In Bak’s Nailings series, he again utilizes the visual symbolism of a familiar object. He amplifies and reinvents nails and hammers, transforming them into tools of violence, puncturing both the figures and their surrounding environment. There is a tension between destruction and reconstruction, as the nail and hammer can both impose violence, and repair what is broken.
In "Nailings C", two figures are at odds, one holding an oversized nail, while the other holds a small hammer. It is unclear who holds the advantage in this situation, as the bottom of the nail the figure holds is bluntly cut off. The disconnected bottom half of the nail impales the opposing figure, although it is unclear if this occurred as a result of his opponent.
Bak explores the theme of hidden identity within this work, as both figures’ faces are concealed by panels which hang from above. There is a light sketch of a face on the panel, although the viewer is not given the information to decipher if the sketch is an accurate depiction of the face behind it. Why do the figures wish to hide or conceal their identities? How does violence transform our understanding of one another’s humanity?
Lilly Harvey (Guest writer)
BAK a Day, December 15, 2023
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And the hammering and the nailing goes on and on. The curved nail has been driven through the figure in the foreground. That figure has multiple legs and yet has not begun to escape.
The two figures are almost in the dance of death. There is rhythm of their moves. The perpetrator is presented as an assemblage. His face is drawn on a hanging piece of fabric and presented as part of the second person.
The image is framed by the broken branches and barren tree trunk.
The perfect modern Renaissance painting of an ancient duel.
There has been no change in human behavior.
Let me nail him. Bak again employs the hammer and nail as weapons.
There is movement of 2 combatants.
The one with his hammer raised has been pierced through by the opponent whose face is drawn on a floating piece of cloth.
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![Nailings [Septet 3/7]](/images/wwwArtworkMax/8390_SJ1337_BK2641-(a158d86e-4b99-11ec-a6cb-51c8563c3565).jpg)
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