Review of Laure Prouvost: It, Heat, Hit
On visiting the Tate Britain it is nice to see some Modern Art that is actually refreshing and engaging. Alongside the extensive paintings of landscapes by Constable, the portraits of great men and mythical women you stumble upon the ‘Art Now Light Box’. This may but a small corner within this prestigious London gallery, but it goes a long way in fighting the cause for contemporary art. It exhibits the work of upcoming living breathing artists alongside the old greats. The assumed distinction between the Tate Britain and the Tate Modern is here challenged; the ‘proper’ art melds with that which is typically regarded by some as outrageous or ridiculous.
Laure Prouvost stands as the most recent contributor to this fantastic project. A graduate of Central St Martin’s and Goldsmiths college, she initially appears a cliché candidate to be selected to exhibit at the Tate. However Prouvost’s work speaks for her talent and her work matches the acclaim of her credentials. Her video work is turbulent, absorbing and an exceptionally good example about what is good about artists producing work today.
Her piece is named ‘It,Hit,Heat’ and is something of an audio-visual slap in the face. Drumbeats, short clapping sounds, like a gunshot, that make you jump, and instructions in Prouvost’s sexy French accent act as your only guide through the juxtapositional maze of images. The combination of the sound and images is at times witty and elsewhere tormenting. The pace is dizzyingly fast, and the narrative is unclear: but that’s the point. As Prouvost refuses to give anything away in terms of her intention the film becomes a play on the malleability of meaning. The film undoubtedly grows more intense across the 6 minutes running time, but towards what climax exactly the audience is uncertain. The voice of Prouvost addresses the viewer directly throughout and at the end the audience is told that it has ‘let them down’ and they must ‘leave the room’. This surreal twist leaves the audience with a sense of guilt and unease attached to the viewing experience.
Laure Prouvost and the other artists set to grace the Light Box with their contemporary art are a fantastic connection between the old and the new. The work shown is an accessible hit of really great contemporary art and I hope that it will encourage more people to dare to cross the Thames and see what the Tate Modern has to offer.
