A thank you note

In 1979, Chris Burden created Reason for the neutron bomb. This installation, consisting of 50,000 quarters lying on the ground with a small match attached to their fronts, represented the 50,000 Russian tanks on the Iron Curtain. When creating the piece, Burden had trouble finding the best way to represent the tanks and ensure that when the exhibit was over, he wasn't left with a pile of useless toy tanks. "That is as stupid as having a stockpile of weapons," said Burden.

Chris Burden has a way with art. He creates conceptual pieces that represents global issues. One of my personal favorites was when he purchased ad time in 1977 for Financial disclosure, a video of him broadcasting his taxes, yearly profits, and expenses at a time when politicians where hiding their own.

Most recently, however, Chris Burden has taken on an issue that is reflected in many of his works: urban sprawl. From Beam Drop in 1984, Burden has shown the industry and grit of new technology. Large steel beams rise from a patch of concrete in an otherwise green and natural area in Inhotim, Brasil. Urban Light (2008) is an installation of 202 street lamps standing in front of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It has become iconic and has been featured in successful movies and TV shows. And how else can you represent urban sprawl without taking four years to create a 20 by 30 foot model of a modern city Metropolis ii (2011) that lacks any little people but maintains a significant human presence in the form of towering skyscrapers and 1,100 moving automobiles. While this piece may be the least timeless of his works (can't you imagine your grandchildren finding the model and assuming it was the ancient city of Pompeii), it shows his creativity and devotion to art. You would think he would be willing to undergo great amounts of pain in the the name of art... actually he did.

Starting with his breakout work of Shoot (1971) where his friend shot him in the left shoulder, he has also sat in a small locker for 5 days living off a bottle of water (Five day locker, 1971), crawled through glass (Through the night softly, 1973), nailed himself to a Volkswagon (Trans-fixed, 1974), and a hellful more.

Unfortunately, Chris Burden is no celebrity. To find his work and learn more about the man, a great amount of Googling is required. While hunting, I encountered a great description of Burden's work.

Curator of Zwirner and Wirth, Josh Baer:

"In experiencing this type of pain and vulnerability firsthand, Burden is able to make it more familiar and, in turn, he demystifies the horror of such acts by making them knowable, both for himself and for the audience."

Chris Burden goes beyond the definition of art that I mentioned in my last post. He not only expresses his own thoughts and ideas but he reassures the viewer. If six ton steamrollers can fly (Flying steamroller, 2006) and Burden can survive all he has, everything will be alright.

Thank you, Chris Burden.