Rist’s work seems to be referencing or imagining a memory or feeling. the colors, the hidden faces, and whimsical nature of her work feels so nostalgic and yet futuristic.
consider this still from a video. the positioning of the string instrument, the flowers, and the hidden person, on first glance seems so appropriate and fitting. nothing seems to jar me about the positionality of the images, which i assume has a lot to do with the color dynamics and shading by Rist.
upon first searching for Pipilotti, i saw the side by side reference of this video and a gif from Beyoncé’s Lemonade. Rist’s video, the hightened blue color, the woman’s garb, and the contrast of these elements with what we know about gendered expectations and patriarchy highten my experience of the video.
this last video still i have chosen is because i wanted to highlight Rist’s presentation of gruesome, startling, and intense images, which none the less serve to highlight her feminist leaning background.