Julika Rudelius’ work investigates the social codes and norms that define human interaction as well as the isolation, uncertainty and ennui that underlie her subjects’ clichéd expressions of opinion and sentiment. Working primarily in video, she stages interviews with people ranging from New York socialites to teenage immigrants, sometimes mixing actors with non-actors, in order to bring to view the subtle play of domination, resistance and resignation that goes unnoticed in everyday communication. (In most of her videos, she edits out or silences the questions asked, leaving viewers to guess whether the work depicts fact or fiction. With this hybridized interview technique, she captures the translation of private feelings into a normalized language of clichéd expression. By situating people in nondescript or stereotypical locations – a drab office or bedroom; a luxurious swimming pool – she aims to foreground the viewer's (and her own) preconceived ideas of these individuals and their habitual environment. Refusing to sentimentalize her characters motivations and history, though, Rudelius leaves viewers' questions - and objections - unresolved.) Calling attention to abstract social codes by way of the individuals who speak and act through them, Rudelius’ work approaches the politics of communication by means unavailable to popular media, portraying the subjects of contemporary power struggles in their own words but in scenarios of her design. If viewers' suspicions are confirmed by the platitudes expressed by the various groups Rudelius films, it should not be without hesitation: How, one might ask, did she convince people to appear on film? What questions are they really being asked? Is it possible for us to empathize with these people? By raising such questions, Rudelius’ work provokes viewers to engage critically with language, cultural norms and the act of speaking for oneself.
Author: Daniel Marcus |
