New Arrivals 2019 from September 11th to October 20th, 2019 at The Stamp Gallery | University of Maryland, College Park | Written by Fiona Yang

Art has always been funny, and often in the darkest times. Dadaism, for example, was an art movement that occurred right before and continued during World War I. Dadaism embodies the absurdity and existentialism of the time. Dadaist artists were disillusioned. Many had tried to experiment with new mediums and styles of art in the period before the war, to which public response had been dismissive, if not scornful. Dadaist artists cited repressive social structures and the unquestioned pressure to conform as reasons for this backlash to their art.

Artists then turned their attention to the war. World War I was the first war in which trench warfare and devastating advances in weaponry were employed, leading to casualties never seen before in warfare. Dadaist artists once again cited repressive, conformist values, but this time as causes for the war, arguing that people bought into corrupt and nationalistic politics without question. Dadaist art emerged as an attack on “rational thought” – the type of overly logical and reasoned thinking that had suppressed art and allowed disasters like World War I to happen. 

The purpose of Dadaism, then, was individualistic, absurdist expressionism as a way to provoke thought in the general public. Artists found a way to do this through humor. Humor has always been an accessible medium. Art that is funny catches people’s attention and makes them laugh, which in turn allows them to feel more open and reflective about the work. A Dadaist example of humor would be Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain from 1917. At first glance, it is a urinal with a name printed on it. At second glance – perhaps influenced by the locational context of an art gallery, or by an informational plaque – it becomes art. This dichotomy is funny! It also, however, allows you to think more deeply about the piece: what makes it art? How has it been elevated from its original, lowly position as a urinal? What was the “rational” thought process that led you to conclude it was art? 

These conceptual questions are what Dadaists wanted us to ask when looking at their art, but humor is the vehicle that drives us to ask in the first place. If not for the humor inherent in this piece, it is very possible that it would not have the historical significance it has in the art world today.

Another contemporary example of humorous art hangs in Stamp Gallery today. 

Noel Kassewitz’s Rococo Remastered: Sunset on the Empire is the perfect contemporary complement to Dadaist artwork. Rococo Remastered is a raft that Kassewitz actually puts to use in the Potomac River, as proved in the piece’s accompanying video documentation. The video’s backing track is a hilariously upbeat song that is distinctly at odds with the darker themes of the work. While it’s funny to see Kassewitz try to paddle on this raft in the Potomac River, the work is actually trying to communicate a serious, deeper message about climate change and revolution. Kassewitz’s purpose in making this piece was to inject humor into climate change and the rise of sea levels, and therefore encourage more people to think about the subject. There is a definite parallel between the existentialism of World War I and current nihilistic, existential attitudes towards climate change. 

Additionally, Kassewitz embodies the idea of revolution into her work with her use of “millennial pink.” Pink was a very common color used in Rococo-period art, and the Rococo period directly preceded the French Revolution. Kassewitz, by using “millennial pink,” observes another type of revolution on the way – perhaps one that will redirect our thinking on climate policy, or about art. That hint towards a “revolution” is also directly paralleled by the Dadaists’ revolutionary, incendiary thinking on individualism and expression. 

In the end, both Kassewitz’s piece and Dadaist art is brought together across time by the humor they use to provoke thought about their respective contexts. Kassewitz uses humor to make climate change more accessible; Duchamp used it to question the purpose of art and the rationality of thought. Humor is and always has been a universal medium.

Noel Kassewitz’s work is included in New Arrivals 2019 at The Stamp Gallery of the University of Maryland, College Park, from September 11th to October 20th, 2019.