Lina Agnes Buck

Lina Agnes Buck is born in Byron Bay, New South Wales (Australia) and is now living and working in Melbourne (VIC). She completed her Bachelor of Art (Fine Art) (Honours) at the Royal Institution of Technology in 2018 and has exhibited predominantly throughout Victoria and Tasmania. Some of these galleries include C3 Gallery, Rubicon ARI, BLINDSIDE ARI, 222 Rosslyn Gallery and SAWTOOTH ARI. In early 2019 her work In Context (Actions Becoming) (2018) was selected as a finalist in the RAMSAY Art Prize and was included in a finalist exhibition at the Art Gallery of South Australia. In Context (Actions becoming (2018) highlights contemporaneity as a state of impermanence. Utilising the figure as a medium, an organic device that activates the work through elements of the temporal. Each performer locked in a state of becoming as they continue an obsolete journey of locating themselves through subconscious learning. She most recently contributed work to SIHFT_ at the Hobenniale in November 2019 representing SAWTOOTH ARI in Hobart, Tasmania. The Hobiennale is a biennale visual art festival that invites Artist-Run Initiatives and commercial galleries to curate a show within un-conventional art spaces throughout Hobart. Curated by Paul Murphy, SHIFT_ navigated how the obstruction of space can shape one's perception, from artist to viewer.

Interview with Lina Agnes Buck

Questions by Andreana Donahue

Can you tell us a bit about your background and where you grew up? In what ways have your early visual experiences and personal history led to art-making?
I have always been incredibly fascinated by Art. As a child, I would sit and draw for hours. I think drawing as a medium gave me such freedom and control at one given time. For a child it is a unique experience, you controlled the outcome wholeheartedly. At a very early age, I had so much awe for the transcending strength I felt from art, how an artwork resonated so strongly with such a diverse audience. This transient nature is something I continue to strive for today. 

As a child I spent most of my time outdoors, growing up in the hinterlands of the Byron Bay shire, in New South Wales, Australia. I spoke both German and English at home, our family frequently traveled between the two countries. I think this very much shaped the person and artist I am today. It gave me the understanding that the happenings of my immediate context are linked and shaped by diverse situations experienced by all in ongoing collective moments. Perspective is what it gave me, and that I attribute to my parents.

Where are you currently based and what initially attracted you to working in this community? Are there any aspects of this place that have surfaced in your work?
I am currently based in Melbourne, Australia. Initially what drew me to Melbourne was the artists and opportunities in the arts. Many being academic staff and working in the Universities I sought to study at. I wanted to be amongst it, these people inspired me from a distance. To locate one’s own practice you need to engage and understand your broader community of practice. In my late teens, i found myself making this choice, moving from my family home in Byron Bay to pursue an art-practice in painting, very different from the work I do now. 

Certainly, not physically but conceptually. I feel all artists and individuals cannot help but be influenced by their environment. For me, it was the bustle of the inner-city that surfaced within my work. Something very different from what I had experienced before, never spending such a length of time within an environment that is very noticeably in a constant state of change. The miniature human-made ecosystems and interconnectedness drive a sense of becoming, transforming, an ongoing state of flux. A mostly uncontrollable environment accelerated by the need for productivity. 

I think this element of the uncontrollable, except of course for our own actions is something I continue to represent within my work. In Context (Actions Becoming) (2018) is a video work that toys with a lot of these concepts. It represents a space guided by the others, each performer continues to adjust the spatial composition through the relocating of performance objects. This two-channel video projection considers the individual’s approach to space and the factors that shape this experience. It has a focus on time through action, the performers are continuously immersed by an ongoing discourse of alteration. 

Can you tell us about your studio and what a typical day is like for you? Do you share space or ideas with other artists while working, or is it a more solitary routine?
The studio is a space of continued change, process and, development. A space in which artworks are created, measured, and only finalized upon departing. Acting as a filter in the context of art practice, and determining which works exit a time of progression. 

My studio is a very multi-faceted space, ranging from a performance space to a space used to experiment, write, and edit video content. A day in my studio is determined by the projects I am working on, currently, that is stuffing and sewing the mattress component for an interactive sculptural work and preparing for a large scale video work.

I am absolutely for a bustling studio environment. My neighbouring ceramicists, designers, sculptures, and musicians all inspire unique crossovers of practice and often broaden my understanding of my own practice. My studio space is shared with Isabel Gabriella Buck, my twin sister, fellow visual artist and collaborator.  We’re located amongst three large studio warehouses in the Northern suburbs of the city. With high ceilings and skylights, the warehouse is constructed of a unique grid of walls creating an open studio environment.

The work I make is to give insight into societal systems and transitory moments of contemporaneity. Without the study and involvement of fellow peers, dedicated partner, friends, and the wider community I do not feel it to be true to itself. My work comes to happening and exits within the context of the viewer(s).

What criteria do you follow for selecting materials? Do you prefer to maintain a narrow focus or work across diverse media? How do you navigate the limitations and possibilities that result from this path
What I consider my materials range from performance objects, set designs, and, in a sense the performers themselves. Raw video recordings also make for a unique material, each I approach in a very different manner. When navigating material elements, the concept is what guides my direction and decision making. Staying true to the conceptual premise of what I want the work to achieve very much determines my material outcome.

When selecting materials in regards to performance objects, I have very specific parameters to abide by. The Materials must attempt to stay as far from preconceived notions of former function or purpose. Similar to the Heterotopias spaces I always seem to steer towards, I source materials that have in a sense gone through a ‘loss of identity’. The prior functions (in an unintended use) can alter a viewer’s understanding of the work. I frequently visit resource recycle centres and factory off-cut debuts. These places have the most obscure materials and objects. These re-contextualised materials carry remnants of pasts within their physical form, uncanny inklings of familiarity. I continuously focus on widening my options of the unknown or unintended. Always allow for accidental findings, that is where the excitement begins. 

Can you walk us through your overall process? How would you describe your approach to manipulating materials? What about decision-making and editing?
I find myself in project ‘cycles’ in a sense, with a number of works in progress at any given time. Each project has a unique timeline, and moving between them provides new perspectives and motivation. I try not to be narrow-minded, allowing the concept to guide physical outcomes. This can be tough at times, as you really have to let go of controlling the idea of what form the work may take. 

My practice focuses on the dynamics of relational or ‘bodily’ experience from the performer to the viewer. Creating compositional moments between the figure, object, and the space in which they reside. Performance is something I use at a lot of stages within my process. Time is also a temporal medium I use to exaggerate and guide conceptual outcomes, a framing device that forms narratives or looping cycles of repeated moments. This is very much part of my decision-making in editing. How time can guide the narrative. 

My process is predominantly studio-based. Except for editing, I find that is sometimes better done in a quiet space. The performance component of my work is very organic, providing the performers with sentences and loose emotive words. I am lucky enough to have incredibly selfless peers as performers that embody the project’s conceptual premise without hesitation. Authenticity in actions comes from intuition, re-actions, and organic dialogue between the performers. I then relocate these experiential moments into self-constructed heterotopic spaces. 

Assembling a space separate from the broader societal context provides a platform for a sole purpose. A space exclusive of predetermined function: where time and meaning are guided purely by the actions produced inside. This is something I work with a lot and has always been an important aspect of my practice. These and other working methods form my overall process, approaches I have only come to identify over time. 

Can you talk about some of the ongoing interests, imagery, and concepts that have informed your process and body of work over time? How do you anticipate your work progressing in the future?
Driven by the realisation that permanence is a fantasy fashioned for reassurance. A lot of my work exists within a temporal space, for me the outlook in creating artwork to be permanent is realised through how it speaks to the narrative of its context. Also, acknowledging the present as a perpetual state of becoming and accepting that authenticity within our contemporary context lies in its transitory nature. I think about this a lot in developing work and would say it is certainly an underlining theme within all my work.

I have increasingly become interested in the normalities of prevailing actions within contemporary society. Accepted customs and behaviours and how they are being altered through the progression of digital technologies. Spectatorship and ideologies of ‘the event’ have been a huge conceptual influence within my practice. The work Devices of Spectatorship (Abstraction) (2018) investigates spectatorship through a formalist approach. Breaking down the ready-made object through linear parallels and forming an abstraction through cinematographic techniques. The camera takes on a subjective persona through a fast pace and jarring video sequences. The sound of the tripod dolly speeding across the floor creates suspense through its rhythmic incongruity. Once I have worked through a lot of these themes, the insights gained seem to carry onto the next project. It is hard to anticipate how my work will develop in the future, also something I rather leave open-ended. 

Do you pursue any collaborations, projects, or careers in addition to your studio practice? If so, are there connections between the two?
Certainly, Isabel Gabriella Buck and I also work collaboratively. We began working collectively on projects in late 2018 when we were both studying our Bachelor of Fine Art Honours at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Finding that we very much have opposing art practices, in the sense that Isabel works with found objects to create sculptural installations and I work under a predominately video and performance-based practice.

Our first collaborative exhibition was Assembled; in Actions of Doing in 2019 that was shown at KINGS Artist Run Initiative, Melbourne. Looking back, this exhibition was very much the testing ground for how to approach working collaboratively. Presenting two separate works, that existed as a whole. Since, we have developed an informed methodology as a collaborative with a new exhibition titled INSTANTS opening in December 2020, at Incinerator Art Gallery in Moonee Pond (AUS).

I think that working collaboratively is very valuable, it not only teaches each artist to let go of ownership but also to be open to alternative possibilities and points of view. Working within a collaborative can push the creative process into new realms that may not have achievable before. 

As a result of the pandemic, many artists have experienced limited access to their studios or loss of exhibitions, income, or other opportunities. Has your way of working (or not working) shifted significantly during this time? Are there unexpected insights or particular challenges you’ve experienced?
Sadly COVID-19 has had an incredible toll on my art practice and the studio environment. In developing new projects I am continuously engaging with a range of creative industries. Having to stop-start this process makes for a very prolonged outcome. Victoria has certainly been one of the harder-hit states in Australia and I am finding many frustrations in continuing to create work in a state of lockdown. 

Yes, many of my opportunities, and in turn finances have been postponed or canceled. In early July 2020, I was to participate in a 3-month studio residency with PILOTENKUECHE International Art Program in Leipzig, Germany. This has been postponed until July 2021. Something I am excited to complete in the future.

Isabel Buck and I’s collaborative exhibition INSTANTS opens at the Incinerator Art Gallery in early December 2020. Developing this exhibition has been a prolonged, and, at times a very trying process. Regional travel restrictions and social distancing measures make for a tricky time developing performance and video work. In many cases involving short notices and timelines. And, when able to work, working hard and efficiently: a tedious stop-and-go process. 

In a time that seems to be marked by uncertainty, collective anxiety, and increasing social unrest, why do you think the perspectives and contributions of artists remain meaningful? Do you feel a natural relationship exists between your work (or the role artists play more broadly) and confronting established systems - of power, cultural institutions, or otherwise?
If a viewer’s perception of a cultural, historical, or social system or topic is altered by a work of art, it is meaningful. If practicing art changes the way in which an artist approaches, perceives, or navigates situations or topics, then that is also meaningful. 

In saying this, I have no idea what the art world will look like in the coming years, if not months. I do believe through their work artist have the ability to approach a topic in a very different manner than other creative industries such as music, literature, or film. Each having its own mechanisms that make them very valuable in understanding and playing a part in the progression of history. Artists also tell a story of events, not always intentional, the work of an artist is very much contingent on their context. Not dissimilar to my own work, but I would not say it necessarily has such a direct association. 

Can you share some of your recent influences? Are there specific works - from visual art, literature, film, or music - that are important to you?
My influences predominately arrive through day-to-day observations of societal systems. Often stopping within my daily routines to make notes of ideas or insights that present themselves. This and a combination of engaging in exhibition openings, performance events, and other creative industries. As of recent it that has been a challenge. 

Currently, I am reading Duty Free Art, Art in the Age of Planetary Civil War by Hito Steyerl. The book speaks a lot about the contemporary function of art and artists, something we discussed earlier and definitely at the forefront of discussions within the arts. In early 2019 I say the digital installation Factory of the Sun by Hito Steyerl, a work that balances between playful and critical. Steyerl is certainly a recent and ongoing influence. The ways in which societal ethics and politics may be addressed using digital media is increasingly relevant, especially within my own practice.

Who are some contemporary artists you’re excited about? What are the best exhibitions you’ve seen in recent memory?
To name only a few: Garth William Howells, Isabel Gabriella Buck, Soul Peace Mckenzie, Vanessa Howells, Paul Murphy, Aaron Claringbold, Rebecca Jane McCauley, Isabella Darcy, Eva Quinn Walters, Kari Lee McInneny-McRae, Lauren Johnston, Steve Lukic, Phuong Ngo, Helen Grogan, Katie Lee, Gabriella Mangano and Silvana Mangano, Angelica Mesiti, Clare Rae, Hayley Millar-Baker, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, Michael Georgetti, Georgina Cue, Kieren Seymour and Steven Rendall.

Exhibitions, this unfortunately was something that hasn’t been possible since March 2020 in Melbourne. A few from prior - Temporal Proximities curated by Kelli Alred and showcasing works by Helen Grogan, Katie Lee, Bridie Lunney, Gabriella Mangano and Silvana Mangano, Angelica Mesiti, S.J. Norman, Jill Orr and Clare Rae (2019), Between Appearances: The Art of Louise Weaver (2019-20) at Buxton Contemporary, Factory of the Sun by Hito Steyerl at the National Gallery of Victoria (2018). 

What are you working on in the studio right now? What’s coming up next for you?
Observation Acts is a large performance and video work I am currently developing. It explores both the roles of observer and observed in a self-reflective environment, echoing that of virtual reality. The work addresses the ephemerality of both roles and the capacity for an instantaneous exchange in these notions. The observed is also the observer: an exchange with self and with others. 

The work reflects on actions as ripples within society, with no exception to the act of observation digitally or physically. Guided through devices of spectatorship, the work questions how we navigate through these simple exchanges in the 21st Century. Observing through a screen, lens, or another device, creates a sense of absence from the situation, at times resulting in a reservation of empathy. The work illustrates the complexity of contemporary viewing, with an emphasis on the dehumanisation of the digital. Striving to give insight on understanding the extent of one’s actions within a contemporary context, in particular, that of observation. 

Observation Acts has been something I have been working on for a long time. Due to current lockdowns, timelines and dates have been extended. It is something I am looking forward to seeing come together, as soon as that may be. Next is a bit uncertain, as we are very much tied to the happenings of the world. Hopefully, I will be in Leipzig, Germany in 2021.