Brooklyn-based artist Marni Kotak’s career is centered on the philosophy of art reflecting universal elements of life. For Kotak, art goes far beyond merely depicting a singular emotion or experience. Named “Found Performances” by the artist herself, her multimedia pieces portray a vast spectrum of subjects: from simple, daily routines, to Kotak’s personal, emotional experiences. From art based on walking the dog, to the funeral of a loved one, the 34-year-old performance artist’s portfolio includes a wide experiential range that latterly expanded to include the live birth of her first child in front of an audience.
This recent piece titled, “The Birth of Baby X,” featured not only the birth process, but also the weeks of preparation prior. The Microscope Gallery in Bushwick, Brooklyn was converted into a nursery and the gallery’s exhibit space was equipped with all of Contemporary Western birth essentials, preparing a delivery room for the artist. Kotak spent the weeks leading up to her due date mentally preparing herself for the live birth.
For Kotak, her mental state was as important to the art as the act itself. As stated on her website, “I believe that our most intriguing performances occur when we are not aware that we are performing.” The mental preparations seemed to have helped to result in a successful art piece, as Kotak said, “Even with the audience’s presence in mind, I felt no more nervous than I would be in any conventional birth setting.”
Kotak’s upcoming performance art piece will be a follow-up to “The Birth of Baby X,” entitled, “Raising of Baby X.” Her second child-oriented piece will present Kotak as she experiences the daily joys and struggles of motherhood. These nuances of motherhood will all be displayed as a controversial and avant-garde art piece and according to the projects online description, are intended to continue as the child grows up, “attending college and developing an independent life.”
Despite criticism regarding the voyeuristic nature of this particular piece, Kotak maintains that “The Birth of Baby X” is art. “I hope that people will see that human life itself is the most profound work of art, and that therefore giving birth, the greatest expression of life, is the highest form of art.”
While “The Birth of Baby X” is certainly one of her more controversial pieces, it is not her first performance art piece to stir discussion. Her 2010 piece presented in Miami, “Sunny Blue Plymouth,” a re-enactment of the night she lost her virginity in such a car was subject to dispute. Perhaps that’s why the Plymouth was destroyed in a sequel piece later that evening, entitled “Destroying the Sunny Blue Plymouth.”
Although cutting-edge and controversial works do make up some of Kotak’s most famous pieces, they are not all she does. In 2008, and again in 2009, she performed a piece titled “Dinners for You”, in which she explored the daily activity of cooking, while preparing meals for her audience members. In 2008, when the piece was performed in her Bushwick home, audience members made reservations and were able to make special requests for meals.
It is debatable whether the shock value of her pieces hinders her viewer’s ability to immerse themselves. That being said. Kotak undoubtedly succeeds in bringing a new level of intimacy to the art world. Afterall, how many babies have you seen born?
For more information on Marni Kotak and her performance art projects, visit her website: marnikotak.com
