Finalist
In this video, performance artist Anna Garner appears in an architectural environment that she built herself. Although the cool simplicity of the setting references Minimalist sculpture, Garner describes this piece as staging her own disaster. Dressed in red, she slowly and methodically bangs a pole onto the platform on which she stands. Ultimately, it collapses and she loses her footing. Garner clarifies: “Inserting my own anxiety into this space, it can no longer exist as neutral or essential. Instead, it captures an intimate self-portrait of my body in physical uncertainty, acting out a false attempt at control.”
Garner works predominantly in photography, performance, video, and installation. In accordance with her wide-ranging practice, she cites a variety of influences, such as performance art, silent film, ballet, and modern dance.