Džil Megid je američka umetnica, čiji se radovi u najvećoj meri mogu svrstati u kategoriju "stvarne umetnosti" (reality art). Njeno polje interesovanja predstavljaju institucije koje vrše nadzor nad građanima (poput gradskih video sistema nadzora, policije, tajnih službi). Veoma uopšteno, njen rad možemo nazvati rezultatom težnje da uspostavi lični kontakt sa veoma zatvorenim, nepristupačnim birokratskim sistemima, i da im skrene pažnju na sebe koristeći se i nekim neuobičajenim sredstvima, kao što su ljubavna pisma. U Tejt galeriji u toku je izložba "Authority to remove", jedan u nizu projekata nastalih na osnovu njene saradnje sa AIVD, holandskom tajnom službom. Počev od 2005. godine AIVD je angažovala Džil kako bi ona prikazala njeno drugo, humano, lice. Nakon desetomesečne provere njene ličnosti, odobren joj je kontakt sa tajnim agentima. Na brojnim neupadljivim lokacijama intervjuisala je agente, pri čemu njen rad nije smeo doprineti otkrivanju njihovog identiteta. Priča se dalje komplikuje, i kako je sve dublje ulazila u veoma zatvoren i nepristupačan sistem, pokušavala je da ostvari sve intimniju vezu sa tajnom službom, odnosno Organizacijom kako je ona zove, a koja nije bila moguća. Fascinirana tajnošću i tajnom kao takvom, a ne njenim sadržajem, prikupljene podatke i svoje utiske je pretočila u roman. Organizacija joj nije dozvolila objavljivanje romana, ali je dozvolila da on bude izložen, kao umetničko delo, u staklenoj vitrini, jedan jedini put. Upravo to, pretvaranje njenih živih sećanja i utisaka u statični objekt usled cenzure institucije sa kojom je pokušala da ostvari intimnu vezu, predmet je izložbe u Tejt modern galeriji. Posetiocima je dostupan sadržaj uvoda i epiloga knjige, koji nas upoznaju sa istorijatom odnosa Džil i Organizacije. Tako postajemo svedoci uzbudljive, umetničko-kriminalističko-ljubavne priče. Nakon naivnog i pomalo ironičnog početka (tajnoj službi je odobreno povećanje budžeta kako bi proširila svoje prostorije, usled većeg broja zaposlenih, zbog sve učestalijih terorističkih pretnji, ali pod uslovom da deo sredstava utroši na umetnost) umetnica postepeno postaje sve angažovanija u okvirima Organizacije, do te mere da pokušava i sama da postane tajni agent. Njen rad postavlja veoma zanimljiva, brojna i kompleksna pitanja, koja se tiču odnosa pojedinca i institucija, odnosa privatnog i javnog, javnog i tajnog, cenzure, emocija i objektivnosti, a pre svega odnosa umetnosti i realnosti.
Citat:Her work from here follows an interest in entities that conduct surveillance, or "'protective' institutions," (i.e. police) with a particular focus on their tendency to view people as anonymous. She tries to place herself within these systems while maintaining her individuality by getting them to focus on her. In so doing, a different, more human light is cast on these large entities. Because she is able to engage on a personal level, it can be safely assumed that there is another person she is engaged to — metaphorically, she draws the curtain that hides the Wizard of Oz-lings behind the faceless eyes we are always aware of.
There is hardly any medium specificity in her artwork, in general, because the art lies in her journey. It is close to something one might call 'reality art,' and the only way to know it is through documents and her accounts. She is well aware of this, and her methods of disseminating that information is thoughtful, which will be touched on below.
A major turning point in her work, leading to her more current projects, came with the work entitled System Azure, ongoing since 2003. In her explorations into surveillance while an Artist in Residence in Amsterdam, she proposed to the police an art project of decorating surveillance cameras. She was dismissed out of hand. She returned as a "Security Ornamentation Professional" attached to a fictitious company, complete with portfolio and business card, and pitched the same proposal; but this time as public relations rather than art. This was accepted and hired to install her work. An alteration of the social roles granted her access, and this point might be much more poignant than the decorated cameras themselves.
Her subsequent work entails placing herself within larger systems related to surveillance ("big brother," perhaps) and developing very close relationships within them. The work becomes a sort of collaboration with people working in these systems and the systems themselves. Access however, is key to her work. "I want to engage the system on an intimate, personal level; and for that, access is required." It is what initiates collaboration, and, as she attempts to access large and impersonal bureaucratic entities, leaves a trail. This trail, often in paper, is the documents available to the art spectator to reconstruct Magid's narrative. Her method of gaining access is both functional — must satisfy and build trust with the operatives of whichever system — and artful — reflects her aesthetic while representing what is taking place in the exchange. The love letter is a format and style she uses often, even when addressed to whole organizations and read by anonymous readers. With it, she achieves a disarming tone while communicating necessary information to fulfill legal or logistical requirements. Afterward, they serve as the stuff for exhibition that detail a narrative and reflect an emotional sensitivity that seems characteristic to her as an artist.
Citat:In her Level 2 exhibition at Tate Modern, Magid explores the themes of secrets and secrecy, reflecting on the emotional, philosophical and artistic relations between institutions and the individual. The exhibition will be centred around her first novel, Becoming Tarden, which tells the story of Magid’s commission by the Dutch Secret Service (AIVD) to create an artwork for its new headquarters. Her brief was to find the human face of the organisation through conversations with its members.
http://www.artknowledgenews.com/2009-08-11-01-31-2.....rvice.html
Citat:'We want you to think of the book as an object of art. We will redact it and put it inside the vitrine with your notebooks where it will remain, permanently.
You want me to put it under glass so that it will no longer function as a book but as a sculpture?
Yes. He blinks his eyes rapidly. It becomes an object of art.
The Director follows this in a soft, imploring voice. Will you consider that, Jill?' Epilogue p. 187
By displaying her novel as a sculpture on a plinth, in compliance with the Dutch secret service's request, Magid's book is transformed from a narrative into an art object. Displayed in this way, it can no longer be read, its secrets secure. The body of the book ripped from spine becomes a metaphor for the artist's experience – she has surrendered her first novel but how can she surrender her memory?
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/jillmagid/default.shtm
