Wood, linen, gold, 28 x 23 cm
Photo: Andy Keate
Glossary
Collage: The word collage often refers to something that is formed from a
combination of different elements to create a new whole. In the visual arts this often
refers to a formal work of art that is assembled from different parts. The word collage
may also be used as a verb referring to a working methodology employed by artists.
Composition: This is a term which refers to the placement or arrangement of visual
elements within a work of art.
Context: The term context here is being used to refer to the particular setting in
which the work of art might be shown.
Iconography: The word iconography may refer to the symbols used in painting or a
set of recognisable images.
Motif: The word motif in the visual arts normally refers to a repeated theme or
design.
Trompe l'oeil: Is the French word meaning 'deceive the eye'. It refers to a technique
in painting which involves using extremely realistic imagery in order to create an
optical illusion which causes the depicted objects to appear as though they exist in
three dimensions.
Appendix
Artists for further reference and research:
Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1527 – 1593):
Giuseppe Arcimboldo was an Italian artist best known for painting portrait heads
composed entirely of everyday objects.
Left is a painting from a series based on the
four seasons. This one is called Summer. In
this portrait the gentleman's nose appears to
be made out of a ripe cucumber. Look
closely at the man's coat. Can you see the
name of the artist woven into the collar of his
jacket, and the date 1573 embroidered on the
shoulder?
Summer, 1573, Oil on Canvas
Lucio Fontana (1899-1968):
Lucio Fontana was a painter and sculptor who was born in Argentina. Fontana was
involved in different art movements. In 1959 Fontana first made a work where he cut
the canvas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucio_Fontana
In 1959, Fontana began to cut the canvas, with
dramatic perfection. These cuts (or tagli) were
carefully pre-meditated but executed in an instant.
Like the holes in some of his other canvases, they
have the effect of drawing the viewer into space. In
some, however, the punctures erupt from the surface
carrying the force of the gesture towards the viewer in
a way that is at once energetic and threatening.
Although these actions have often been seen as
violent, Fontana claimed ‘I have constructed, not
destroyed.’ – From the caption next to the work in
Tate Modern
Spatial Concept `Waiting', 1960
Giorgio de Chirico (1888 – 1978):
Giorgio de Chirico was an Italian painter, writer, theatre designer, sculptor and
printmaker. Involved with the surrealists, his paintings are characterised by a
visionary, poetic use of imagery in which themes such as nostalgia, enigma and myth
are explored.
http://www.moma.org/collection/artist.php?artist_id=1106
The Uncertainty of the Poet, 1913
Claes Oldenberg (born 1929)
Claes Oldenberg is a Swedish sculptor who is well known for his large soft sculptures
of every day objects.
http://www.moma.org/collection/artist.php?artist_id=4397
Soft Viola, 2002, Claes Oldenberg
Useful websites:
Tate Collection: Search the Tate Collection
http://www.tate.org.uk/collection/
Google Art Project: Explore museums from around the world, discover and view
hundreds of artworks at incredible zoom levels, and even create and share your own
collection of masterpieces.
http://www.googleartproject.com/
National Gallery Collection:
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/collection-overview/
The Artchive:
http://www.artchive.com/
V&A Online Collection:
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/
About Chisenhale gallery
Chisenhale Gallery is one of London’s most innovative galleries for Contemporary
visual art, promoting national and international developments in visual culture
through its ambitious commissioning of solo exhibitions and a programme of public
events including performances, film screenings and talks. Chisenhale gallery is
dedicated to increasing access to the visual arts through its artist-led, community and
schools education programme.
Education at chisenhale gallery
Chisenhale Gallery’s award winning education programme has a significant and
expanding role in devising, managing and delivering artist-led projects involving local
pupils, community groups, artists and arts professionals, teachers, young people and
adults. All projects position the gallery as a local resource where people are provided
with opportunities to engage with contemporary art through the agency of artists.
For each exhibition Chisenhale Gallery also offers families an opportunity to respond
to the current exhibition by participating in an informal drop in workshop that is
devised by a practising artist.
Contact
For more information about the education programme please contact
Laura Wilson, Education Organiser directly on +44 (0) 20 3328 or email
[email protected]
Chisenhale Gallery
64 Chisenhale Road
London E3 5QZ
+44 (0) 20 8981 4518
www.chisenhale.org.uk
Opening hours: Wednesday – Sunday, 1-6pm