Laurie Anderson - Context and Body of Work

Laurie Anderson - Context and Body of Work

Body of Work


Laurie Anderson, born in June 5th, 1947, is a Grammy Award winner, artist, and musician, is certainly best known for her bold drive to create, and her ability to combine art, pop culture, world matters, and avantgarde within her work. Normally performing theatrics, her works combine several types of media; performative art, poetry, music, linguistics, anthropology, and much more in order to illicit strong emotional reactions from her viewers and those that see her exhibits. Her artwork is well-known across the world, being exhibited in places such as the Guggenheim and SoHo. Laurie is one of the most renowned, creative, and artistically daring pioneers of the art world. She's toured the United States numerous times, and has published six books. As a composer, she's contributed music to films from Wim Wenders, and Johnathan Demme, and interpretive dance pieces by Trisha Brown, Bill T. Jones, Molissa Fenley, and many more. Recognized worldwide as a genius, and leader in the use of technology within the art world, and. Initially trained in sculpture and violin, she pursued a variety of performance projects in New York during the 1970s. She's a master of creation; inventing several devices which were used during art shows and recordings. Shaped by her interest in music, Laurie seemingly is a jack of all trades, and over the course of her long and ever-evolving career she has done just about everything only one creative mind can do. Her projects certainly made way for her multitude of skills, all of which she puts to use in her artwork and exhibits. Although talented in a variety of fields, her signature choice of work has been music, as well as singing.




Laurie Anderson's "The Weather"

Laurie Anderson's 2021 exhibition within Washington D.C's Hirshhorn museum is her largest-ever US exhibition of artwork yet. It debuts over a dozen art pieces interspersed with select influential works from throughout her long career. It's a very immersive, audiovisual experience, and it beautifully showcases Laurie's limitless taste in creative and artistic storytelling. Over all, considered a retrospective of her career. This exhibition highlights Anderson's fascination with America; fascinated by the patriotism of the country and culture. It is a culmination, and all of her works, opinions, and thoughts come full circle. The exhibit details climate change, the complex and sometimes harrowing memories of the past, and the conditions of the present. Just like in real life, both fear as well as optimism and wonder propels us to explore the exhibit. 



Relation to Sophomore Seminar

Personally, I believe that Laurie Anderson as well as her work compares quite beautifully to the other visiting artists featured this semester, as well as to the over all idea of the class. Centered around giving us a step out of our comfort zone, and a chance to experience elements and fields of art and art history that we haven't before, sophomore seminar and Laurie share very similar ideals, as both do the same. Laurie exceeds at all fields, and plays a hand in them all successfully with absolutely no fear, which essentially is what this class, as well as the visiting artists are trying to help us young artists achieve. Each visiting artist was very different and unique from each other, and contrast, difference, and "weirdness" is ultimately something we really need in order to grow. When you dabble in everything, and dip your feet into other aspects of your career, just like Laurie Anderson, you open up a new door to success and exploration. 



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