Mixed-media Installation Re-stages Old ‘Birds and the Bees’ Morality Tale

Mixed-media Installation Re-stages
Old ‘Birds and the Bees’ Morality Tale

BY LISA NUTTING
Rice News Staff
Nov. 5, 1998

To catch the latest buzz on campus, stop by the Rice University Art Gallery.
Don’t "bee" surprised, however, if Nicole Eisenman’s latest exhibit,
"Behavior," stings your curiosity.

"Behavior," a mixed-media installation that re-stages the old "birds
and the bees" morality tale, opens today, Nov. 5, to the tune of hundreds
of bees and a hula performance by a senior citizen dance group called Tutus.
Instead of birds and bees, Eisenman’s exhibit, which she likes to refer to as
an operatic fairy tale, centers around an epic battle between flowers and bees.
The exhibit will be on view through Dec. 13.

Eisenman is a New York-based artist known for witty and subversive work that
is often full of cultural critique and gendered innuendo.

Incorporated in the exhibit are Eisenman’s large-scale oil painting "Big
Angry Bee," the war table, various drawings, sculptures, photographs and
a video. These diverse elements make up a world in which flowers seek protection
from deadly bees by hiring an all-female S.W.A.T. team. Eisen-man’s fairy tale
unfolds through stage sets that depict the S.W.A.T. team mapping out tactical
maneuvers to fight off the killer bees.

Of all this bee commotion, Ei-senman said, "I’m not really interested
in bees; they’re just suited to tell the story."

"Behavior," 1998, opened in June at Shoshana Wayne Gallery in Santa
Monica, Calif., but Eisenman has added the video element to the Rice exhibit.
With the help of her younger brother, she filmed "The Flight of the Bumblebee"
while on vacation this summer in Cape Cod. In the video, her brother attaches
a bumble bee figure to his finger and runs around erratically, with his finger
extended, as Eisenman films his capers. Eisenman next plans to take "Behavior"
to Israel.

From her exhibit, Eisenman said she hopes patrons gain "a sense of bliss
and joy. I want them to have fun. I would really like it if people could see
and pick up the narrative and follow it around."

Nicole Eisenman’s installation "Behavior" will be on exhibit through
Dec. 13 at the Rice University Art Gallery.

This whimsical installation includes a swarm of more than 300 ceramic bees,
hundreds of tiny bee stickers, potpourri, air fresheners, floral-scented candles,
marshmallow chicks, and Eisenman’s signature drawings, which she describes as
"Caravaggio meets Harvey Comics."

"To me, really, the most interesting part of this whole installation is
that creative process that gets you there," Eisenman said. "Installation,
in general, is the whole creative process. It’s really, really intense. You
get into this strange head space and then it sorts itself out."

Born in Verdun, France, in 1963, Eisenman’s family moved to New York when she
was 18 months old. She was raised in Scarsdale and went on to earn a Master
of Fine Arts degree from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1987. After graduating,
she moved to Manhattan, where her work as a commercial mural painter reaffirmed
her long-standing interest in drawing and painting.

She has gained a reputation as a shrewd social satirist who draws from art
history and pop culture to create works with humor that often conceal a darker
undertone.

Of her exhibit, Eisenman said, "It’s like an opera, in that it doesn’t
really make sense; it’s just a reason to scream and dance around. It also has
a dark side, if you want to go there."

Featured in the 1995 Whitney Viennial, but reduced to a spot on the museum’s
lowest level, Eisenman created a now infamous mural titled, "Self-Portrait
with Exploded Whitney." The mural, which is now part of the Whitney’s permanent
collection, depicts the artist with her back to the viewer, painting the only
remaining surface, with the museum in shambles all around her. Such loaded humor
is the common thread that unifies Eisenman’s work.

Her art work has been exhibited in the United States and Europe, and "Behavior"
is her first installation in the Southwest.

Eisenman’s "Behavior" first opened at first opened at Shoshana Wayne
Gallery in Santa Monica during the summer.

"We are very excited to introduce Houston audiences to Eisenman’s special
brand of irreverent humor," said Kimberly Davenport, gallery director.
"We believe this installation will take them on an epic journey they will
not forget."

During the festive exhibition opening, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Nov. 5, Eisenman will
present an informal talk at 6 p.m., followed by the hula dance performance.
Gallery attendants will carry out the fairy tale theme in costume elements.
Complimentary wine and ale (courtesy of the Bank Draft Brewing Co.) will be
served at the free event. The public is encouraged to attend.

Gallery hours are: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, open until 8
p.m. Thursdays; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday; closed Mondays and university holidays.
Admission is free. The gallery Web site is located at www.rice.edu/ruag. For
more information call (713) 527-6069.

The Rice University Art Gallery is located in Houston’s Museum District on
the Rice campus at 6100 Main St. in Sewall Hall. To reach the gallery, enter
the university through Entrance 1 at the corner of Main and Sunset. Turn left
at the grassy common area then take a quick right. The gallery is located straight
ahead and parking is to the left.