currently viewing: inherited traits

art, in my opinion, has to do more with response than process. an artwork is successful if it forces you to think, shows you another way to think, or perhaps my favorite, if it gives you a kind of punch in the gut and makes you uncomfortable.

inherited traits juxtaposes the work of nina katchadourian and heidi kumao. upon first walking into the gallery, it is impossible to miss "genealogy of the supermarket". this piece was possibly my favorite - the whole concept was incredibly witty and really fun to look at and figure out. another one of my favorite pieces was the projection that had to deal with the japanese internment camps - i really liked the quiet force behind it. it made me sick, but in a good (or rather an important) way - in a way where you learn something and rethink the past. my final favorite piece of the exhibit was the piece involving a baby's dress. the artist's grandmother had documented her mother in the dress all around their summer home each year on her birthday. the artist then went back with her mother and sought out each picture location, and documented it. i found this one incredibly thought-provoking: the idea of presence and absence, the growth and change of the landscape over time, and even the fact that the artist took her grandmother's position in the photographs, rather than her mother's. inherited traits certainly was one of the more intriguing shows i have seen at the college, and an excellent way to open the college's new gallery.

currently presenting: the interactive journey

johann and i are presenting an exhibit entitled "the interactive journey".

the artists featured are masaki fujihata and perry hoberman.

the two artists work with sculpture, projection, and installation to create interactive exhibits for their viewers. their bodies of work will complement each other well, as they use similar techniques and audience involvement, but explore very different ideas and points of view. i find this exhibit very interesting, as i always seem to enjoy artworks that i can personally interact with and explore.

reference links:

www.perryhoberman.com
www.aec.at/bilderclient_detail_en.php?id=36570&iAreaID=256
http://pingmag.jp/2007/07/17/illusionists-processing-magic-sonarmatica-2007
www.fdcw.org/0506/yi/2005/09/interaction_embedded_into_beyon.html
http://pingmag.jp/2006/06/26/rebirth-of-japans-media-arts-centre-icc

live trace exercise

currently researching: marina abramovic, frida kahlo, cui xiuwen

when searching through the bodies of work of marina abramovic, frida kahlo, and cui xiuwen, it is virtually impossible to miss an essential connection that these artists share - the focus on life as a female. the artists call to mind gender concepts and the female portrayals of society in different ways, whether by using self-portraiture, like marina abramovic and frida kahlo, or by using a female model, like cui xiuwen.

abramovic's work evokes the type of "ugly" emotions that society most often shies away from. her self-portraits are not clean-cut, one features her crying hysterically, others portray her utterly exhausted or bored. she shows herself to the public in emotional states that classically are considered unfeminine - she is not weeping prettily, she is out-and-out sobbing.

kahlo explores the concepts of female strength and suffering. her paintings are extremely graphic, disturbing, and most of all, personal. she shows her pain and hopelessness openly. presenting her innermost core so graphically is initially, and intentionally, shocking - there is absolutely no editing of her feelings. she portrays herself, like abramovic, in ways that are seemingly unbecoming of the "ideal" female, but in that lies her strength. putting her deepest thoughts onto canvas for the public shows her strength - she may have been in severe pain physically and emotionally, but did not try to hide weakly behind it. instead she chose to own it and display it as an unchanging part of who she was.

cui xiuwen places her emphasis on the more traditional parts of womanhood, mainly pregnancy. she chooses to have a model pose for her works, as opposed to making self-portraits like kahlo and abramovic. this gives her works an "every-woman" type of reference point, allowing the viewer to put her, or even him, self into the work. from this her pieces gain a kind compassionate view towards other women. her works aren't as much about pain and suffering as they are about vulnerability and compassion. the compassion xiuwen portrays in her artwork for other women is where her strength lies. her beliefs manifest themselves quite plainly - she shares a wish for a kind of female "solidarity".

each female artist discussed displays a certain type of strength in her work. marina abramovic shows strength in her emotions, frida kahlo shows her strength in her physical and emotional shortcomings, and xiuwen shows strength in female solidarity. by using portraiture or self-portraiture, each artist adds to the conceptual meaning of her work, whether by displaying deeply personal thoughts or by becoming the "every-woman".