Week 5. Kehinde Wiley.

Last weeks ALVC class focused on the Post Modern them "INTERTEXTUALITY", re-read Extract 1 The death of the author on page 44 of your ALVC books and respond to the oil paintings of Kehinde Wiley. How do we make sense of his Kehinde's work? Identify intertextuality in Kehinde's work?

I think that Kehinde is almost crossing over old medieval tradition ( gold frames) with this modern days rapper look in his figures. His works are very busy, with the background and the foreground becoming equal. His poses represent power and spiritual awakening. They are also portrayed in a heroic manner. The portraits are based on every day men he sees on the streets. He mixes hip-hop with Renaissance poses and gets the young men to pose. Kehinde decribes his work as "interrogating the notion of the master painter, at once critical and complicit."

Kehinde's work relates to this weeks Post Modern theme "PLURALISM" re-read page 50 and discuss how the work relates to this theme?

Pluralism is present in Kehinde's works as it includes the diversity of ethnicities, religions, economic status and ideologies. The work is beyond the usual as seeing a black man in a Renaissance portrait is not typical of what we are used to seeing.

Kehinde's work raises questions around social/cultural hierarchies , colonisation, globalisation, stereotypes and the politics which govern a western worldview.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kehinde_Wiley

Week 6. Barbara Kruger.

American conceptual/pop artistBarbara Kruger is internationally renowned for her signature black, white and red poster-style works of art that convey in-your-face messages on women's rights and issues of power. Coming out of the magazine publishing industry, Kruger knows precisely how to capture the viewer's attention with her bold and witty photomurals displayed on billboards, bus stops and public transportation as well as in major museums and galleries wordwide. She has edited books on cultural theory, including Remaking History for the Dia Foundation, and has published articles in the New York Times, Artforum, and other periodicals. Monographs on her work include Love for Sale, We Won't Play Nature to Your Culture and others. She is represented in New York by Mary Boone Gallery. A major exhibition of her work will be presented at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles in fall 1999, and at the Whitney Museum in New York in 2000.

Research Kruger's work to find an example from the 1970s or 1980s to compare with a more recent work. How has Kruger's work changed with the developments in contemporary visual arts? Describe a recent work that moves away from the 'poster' type work of her early career.

'Your body is a battleground' 1989 is mainly focused on one image with a few bits of red text. It is much more about the picture with stand out opinions. Krugers then went on to cover the ceilings and floors of a gallery in which focused more on text with a few images here and there. She transformed a white space into something red, black, white and full of a statement. This was the beginning of her development from focusing on image and then onto text. 'Untitled' (shafted) 2008 is a digital print with much bolder text and blocked colours. The text creates the image with only a small percentage of it black and white photography.

How does the audience experience a more spatial, installation art work compared with a poster?

Being surrounded by the work at every angel lets the viewer have a more statement experience. Spaces interact and therefore have a longer lasting experience. I think that with a poster, you are less likely to read the text. However in a space, the text is what gets you to move around the room as because its bigger and in your face, its more likely to grab your attention. I feel like the text sets the pathway around the gallery.

What elements does Kruger use in her work to create a strong impact?

I would say defiantly the colours she uses. Also the bold text and her quotes which most of the time involve the audience. She uses compositions which grab attention and usually the red is where the eye travels first.

I feel like her style has stayed similar over the years, but her topics have changed with whats going on around her. One thing for sure is that she is not afraid to make a statement and her colours alongside her words make a feel bold range of works.

http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/feminist/Barbara-Kruger.html

http://www.wdog.com/rider/writings/real_kruger.htm

http://www.google.co.nz/images?hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&q=barbara%20kruger&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1400&bih=697

http://www.designrelated.com/inspiration/view/KateAndrews/entry/1334/barbara-kruger

Week 4. Anish Kapoor

1.Research Kapoor's work in order to discuss the ideas behind 3 quite different works from countries outside New Zealand.

'Cloud Gate' (04-06)

located in Chicago is also named 'The Bean' sculpture because of its bean shape. It is made of stainless steel plates and is seamlessly put together. The work is inspired by liquid mercury and reflects while distorting the city's skyline around it. When standing underneath, a 'concave chamber' is full of multiplying reflections whilst also warping them.

'Svayambh' is a red wax-like block which is installed between the doorway of the gallery. It moves slowly on tracks creating a car-like trail as it squeezes its way through. In Hebrew, adom means red whilst dam means blood. It is like the wall is 'wounded' and the wax represent its blood.

'Shooting into the corner' is a cannon created in co-op with a group of engineers. 11kg balls of wax are shot out using a compressor throughout the exhibition at MAK Vienna. The idea is to produce 'loud aggression yet silent growth' which creates the power and tension.

2.Discuss the large scale site specific work that has been installed on a private site in New Zealand.

Named 'The Farm' after its site, it is installed for permanent existence. The site is 1000 acres. The sculpture is designed to stand up to the high winds which blow in from the Tasman sea so therefore Kapoor has taken in the environment and created something to permanently suit.

3. Where is the Kapoor's work in New Zealand? What are its form and materials? What are the ideas behind the work?

The sculpture has been constructed with a combination of PVC and fabric and structured with steel. Located in Kaipara Bay, it passes between the curves of the hillside. The viewer is faced with a kaleidoscopic view of the Kaipara harbour.

4. Comment on which work by Kapoor is your favourite, and why.

My favourite work is the 'Cloud Gate'. This is Kapoor's most well known and highest valued work. I like how it interacts with the viewer and how it also includes its surroundings at the same time. I think it is a perfect example of how using a space in the right way, can transform it into another world.

www.anishkapoor.com/works/

www.sculpture.org.uk/image/910000000542/1/

www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/kapoor_anish.html

fabricarchitecturemag.com/articles/0110_sk_sculpture.html

http://barnmotskogen.blogspot.com/2009/11/anish-kapoor-royal-academy-of-arts.html

artasauthority.com

e-flux.com

Week 3. The Walters Prize.

1. What is the background to the Walters Prize?

To honor contemporary work New Zealand produces. It is named in honour of artist Gordon Walters

2. List the 4 selected artists for 2010 and briefly describe their work.

Saskia Leek - used yellow and pastel colours in which, the paint goes past the edge onto the border.
Fiona Connor - did a more architectural work. Transparent and white it was very open and refreshing.
Dan Arps - used various medias to create odd and questioning sculptural work.
Alex Monteith - did a video about the illegal lane changes of motorcyclists on the motorway. Was filmed from both the front and back.

3. Who are the jury members for 2010?

Jon Bywater - Programme Leader, Critical Studies at Elam School of Fine Art, The University of Auckland.
Rhana Devenport - Director, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth
Leonhard Emmerling - Visual Arts Adviser, Goethe Institute, Munich, Germany, former Director, ST PAUL St, AUT University
Kate Montgomery - Director, Physics Room, Christchurch

4. Who is the judge for 2010 and what is his position in the art world?

Vicente Todoli who is the former-director of London's Tate Modern.

5. Who would you nominate for this years Walter's Prize, and why? Substantiate you answer by outlining the strengths of the artists work. How does this relate to your interests in art? What aspect of their work is successful in your opinion, in terms of ideas, materials and/or installation of the work?

My favourite was Alex Monteith, Passing Manoeuvre with Two Motorcycles and 584 Vehicles for Two-Channel Video. I thought the video was a good way to demonstrate what happens in our day-to-day lives which in law is illegal, yet we are so oblivious to it and accept it as normal. I am personally interested in cars and bikes so this may have effected my choice although i still think Monteith is a good choice for the Walters prize. I am more digital orientated so I think this is why straight away I was the most interested in this work.

http://www.eventfinder.co.nz/2010/jul/auckland-cbd/walters-prize-2010

http://www.aucklandartgallery.com/whats-on/events/2010/july/the-walters-prize-2010

http://www.alexmonteith.com/work_detail.php?id=66

Week 2. Hussein Chalayan.

I feel like Chalayan definitely tested boundaries with his work 'Burka' (1996). I think that some people would be offended by this as the Burka is something meant to cover the whole body of a Muslim woman. I feel that it is meant to be something that represents values and respect but then I think the work is also promoting women's freedom to dress how they want. 'Afterwords' takes an architectural approach to fashion. Like wearable furniture. I think the skirt which transforms into a table is takes an interesting approach to things practical. His work is very futuristic and I think it is difficult to distinguish if his work is fashion or art as he has aspects of both. He has the 'trend' side of fashion but also the creative skill and imagination of art.

I feel like Chalayans links to the industry haven't changed his approach to art. The only difference is because it is commercial he has to slightly adapt it for the product but that is what an artist does anyway. They adapt their work to the emotion they are aiming for. The work still has his modern, simplistic approach that his other work include which is not commercialised. If he is selling the product then he is also selling his work.

I think its important for an artist to make their own piece as things always change when you try to explain to get someone else to do it. Even if the design is fully laid out, the person constructing the work always see's it differently to the person who has come up with the idea. I read that Chalayan is a very technical person and applies this approach to his designs, so i suppose that it is easier someone else to construct this rather than something which carries that personal emotion.

http://inspiredoutsiders.com/fashion/break-it-down-hussein-chalayan/

http://art110.wikispaces.com/art+paragraph+a+day

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burka

designmuseum.org/exhibitions/2009/hussein-chalayan

SEMESTER 2. Week One.

"Claymation" is the term used to describe a "method of animation in which clay figures are filmed using stop-motion photography".

Surrealism was a 20th century movement in art and literature. Its intention was to release the creativity of the unconscious mind such as creating images using juxtaposition that is absurd. So i feel that the term 'surrealistic Garden of Eden', Djurberg is taking an unconventional approach on a religious tale and testing the boundaries of the viewers. 'Awry' refers to away from the appropriate so 'all that is natural goes awry' I think relates again to the unconventional method of how the art was made. The colours are very bold and characteristic. She has taken something which is supposed to be so beautiful and made it crazy and out there.

The complexity of emotions Djurberg confronts us with is taking something pleasant and adding a rough edge that almost adds troubling emotion. The colours and the texture and the sort of melting look about the clay figures add to this.

Djurbeg plays with the ideas of children's stories and innocence in her works through her child like figures in which she then goes and adds a touch of disturbance. I noticed she adds a lot of sexuality to her work which plays on that 'complexity of emotions'. What starts of sweet seems to end quite irrational.

I think the fascination with turning innocent and sweet into something disturbing comes from the fact that it is more of a shock factor. In reality, we are faced with a lot of things which are disturbing, and although we wish we weren't interested, we are. It leaves more of a lasting mark, and I think designers are now playing on the fact that we are much more pulled in to things like this, compared to sweet and sensitive.

I think that Djurbeg's work is interesting and chosen because she took risks. The contradiction between the subject and the media is very interesting to look at and it makes you want to know her thought behind it. Her work is displayed almost like a playground which then relates to her ideas of children's stories. The work feels young and playful but then also very mature and dark at the same time.

Djurbeg's in a way reminds me of Alice in Wonderland. These outrageous figures that jump out at you and let you explore around. I think the work is very successful in bringing a lot of emotion to the table

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0268/is_7_45/ai_n24354920/

http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/10/view/6886/nathalie-djurberg-experiment-at-venice-art-biennale-09.html

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nathalie-djurberg

http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/blogon/art_news/nathalie_djurberg_in_conversation_with_ana_finel_honigman/3391

http://hammer.ucla.edu/exhibitions/detail/exhibition_id/73

Last Blog. Banksy.

Banksy's work: graffiti or murals?

I would defiantly consider Banksy's street art more murals than graffiti even though he is considered a 'graffiti artist'. There is a difference between someone making art and someone hitting up for 'fame'. Bansky does a mixture of both stencils and 'tagging' for his pieces. He seems to find perfect spots which are appropriate for his scene he has created. He even has his own website showcasing his stencils and works he has done around cities of the world. He concentrates on politics, culture, and ethics. Banksy has been born out of the Bristol underground scene which involved collaborations between artists and musicians from the early 1990's until now. His pieces are humorous and I especially like how a lot of them look directly at you even though they are 2D figures on a flat wall.

Bansky does not sell photos of his work. It has been attempted to sell his

street art by art auctioners, on the location they were done. Removing it has proved difficult. Banksy himself, is as underground as his works.

Bansky comments on his technique "I use whatever it takes. Sometimes that just means drawing a moustache on a girl's face on some billboard, sometimes that means sweating for days ov

er an intricate drawing. Efficiency is the key". However not everyone is intrigued with Banksy's work, Tower Hamlets Council in London has decided to treat all Banksy works as vandalism and remove them.

No one knows too much about him, he is guessed to be born in 1974, and believed to come from Yate, South Gloucestershire, near Bristol (where the underground took place). His re

al name is thought to be Robin Banks. One man, Simon Hattenstone, described him as "a 28 year old male who showed up wearing jeans and a t-shirt with a silver tooth, silver chain, and one silver earring". My opinion is that Bansky loves to cause controversy and he enjoys the spectulation that goes on about him. He commented on his website "I am unable to comment on who may or may not be Banksy, but anyone described as being 'good at drawing' doesn't sound like Banksy to me" - a statement which would cause a lot of dispute in itself.

Over the years Banksy has done many pieces. Some people describe them as art, others as vanderlism.

This photo is of a bunch of portaloos which Bansky placed in a field that has the 'sacred circle'. They were placed in the field intentionally for people to interact with and play with. Ironically they were vandalized before the festival they were intended for even started.

I thought this work a pretty funny. I like how Banksy has painted on the window and the idea of being caught in action is both humorous and testing the boundaries with people loving or hating the idea. The spot is perfect, it would defiantly catch an eye when walking past and get a bit of laugh from a lot of people.

I chose this work because i loved the idea of a stencil (considered vandalism by some) is cleaning up graffiti, more vandalism. The whole idea is ironic, and can cause a lot a controversy due to its daring idea. I think the stencil was very well done, right down to the detail or the rolls of wallpaper. I think it turned an everyday space into something interesting and original.

Week Seven. Industrialisation.

Industrial Revoloution (18th to the 19th century) was where changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and transport had effected economic and cultural changes. Industrialisation which influenced almost every aspect of daily life in some way, is “the process of social and economic change that transforms a human group from a pre-industrial society into an industrial one”

. Its purpose is for manufacturing.

Monet's 'Impression sunrise' was majorly influence by the new technology that was discovered but mostly the camera. The industrial revolution was quickly changing the world and influencing the impressionists. Since the invention of the camera, painters for the first time were not responsible to portray only realism as the theme of their work. Impressionism was given the name as it would capture the new up and coming movement. The brushstrokes would mix naturally to theeye (with some distance), how the human eye actually sees. earthy coloured were used as well as the use of primary and secondary colors. Bright reds, yellows, blues, greens, violets, were a few used. The painting was displayed in 1874 during the first independent art show of the Impressionists. Monet once said "Impression — I was certain of it. I was just telling myself that, since I was impressed, there had to be some impression in it … and what freedom, what ease of workmanship! Wallpaper in its embryonic state is more finished than that seascape." In the 19th century during the industrial revolution, paris's newly modern city become a favorite subject to the impressionists, including the modern transportation.

Olafur Eliasson's 'weather project' was installed at London's Tate Modern as part of the Unilever series in 2003.

Eliasson used humidifiers to create a fine mist in the air through a mixture of sugar and water. Also, semi-circle disc which radiated to create a yellow light. The ceiling consisted of a huge mirror, which when people went in, they saw themselves as black mini shadows amongst an orange light. Many people reacted by lying on their backs and waving their hands and legs.

Week Five. Science and Progress-Tony Oursler.

The 3 large sculptures projection is used to create an whole atmosphere in the gallery. The scripts refer to Water, Dust and Mercury and relates that to the flow of humanity.

For the sculpture "Nix" (Water) Oursler uses environmental references in the personification. The sculpture has a melting appearance and the background creates the illusion of light reflecting off water. "Nix" comes from the mythical 'water spirit' who would tempt people into the water and drown them. The idea comes from the speculation that the myth is about water taking revenge.

Mercury has a starry background. The idea of the sculpture is to emphasise the fixation of self-image in a mirror-like approach.

Dust is hung from the ceiling with projections on the walls behind it. The dust suggests raising smoke. As it rotates, eyes, mouths and legs come in and out of appearance above our heads. This may suggest the environment affects us in all ways, from what we see, what we breathe and where we go.

Week Three. Mercantilism & Fiona Hall.

Mercantilism - belief in the benefits of profitable trading (commercialism).

Mercantilism was quite dominant through the late Renaissance period and early modern period. Was considered the economic ideology for two and a half centuries.

Fiona Halls work 'Tender' has been produced on shredded American one-dollar bills in the shapes of bird nests.. This is highly illegal and would be confiscated if it was in the US. Each note has a serial number which has been written on the glass wall as proof of which notes are actually included in the work.

The American currency is highly desired in Third World countries. This where where the bird nest structure relates to these people being like scavengers (like a bird) to getting hold of the American currency.

How this relates to mercantilism is through the connection of economy.

The work 'Leaf Litter' relates to the importance of money and how most of us wouldn't get by without it. It is "the ultimate symbol of desire" - Fiona Hall. The work also relates to 'money doesn't grow on trees' but in this case, it kind of does. It goes back to the hugh growth of European wealth and power, and the battles that people and plants have all been through.

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