Matthew Barney

Matthew Barney serves as a very interesting performance artist to study. Barney uses role players, characters and narratives to display changes and endurance that the body goes through. His use of characters is a very effective technique in that it adds originality to his artwork. His characters and narratives are based specifically on experiences or ideas that have influenced his own life which allows the viewer to grasp a sense of his personality. It is also useful that Barney actually plays a role in the films and videos that he produces. By allowing the viewer to physically see the artist it not only portrays his passion for his work but allows the viewer to relate more easily. While we are able to see the artist firsthand it is important to note that Barney does not play the role of himself. His use of “alter-egos” to establish a being other than himself gives him permission to go beyond his natural beliefs and values. He is able to take his ideas further by masking them with another identity. His ability to refer characters as a way to express himself is shown particularly in his film production entitled “The Cremaster Cycle.” In this production he is able to follow imagination of his own work through the use of the horses and different characters. The expression of art through multi-narratives plays in the idea of the “alter-ego” that is seen in much of Barney’s artwork.