Artists as Tricksters

Natalie Robertson, "The 10 Predicaments of Maui: Notes on Tricksters", Brian Butler ed., Volume 1, Auckland: Artspace & Clouds, 2008, pp.16-28.


Natalie Robertson is a New Zealand photo media artist and educator. Over the past decade, Natalie has been making photographic and moving image art that involves mapping practices. Programme co-ordinator for Maori Art and Design at Auckland University of Technology, she is drawing connection between ‘Maui', the trickster from Maori legends with other tricksters in the world. In addition, by exploring with these mythological tricksters, she proposes that thr artist and trickster share common ideas.

The comparison between the trickster Maui and other tricksters worldwide demonstrates how this knowledge may help to understand the practice of Francis Alys. In addition, Robertson is giving the example of Francis Alys as being a trickster in a contemporary world. To make a comparison between artist and trickster, Roberson (20) noted, ‘tricksters demonstrated the kind of attitude that I think contemporary artists can learn from. Maui, of a Thousands tricks from Maui the Maori legends and its shape shifting abilities could be seen as example of the artist who challenges the norms of his culture; demonstrating inquisitiveness, curiosity and enquiry through his actions, he tests the boundaries of his world, all qualities associated with innovative creative practice'.

His quote is evidencing his view on what a creative practice could be about. Furthermore by making a comparison to Francis Alys practice which has a specific narrative yet plays around with the ideas of irrational and silliness. Alys is an artist who works across multi-disciplinary media, and lives and works in Mexico City. Robertson provides the example of Aly’s work The Ambassador at the Venice Biennale in 2001 where he used a live peacock as his representation. He used the peacock as a way of removing focus from him and at the same time to challenge the norms of the art culture. By doing this, Alys is taking trickster attitudes by challenging a silly and humours act in order to reveal reverse truths relevant to a political context.

There are many contemporary artists such as Alys who have the role of artist as trickster. They challenge our views of the world around us in a contemporary world. One of many contemporary artists as an example, I like to say Dorothy Podber because of her attitude toward creative practice. She was a New York artist in the 1950s and 60s who is best known for brandishing a pistol and putting a bullet through the forehead of Marilyn Monroe’s likenesses on a stack of Andy Warhol’s paintings. In a 2006 interview with the writer Joy Bergmann she said, “I’ve been bad all my life. Playing dirty tricks on people is my specialty.” [1]



[1] Kennedy, Randy. “Dorothy Podber, 75, Artist and Trickster, Is Dead” The New York Times. February 19 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/arts/19podber.html