Iterative Research – Klara

Ellen Gallagher

Young artist Ellen Gallagher’s arguably most well-known works are altered clippings from 50s magazines selling black haircare and beauty products. In her work ‘Wiglettes‘, she cuts out the eyes from the models in the magazine and pastes plasticine-yellow ‘wigs’ over their natural hair, commentating on the way black womens’ identities have historically been erased, suppressed and whitewashed. The final effect is unsettling to look at, to say the least. The way Gallagher committed to transforming an entire page of the magazine creates a uniquely intense and confronting image as these eyeless women peer out at us. This is where the idea of iterative making enters Gallagher’s work; she endures the same process over and over in order to demonstrate the suppression of identity on a massive scale; every last one of the women is blinded and given a sickeningly blonde wig. In this case, iterative work helps the artist to communicate her message effectively.

Joseph Kosuth

In Joseph Kosuth’s work ‘One and Three Chairs’ he creates three representations of a chair; there is a painting of a chair, an actual chair, and a written definition of the word ‘chair’. Each iteration of the chair is very different, but, in our eyes, they all represent the same thing. These differences illustrate the way we as humans search for familiarity in everything we see. Creating three iterations of one concept in a row helps the eye to more clearly understand the piece’s meaning.