Jackie Matisse

I have mixed feelings about this artist. Being the granddaughter of Henri Matisse and the stepdaughter of Marcel Duchamp probably has some advantages to being acknowledged in the art world. Honestly, if she were one of my peers I would be impressed with some of her work as some is quite intriguing; however, much of it boarders on a cheesy Calder rip-off (I would say the same to my peers). It is interesting to me how my impression of her work didn’t change when I read her bio, but my expectations changed and I suddenly expected a lot more; maybe I’m just jealous! 
Collections of objects suspended by a thread inside what looks like a deconstructed curiosity cabinet that is less curious than beautiful. In “Magic Hair” the collected and arranged objects look as though they are spilling out of what was originally intended to hold them in. It is hard to tell if the objects are collected or made by the artist and likely are a combination of found objects that the artist manipulated; there are a lot of feathers in there.  It looks as though the cast shadows would tell another story about this object, but the gallery’s lighting in this photo does not show the potential. The artist in her words:  "I make and fly kites to play with color and line in the sky. My kites play games with the light, hide and seek with the clouds. They push and pull on the wind. They challenge the birds.”
http://www.raykass.com/html/Information/info.html

“Magic Hair”, 1981-91, Mixed Media, wire frame, 39x 16.8cm

Gallery Installation