Absence

Chiharu Shiota / Japan/Germany b.1972 / Installation view of A question of perspective 2022 in ‘The Soul Trembles’, GOMA, June 2022 / Polypropylene ropes, 80gsmpaper, found furniture, cable ties, staples / Commissioned 2022 with funds from Tim Fairfax AC through the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation / Collection: QAGOMA / © Chiharu Shiota / Photograph: Merinda Campbell, QAGOMA

Chiharu Shiota / Japan/Germany b.1972 / Installation view of A question of perspective 2022 in ‘The Soul Trembles’, GOMA, June 2022 / Polypropylene ropes, 80gsmpaper, found furniture, cable ties, staples / Commissioned 2022 with funds from Tim Fairfax AC through the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation / Collection: QAGOMA / © Chiharu Shiota / Photograph: Merinda Campbell, QAGOMA / View full image

Artists regularly make decisions about what they present or reveal, as well as what they remove or leave out. How artists depict life is most often associated with the act of actively creating images and objects rather than with leaving intentionally blank spaces that appear void of human activity. However, the depiction of nothingness or emptiness can offer an equally truthful reflection of the spaces and places we inhabit.

Absence and presence are interrelated. A room once vacated may still retain the warmth of a shared meal or the glow of an ember in the fireplace. The absence of warmth in a landscape may be interrupted by a source of light in the far-off distance.

Absence can ‘appear’ in art in many different forms. An absence in the information about an artwork can itself be an artistic decision — examples of this include naming an artwork ‘Untitled’, artists who withhold their identity, and works that reveal little of their intended meaning. In some contexts, the absence of information can also be a necessary facet of specific cultural practices, reflecting cultural protocols around knowledge that serve to protect its sacred nature.

Artists communicate meaning by making something where there was nothing. The expectation that an artist will present a complete work can lead viewers to feel intrigued when an element is left unresolved or intentionally absent.

Absence can be used to achieve a wide range of outcomes. Compositionally, absence can affect the perceived mood of an artwork; and conceptually, absence can evoke a narrative or tap into universal themes such a loss, erasure, loneliness and isolation.

By covering, erasing or removing something that was present within a work, or by leaving out details with the intention of depicting emptiness with minimal reference to what may have been, artists can express a sense of absence. Both approaches invite audiences to interpret the relationship between presence and absence. In the case of installations or interactive works, absence and presence can also be affected by the number of visitors engaging with the work at any one time.

Absence

Describe

What do you see?

  • What are the main elements in the artwork?
  • Are there any materials, objects or symbols in the work that stand out
  • Does anything appear to be missing or left out?
  • Are there areas or spaces within or around the artwork that seem empty
  • Does the work involve or require audience interaction?
  • Would this work appear different if there were more, or fewer, people in the space?

Analyse

How was it made? What choices did the artist make?

  • Are the name of the artist and the title of the artwork known?
  • Are there any clues or marks visible that reveal how the artwork was made?
  • Does the work include a mix of organic and man-made elements?
  • Has the artist used any techniques to illustrate emptiness, isolation or absence?
  • Has the artist used any techniques to create a sense that something is present?

Interpret

What does it mean? How does it make you feel?

  • Does the presence or absence of an element create an emotional impact
  • Is there an invitation to imagine a story, memory or prediction through a missing element?
  • Is there a symbol or clue that suggests that all is not what it seems?
  • Is the artist raising a concern through absence, or a sense of hope with presence?
  • Has the artist created space for multiple interpretations? How? Why?
  • Does the work remind you of a place or time when you’ve noticed something missing?
  • Does the work remind you of a moment when you’ve anticipated a presence?
  • List everything that is present, starting with little things and moving to the biggest. Do the same for what we don’t see or is absent.

Evaluate

Do you like it? Why or why not?

  • Did the absence of an element or piece of information negatively affect
    your experience?
  • Does the invitation to make meaning in the absence of detail enhance
    your experience?
  • Did the time of day or the number of visitors influence your experience of the work?
  • Do you view the work or the experience as memorable? Why? Why not?
  • Would you add to, or remove detail from the work? Why?

Activities

Differentiated activities

  • Students paint a square-shaped pattern made up of a repeated shape of their choosing. The students repeat the painting removing one element from the pattern each time. Repeat this process 3–5 times. Question prompts could include: Which square is your favourite? Do you prefer when all shapes are included in the pattern? Do you like leaving empty spaces? Do the squares look better displayed together?
  • Students play with ice and coloured ink or dye to create artworks on craft paper. The ink could be added to water before freezing or added to ice before it begins to melt. Students display their images as a class group and decide on an exhibition title that invites people to think about how important ice was in the making of the artworks.

Activity ideas for younger students

  • Working with an image or a landscape, zoom in to select one feature to recreate in an artwork that can exist without the rest of that landscape. The feature might be a physical object, but it could also be something more ephemeral like a rainbow or a band of clouds.
  • Create a series of images with an object or figure that gradually disappears. Consider whether the disappearance is caused by movement (i.e. moving into the distance), fading (i.e. blurring out of focus) or erasure (i.e. digital removal or rubbing out with an eraser).

Activity ideas for older students

  • Genre painting is a tradition that depicts a story taking place within a scene, generally in a domestic setting. Experiment with composition and storytelling by removing figurative (human) elements from an existing genre painting. Consider how what you remove can change the meaning and/or create a contemporary version of a genre painting.
  • Research a contemporary environmental issue such as the plight of an endangered species or coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef. Compose an artwork in a single frame that depicts a future that would result from taking no action to address the problem you research.
  • Revisit a favourite artwork that you have made or the work of an artist you admire. Represent the work using a medium of your choice with the intention of removing an element. The element you choose to remove could make a subtle change or you might decide to remove the main subject matter to significantly alter the artwork.

Glossary of cognitive verbs

Describe

To give a detailed account of the features of something by identifying and communicating what can be seen, heard, felt or otherwise sensed. In relation to works of art, this includes visual elements such as colour, shape, line, texture and subject matter, as well as other perceptual qualities such as sound, movement, scale, spatial presence and materiality.

Analyse

To examine the parts and features of something in detail to understand how they work together. In relation to works of art, this involves breaking down visual and sensory elements — such as colour, composition, texture, sound and materials — and considering how they work together to create meaning or effect. It also includes identifying techniques, processes and relevant contextual influences that shape the work.

Interpret

To draw conclusions about the possible meaning of an artwork, considering the artist’s intent and the viewer’s own ideas and feelings.

Evaluate

To make a judgement about the quality, effectiveness or impact of something, based on criteria or evidence. In relation to works of art, this includes assessing how successfully the artist has used materials, techniques and elements to convey ideas or achieve an intended effect, as well as considering the work’s originality, impact or relevance.