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