laughter in art

I've just got back from the exhibition called Quand l'art fait rire at the mcb-a in Lausanne. it was great to experience a darkened room of Bruce Nauman's clown torture although in not sure it was wholly responsible of me to drag my two sons into it. I was thinking they would find it funny but they both became visibly paler and i fear i may have clumsily provided them with a moment that will haunt then for life. Nauman's group of films do genuinely transcend the cliche of clown as demonic unlike the skull with a clowns nose in the other room. and what a treat the William Wegman films were! That man has real muscle both literally and creatively. Unlike nearly every artist at frieze this year he addresses the over awareness of our age with humanity and intelligence. He seems to approach video with the same sense of wonder that celluloid pioneers embodied (l'entracte par example.) "i should go" he says in one clip picking up the arm chair and standard lamp and leaving behind his suit case deposited upon arrival. this is A. very funny and B. a touching ode to the transience of an identity defined through possessions. another rib tickler was Yoshua Okon's canned laughter installation. A silly joke played out with conviction. we are shown a stack of various canned laughters (manly, evil, manic. ..) and an accompanying video takes US behind the scenes of the factory where hair netted workers amass like a communal choir to create the 57 varieties. tasty.
after the show we retired to LA Barbare for a cup of their legendary thick hit chocolate(the spoon stands up) and on the bus home discussed the contrasting reviving affects of chocolate and coffee. A superior hot chocolate, we agreed , makes one feel energised and calmer.

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