Marnie Weber
Encyclopedia
Marnie Weber is an American artist who lives and works in Los Angeles
. Her work includes photography, sculpture, installations, film, video, and performances. She is also a musician.
, Connecticut
, U.S.
. She studied at the University of Southern California
, Los Angeles
, CA , and received her B.A. from University of California, Los Angeles
.
Much of Weber's visual art revolves around a recurring cast of characters. An animal often found in her work is the bear, which is linked to the Greek goddess Artemis
. These characters, among others, are placed in "vividly colorful environment[s]", ornate, Empire style interiors or dark, dense, eerie landscapes. Her work most often focuses on the adventures of women, which sometimes take the form of half-human, half-animal hybrids with bodies cut from pornographic
magazines, and other times, pale-faced, folksy ghosts known as "Spirit Girls".
She has work in the public collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
(LACMA), Neuberger Bergman, Inc. in New York
, Progressive Corporation in Ohio
, and FRAC
(the Frac Ile-de-France Contemporary Art Collection) in Paris
.
Marnie Weber's work is featured on the cover of the 1998 Sonic Youth
album A Thousand Leaves
.
The Spirit Girls is the name of Marnie Weber's alt-rock musical group and also refers to a group of characters that are found in her art. "[They] are the specters of five adolescents, killed in their prime, who come back to the real world to 'express things they weren't able to express' while they were alive."
Weber has also performed and recorded with The Party Boys
and The Perfect Me. She has two solo albums, Woman with Bass, 1994 and Cry for Happy, 1996, both recorded as "Marnie". In 2004, a compilation of her work was released entitled Songs Forgotten: The Best of Marnie 1987 - 2004.
She is married to the Los Angeles based artist Jim Shaw
.
Her work has been associated with New Gothic Art
.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Her work includes photography, sculpture, installations, film, video, and performances. She is also a musician.
Life and work
Marnie Weber was born in BridgeportBridgeport
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut.Bridgeport may also refer to:-Places:In Canada:* Bridgeport, Nova ScotiaIn the United States:* Bridgeport, Alabama* Bridgeport, California, in Mono County...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She studied at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, CA , and received her B.A. from University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
.
Much of Weber's visual art revolves around a recurring cast of characters. An animal often found in her work is the bear, which is linked to the Greek goddess Artemis
Artemis
Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. Some scholars believe that the name and indeed the goddess herself was originally pre-Greek. Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera, Potnia Theron: "Artemis of the wildland, Mistress of Animals"...
. These characters, among others, are placed in "vividly colorful environment[s]", ornate, Empire style interiors or dark, dense, eerie landscapes. Her work most often focuses on the adventures of women, which sometimes take the form of half-human, half-animal hybrids with bodies cut from pornographic
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
magazines, and other times, pale-faced, folksy ghosts known as "Spirit Girls".
She has work in the public collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is an art museum in Los Angeles, California. It is located on Wilshire Boulevard along Museum Row in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles, adjacent to the George C. Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits....
(LACMA), Neuberger Bergman, Inc. in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Progressive Corporation in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, and FRAC
Frac
Frac may refer to:* Hydraulic fracturing, a method used to fracture rock** FRAC Act, proposed United States legislation * Fractional part, a mathematical function* Fungicide Resistance Action Committee, a committee for fungicide management...
(the Frac Ile-de-France Contemporary Art Collection) in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Marnie Weber's work is featured on the cover of the 1998 Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
album A Thousand Leaves
A Thousand Leaves
A Thousand Leaves is an album by Sonic Youth. It was the group's first major album to be recorded in their private Manhattan studio, dubbed Echo Canyon....
.
The Spirit Girls is the name of Marnie Weber's alt-rock musical group and also refers to a group of characters that are found in her art. "[They] are the specters of five adolescents, killed in their prime, who come back to the real world to 'express things they weren't able to express' while they were alive."
Weber has also performed and recorded with The Party Boys
The Party Boys
The Party Boys was an Australian rock band with floating membership that existed from 1982 until 1992. Initially established by Mondo Rock bass player Paul Christie as a part-time venture for professional musicians with downtime from other projects, the group has boasted members from acts such as...
and The Perfect Me. She has two solo albums, Woman with Bass, 1994 and Cry for Happy, 1996, both recorded as "Marnie". In 2004, a compilation of her work was released entitled Songs Forgotten: The Best of Marnie 1987 - 2004.
She is married to the Los Angeles based artist Jim Shaw
Jim Shaw
Jim Shaw is the name of:* Jim Shaw , artist and musician* Jim Shaw * Jim Shaw , Canadian businessman* Jim Shaw * Jim Shaw * Jim Shaw , mayor of Rapid City, South Dakota...
.
Her work has been associated with New Gothic Art
New Gothic Art
-Manifesto:The Neo Gothic Art Manifesto was written by gothic artist Charles Moffat in 2001, who also coined the term "Neo Gothic" in an effort to differentiate it from gothic architecture...
.
Further reading
- References for all exhibitions, screenings, and performances
- Christopher Miles, "Marnie Weber at Patrick Painter Inc," Artforum, XLVI, No. 1, September 2007, pp. 477–478
- Ute Thon. “Gemischtwarenladen der Gehobenen Klasse,” Art Das Kunstmagazin.de, October 2007.
- Micol Hebron. “Critic’s Picks Los Angeles: Marnie Weber,” Artforum.com, May 2007.
- Mary Barone. “Out at Frieze,” Artnet.com, October 2007.
- Hunter Drohojowsha-Philpr. “That’s The Spirit,” Artnet.com, May 23, 2007.
- Annie Buckley. “Spirit Girl,” Craft: transforming traditional crafts, Vol. 04, 2007, pp. 60–62
- “Fantasy Freaky: Marnie Weber,” Dazed & Confused, April, 2007