GOTHAM ART & THEATER
by Elisabeth Kley
A tale of dismemberment and decomposition rendered in a series of animated charcoal drawings, Jag sysslar givetvis med trolleri (Of course I am working with magic) (2007), is one of two films by the young Swedish artist Nathalie Djurberg on view at Zach Feuer Gallery until Jan. 24, 2009.
Known for nightmarish stop-motion animations made from handmade Plasticine puppets (recently seen at Performa 2007, Tate Britain and the 2006 Berlin Biennale), Djurberg has brought violent scenarios to life, including scenes of a child molester cutting himself into pieces, excrement-smeared children attacking a prostitute, and a boy abusing a hairless cat.
This time around, Djurberg’s heroine, a naked woman metamorphosing from passive victim to active self-destroyer, is splayed between two gnarled trees. Branches rip away her head and limbs, and new extremities sprout up in all the wrong places. When she tosses aside her decapitated head, replacement eyes and mouth appear on her buttocks and back.
...cont'd.
