If you go
“Staged Stories: Renwick Craft Invitational 2009”
Where: Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW
When: Through Jan. 3, 2010
Info: Free; 202-633-7970; americanart.si.edu/renwick
Name: Nicholas Bell Title: Curator, Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Residence: Takoma Park
The work: Mark Newport, “Batman 2,” 2005; acrylic yarn and buttons; courtesy of Greg Kucera Gallery
What I want to tell you about this piece: Mark Newport’s work makes you laugh and challenges you at the same time. You walk in and see these full-body-sized knit superhero costumes, and you think, “That’s funny.” You don’t realize immediately that they’re challenging your view of what it is to be a man; of what it is to be powerful; of what it is to be a hero; of what it is to have that aura of invincibility. The foundations of contemporary masculinity are upset by the material — yarn — and through the process — knitting.
I love that it’s so subversive. Newport’s work challenges us without feeling in any way oppressive or antagonistic. It draws you in. By the time you realize what you’re looking at, it’s already altered your view of what knitting can be, or how your definition of fiber art can evolve depending on the subject of the work.
We’re adding “Batman 2” and a print called “Batmen” to our permanent collection. I know that people will continue to get something out of these, both in the immediate, visceral sense, but also in the sense of having their expectations upended by a fresh take on an ancient art form.
Newport’s work reflects the massive explosion in the popularity of knitting over the last several years. It was barely on the radar in the ’90s. Now there are groups across the country doing things like knitting cozies onto lampposts and parking meters in the middle of the night. In my opinion, that has a lot to do with people searching for a more tactile experience in the midst of the digital revolution.
