Annette Messager at MCA

Annette Messager in front of her work 'Chimeres/Chimaeras (c) Annette Messager
Annette Messager in front of her work ‘Chimeres/Chimaeras (c) Annette Messager

Internationally renowned French artist, Annette Messager, has brought her retrospective exhibition Motion/Emotion to the Museum of Contemporary Art with a compelling and chilling compilation of two and three dimensional installations, epitomising 40 years of her most iconic practice. On display is a sample of her diverse repertoire utilising everyday materials like children’s clothing, badges, black netting, soft toys and badges, which she has transformed into ominous artworks. Haunting and emotionally evocative, the exhibition has a running theme of kinetic manipulation that animates objects and brings the exhibition to life.

Central to Messager’s work is the disturbing dichotomy between her anatomical exploration of mortality and the way in which it’s conveyed, using playful fabric and wool based materials that hold strong connotations of sentimentality and childhood innocence. Messager metaphorically, and in some cases physically, defaces these universally sentimental objects, like children’s clothes and toys, forcing viewers to consider their personal affiliation with such items and the emotional associations they attach to them.

It is difficult to avoid becoming emotionally immersed in mythological plots and embedded narratives that Messager brings to life in her works, the most superlative of which come in the form of monstrous, room-sized installations.

A corps perdu – Heart and Soul (2009) is one of these unsettling installations, comprising of a sea of parachutes, with printed faces rising and falling in exhalation. As the material moves in synchronicity, it creates a steady pattern of breathing and a literal personification that fills the room with an unexplainable sensation of human presence.

Pénétration – Penetration (1993–94) is another that features plush organs made of stuffed cotton and wool that hang from the ceiling, casting eerie shadows across the walls of the room in what appears to be the remains of a brutal disembowelment, swaying gently as the audience moves around them. The recurring motif of fragmented body parts and the gutting of plush toys make for a dark and intense viewing experience, but one that will certainly stick with you.

The exhibition is free and runs through until September 26 at the MCA. It is not a show I would recommend for the faint hearted, but you definitely don’t need to be an art fanatic to be moved and deeply affected by Messager’s work. For further information on the exhibition or the associated events, visit the MCA website at www.mca.com.au.