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Intertextuality can be seen in Kehinde Wiley's paintings. The obvious western art history backgrounds and patterns are seen with an urbanized take on some of the patterns. The very obvious 'out of place' (as it would seem in today’s society) African American is interesting because the intertextuality of the painting challenges our original knowledge of the two social backgrounds we see and acknowledge in these paintings. therefore we are forced to question ourselves as to why we automatically think of the picture as 'wrong', the answer is simply that we were born into the knowledge that old-world elitist white culture is dominant it art culture and the white male in today’s world is dominant.
Wiley looks at pluralism, an idea that recognizes a wider representation of art, rather than the original emphasis of a single cultural group. So although pluralism is a good way to look at different art cultures I find Wiley is poking fun at the concept. I think he is saying pluralism is all good and well but it simply doesn't exist in this western world view of not only the art world but all cultures and societies. Wiley supports pluralism and looks at cultures other than his own in his works. I believe this to be a very smart move because not only is he fighting for cultural art to be recognized, at the same time he is practicing what he preaches. By including western art history and incorporating it into his creations he fights for recognition of pluralism and defies the typical anti-western artist.
1. Cloud Gate - Kapoors 'Cloud Gate' also commonly called 'The Bean' is a public sculpture which was built between 2004 - 2006 and is the centre piece of the AT&T centre in Millennium Park, Chicago. The sculpture was inspired around the properties of liquid mercury. Kapoor often speaks of removing both the signature of the artist from his works as well as any traces of their fabrication, or what he refers to as "traces of the hand". http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/20/arts/design/20kenn.html?_r=1. Evidence of this is the fact that when the artwork was revealed in July 2004, it wasn’t completely finished. The seams were not yet welded and were still fully visible, much to the artist’s dismay. For him removing the seams from 'Cloud Gate' was necessary in order to make the sculpture seem perfect and readymade. What I wanted to do in Millennium Park is make something that would engage the Chicago skyline… so that one will see the clouds kind of floating in, with those very tall buildings reflected in the work. And then, since it is in the form of a gate, the participant, the viewer, will be able to enter into this very deep chamber that does, in a way, the same thing to one’s reflection as the exterior of the piece is doing to the reflection of the city around. –Anish Kapoor
http://www.millenniumpark.org/artandarchitecture/cloud_gate.html
C Curve - Kapoors ' C Curve is a concave mirror made in 2007 and is located in Brighton, England. His intentions were to distort reality and create the 'limitless'. When visitors look at it from one side it looks normal but when looked at from the other side the reflection appears upside down. This is caused by a concave mirror which reflects light to a focal point very close to the mirror. Thus the reflection appears inverted.
Svayambh - Was an instillation at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Nantes and Munich’s Haus der Kunst where a huge beet red sculpture flows from one gallery to another, almost like a train car sliding through on matching red tracks. http://mocoloco.com/art/archives/004804.php. The material is a mix of wax and paint which coats the gallery doorways adding the impression that a vehicle like sculpture has moved through. It is titled 'Svayambh' which means 'self generated'. A constant theme of Kapoors removing any 'Traces of the hand' as it were.
2. Allan Gibbs owns 'The Farm' which is a large (1000 acre farm) which holds some of the finest contemporary sculpture in the world. Kapoor’s first outdoor sculpture in fabric, “The Farm” (the sculpture is named after its site), is designed to withstand the high winds that blow inland from the Tasman Sea off the northwest coast of New Zealand’s North Island.
3. "The Farm' is located on Allan Gibbs private outdoor art collection in Kaipara. In 2009 Gibbs commissioned Kapoor to create a sculpture for his site. Kapoor came up with a custom deep red PVC-coated polyester fabric, two ellipses one horizontal and one vertical with longitudinal mono-filament cables between the two ellipses creating a perfect circle in the centre of the sculpture and distorting and twisting the fabric to create the unique shape of the sculpture. It is made to withstand the wind that blows in from the Tasman Sea but it also enhances the sculpture giving it a 'breath' of life if you will, it seems alive.
4. My favorite work by Kapoor is 'Svayambh'. This instillation/sculpture is so interesting as it creates itself in a sense and makes me feel uneasy as I watch it being 'squished' through the doorways of the gallery. I feel as if I should stop it because it feels like it is doing something which is physically impossible and either the walls are going to break or it will.
1. The Walters Prize is New Zealand's most prestigious contemporary art prize. This biennial award recognizes an artist who has made an outstanding contribution to contemporary art in New Zealand in the two years prior. Named in honor of artist Gordon Walters, it was established by founding benefactors and principal donors Erika and Robin Congreve and Dame Jenny Gibbs to make contemporary art a more widely recognized and debated and prominent feature of New Zealand cultural life.
2. Alex Monteith - 'Passing Maneuver' consisted of a two-channel film exploring space and movement using motorcycles.
Dan Arps - 'Explaining Things' his art mainly consisted of objects and materials he had found. A merging of the real and art worlds.
Fiona Conner - 'Something Transparent' Fiona was trying to portray fragmentation and confusion along with repetition and monotonous feelings portrayed in mundane ways.
Saskia Leek - 'Yellow is the Putty of the World' her simplistic and pastel colored offer a fresh view into modern art and are quite aesthetically pleasing.
3. Jon Bywater, Rhana Devenport, Leonhard Emmerling and Kate Montgomery.
4. Vincente Todli has been the director of the Tate modern since 2003; The Tate modern is now the most prestigious and most visited.
5. I would definitely vote for Alex Monteith, It simply held my interest longer than any others. Could have been improved with a big feed of junk food. I would have definitely stayed for ages. I guess I liked the fact that she used a large scale video projection as I have always wanted to do the same. But again if I was to do that I would include some sort of food. Just the sheer scale of the video was interesting to me. When I think back if the same video was on a 14 inch or something like that I definitely wouldn’t be bothered watching it. But in saying that it was quite funny how the motorcycle driver was cheating the law. Because everybody hates it when riders do that. I guess everyone who drives can relate to her video.
1. Hussein Chalayan's work can be very hard to accept as they challenge cultural boundaries and events in history. People can take offence to such things; His 'Afterwards' creation was based on the horror of having to leave home in the time of war. He explored the idea of how we might want to hide our possessions. 'Burka' shows he has a political awareness that is absent otherwise in fashion. He creates pieces based on the traditional Islamic chador. Commenting on the treatment of Islamic woman. Personally I think these two particular pieces are art. Also the fact that under his website afterwards is listed under 'arts projects'. I think his creations are art for the simple fact that they evoke thoughts deeper than that of aesthetic qualities. This is how I define art "Thought provoking" and when I look at 'Burka' and 'afterwards' I am forced to think about the reasons behind the piece, not just the beautiful woman wearing the piece. The determining factor in calling fashion not clothing is the hype created by the media and the designers. (In my opinion).
2. When art is produced in order to sell products or an artist is commissioned by a commercial business the art becomes more like a brief with requirements the artist must meet. So no doubt this influences the artist because the art is created for that very business so of course the art is going to relate to the business. If there was no influence it would just be another piece created by Chayalan but endorsed by a company and therefore not really making any sense. I know artists are quite often criticized when it comes to money and art and commercial businesses but the way I see it is good for them, now they can buy more materials and as much crayfish as they want. Who cares what others say as long as you’re eating when you want and respect yourself as an artist. Moneys just a byproduct of art.
3. I can think of the industrial revolution and the scientific revolution. His work has been influenced by scientific conditions such as xenophobia and the social interactions of such people.
4. It is only important when artists are physically capable and have the means to create their own art work and only then when it is practical. For example to get an assistant to paint one work, but it is nesscasary for an artist to hire technicians when it comes to mass produced work or specialized materials
1. Claymation is a term coined in reference to any film in which the context is majorly plasticine or a similar substance.
2. I believe what is meant by the term is that we all have a pre conceived idea of what the Garden of Eden should look like and our 'natural' thinking of this is challenged so much so that it seems surreal when in fact the idea of our Garden of Eden has no more truth than that of Nathalie's.
3. The complexity of emotions are caused because of the innocence of the materials used and the actions that the characters perform. Automatically Claymation is referenced in our mind to children and we think of children viewing these. So when we so strongly, before we have even viewed it expect it to be viewed by a child we ourselves are put into the mindset of a child. Therefore when we see something completely opposite we are shocked and appalled even as we were not prepared mentally.
4. Well basically the way in which she used children's materials to create her work creating a sense of innocence a we link claymation directly to children, moreover, children are directly linked to innocence.
5. I think this has come about because people like to shock and disturb the viewer. This has always been relevant to artists but turning the innocent into something disturbing is just a newly explored way in which artists can achieve this. One artist explored it and a lot have followed.
6. Djurberg's
work is interesting because of the pure grotesque quality of the clay she uses.
It is reminiscent
of thick
blood. I think the 'shock' value of her work is simply more shocking than that
of other artists
imploring
similar tactics.
7. Djurberg's work was really interesting I
found it humorous but at the same time pretty disgusting.
The 'Memorial Project Nha Trang By Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba Is a 13 minute video instillation set in an underwater Vietnam sea. It depicts actual fishermen of the country dragging rickshaws along the ocean floor. This somewhat mundane task is made interesting by the music, which the artist himself has composed and the physical struggles and dangers of the fisherman and there every day job. You can feel the struggle of these men and as you watch there faces remain calm untill there lungs cannot hold any longer and the kick towards the surface. There is an eerie feeling as all you can hear is the music and bubbles. The viewer is put into a sub-marine if you will, observing these strange creatures with there antique contraptions and there bizarre strenuous task.
I find relations from this video instillation and the way in which some countries have been affected badly by Modernist values. Vietnam in its self is facing the very difficult burden of the past in the face of modernization. As now in western countries huge boats are contracted to trawl the ocean floor and it is effective bringing thousands of fish with every trawl. But these men and the people of the Vietnamese have to struggle Physically and emotionally every day in order to live. These ideas of Nguyen-Hatsushiba not only apply to the fisherman of Vietnam but to the vast majority of all families and adults in which ever profession they choose. Notably a lot of european clothes made for big commercial companies are made by under paid Vietnamese women and children whom are made to work in very poor conditions.
Although the negatives of Modernism are very harshly affecting the every day lives of Vietnamese people there are some positives. Firstly Vietnams environment or at least, ocean floor has remained natural and undisturbed by western ocean trawlers which literary destroy everything in their paths. As i view this video Nguen-Hatsubishas ideas and concepts of this video are somewhat lost n me as the men seem content and almost at one with their countries environment. Although a struggle for air takes over their otherwise calm, cool and peaceful expressions I cannot help but feel jealousy almost as these men are able to use there bodies and be with nature as many of the western population strive for a life similar to that. Living off the land. Naive as it sounds.
