The Tang Teaching Museum

The exhibit we observed at The Tang teaching Museum was the Environment and Object Recent African Art exhibit. Environment and Object Recent African Art is curated by Lisa Aronson, Associate Professor of Art History at Skidmore, and John Weber, Dayton Director of the Tang. This exhibit combined the impact of the environment and the use of objects and appropriated materials as a recurring presence in current African art. The exhibit includes sculpture, photography, painting and video by well-known artists from Africa and contemporary African artists living abroad .Some artists used their art to convey political and economic message through this exhibit and other artists employed strategies of accumulation and recuperation, fashioning dense, lyrical works that combine a love of abstraction with a commitment to the use of found materials.

Viye Diba, Nous sommes nombreux et nos problemes avec... We are numerous, and our problems, too, 2008 was a mixed media installation.

Yinka Shonibare, MBE, Black Gold I, 2006,  Acrylic paint on Dutch wax printed cotton canvas

Banksy

Banksy, an anonymous English graffiti artist, political activist, painter and film director is very well known street art and epigrams. His work combines both dark humor and a unique stenciling technique and can be found on bridges, streets and walls throughout the world. Banksy also even goes as far as building physical prop pieces.

His work was born out of the Bristol underground scene, which involved much collaboration between different artists and musicians. He does not sell photos of his work himself however art auctioneers have been known to sell his street art on location and leave the problem of its removal in the hands of the winning bidder of the artwork.

Personally we find his work visually appealing and extremely creative.

Bringing the Public into Art

The use of conjoining the public with artwork can be very effective. By involving everyday people into art it allows for viewers to create a stronger connection with the piece. Some examples of artists that use the public in art are Gillian Wearing, Vanessa Beecroft and Jeremy Deller.


The artist in which involves the public in the most unique and interesting way is Vanessa Beecroft. While other artists try to incorporate "street people" to create a lens onto the non-glamorous part of society, Beecroft has a very distinct image for the people of her work. Beecroft focused on the idea of "sameness" which made her work very controversial. Otherwise classified as "hooters for intellectuals" there are very strong opinions as to whether Beecrofts use of what resembles runway models in their underwear is art. Through her art Beecroft reformulates ideas that have been around for decades in many fashion magazines. Despite much criticism the shock value of Beecrofts work seems to achieve the standards by which "art" is defined. Beecrofts ability to bring sexuality into galleries adds an entire different aspect of the art world that many other artists would not explore.

The Curator

In analyzing the job of an artist curator it is important to recognize the influence of different artist's work. A curator is responsible for an institution's collections. Most commonly a curator will use tangible objects as part of the collection. There are many different curator responsibilities such as making decisions as to what objects to collect, overseeing the care of these objects, conducting research based on the collection, transportation of objects, and make the research public through exhibitions and publications.

One of the most famous curators is Fred Wilson. Wilson is best known for his ability to reinform and reinterpret art to the public. Wilson brings a contrast of meaning to objects, such as an old tea set, that viewers may other not think twice about. Wilson's ability to reinvent art is likely a result of what he explains as "feeling a connection with everyone." Wilson's method of working based on the connections he feels allows for him to do what comes natural rather than focusing on what the outcome will be. Wilson is a clear representation of an artist who has to the drive to make art solely based on his emotions. While much of Wilson's work may seem one-dimensional to the untrained eye it is the search for meaning which makes it artistic for the viewer.

Spencer Tunick Installations

The New York photographer, Spencer Tunik, has recently broke his record photographing 17,000 nude Mexicans. The volunteers posed for Tunik at the Zocalo square in Mexican city posing in the fetal position. He is known to create shapes and forms with the human body and states that his work is an abstraction, a performance and an installation. In much of his work the bodies reflect the space he picks and the nakedness of the individuals in almost camouflaged.

In the past Spencer Tunik has faced arrest for his photo shoots. However outside the United States and in this case in Mexico, nudity is much more widely accepted. This shoot was about five years in the making with Mexican officials first turning down his request to set the shoot at the Teothihuacan pyramids outside the capital.

His work is unique in its own way and we personally find how big of a following he has extremely interesting.

Classified: Contemporary Art at Tate Britian

From June 22^nd to August 23^rd 2009, a piece called Classified opened at the Tate Britain. It was a huge display of British contemporary art which used a wide array of media such as works from Damien Hirst and Jake & Dino. The museums visitors were also be able to view works of the following artists: Gillian Carnegie, Martin Creed, Jeremy Deller, Ceal Floyer, Phillip Allen Tacita Dean, Mark Dion, Peter Peri, Simon Starling, Rebecca Warren, Simon Patterson and Fiona Rae.

Classified focused on the artist’s way of ordering their work and explored how humans need to classify affects our their outlook on the world. The exhibit addressed ones desire to collect and categorize. Each work has its own variety, method and approach but were all linked to one another because each artist coded the objects and images that surround us throughout our daily life. Each work allowed the viewer to reflect on both the artists’ creation of meaning by their use of different strategies and the museum’s role in collecting, organizing and displaying objects.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqra_2axnYU

"Good Art Must be Dense with Meaning" - Robert Hughes

In the final part of his documentary entitled "The Mona Lisa Curse" Robert Hughes further explains his problems with today’s art. Specifically Hughes focuses on the work of Andy Warhol and the dry repetition of his artwork. The mass production of Warhol's work takes away from the meanings of his paintings. There is some truth to Hughes' criticism about work like Warhol's in that the paintings easily lose their unquineness. Art in Hughes' was all about how precious and special the work was which gave it a very deep meaning. If art becomes so widely known and easily accessed (like The Mona Lisa) there is no more motivation to go to the museums and truly appreciate the beauty of the work. While Hughes' does have a valid argument in suggesting that art has lost it's true meaning in recent times his criticism seems to be very cynical. The depth in which Hughes goes to completely take away the meaning of Warhol's work seems extreme and over the top. If Hughes was able to deliver the message of his documentary in a more subtle and discrete way it would have been much more effective. It is apparent that the message of his documentary could easily be lost in the blatant cynicism that is seen. In doing further research on the project we were able to fully understand the point of view of Hughes however most people may not be able to appreciate his true love for art.

I Do, I Undo and I Redo

Louise Bourgeois the creator of three steel towers, named I Do, I Undo and I Redo was the first to create the first commission for Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall. She is regarded as one of the most important artists at work today. Bourgeois was born in Paris in 1911 where she studied until moving to New York in 1938. Throughout her career she has always made new developments in art while perusing a very personal path and removing herself from the avant-garde movements of her time. Her work explores ideas in painting, sculpture, installation, printmaking and performance.

Her installation in the Turbine Hall consists of three steel towers, each which are about 30 feet high. It includes spiral staircases that coil around central columns and supporting platforms which are surrounded by large circular mirrors. In each tower Louise Bourgeois placed a bell jar containing sculpted figures of a mother and child. Visitors of the Turbine Hall can climb the staircases to the platforms which Bourgeois envisioned to be stages for intimate encounters between strangers and friends. All encounters can be viewed from the bridge that runs across the Turbine Hall and the viewing platforms that over-look the space. The large circular mirrors are meant to reflect these encounters between participants and the architecture along with the viewing public and the towers.

The Mona Lisa Curse

In art critics, Robert Hughes, film documentary entitled "The Mona Lisa Curse" he discusses ways in which art has changed since he fell in love with it in the 1960's. Hughes shows viewers the crowds that gather in New York to see The Mona Lisa when it was first sent over from France at the beginning of his documentary. Hughes comments on the intricate detail of the marvelous painting but soon elaborates on what he calls The Mona Lisa Curse. The documentary portrays the contemporary artwork we see in the world today as over commercialized and inferior to the artwork of the mid 1900's. He explains that artwork today has the ability to make a piece of art as special as The Mona Lisa seem so familiar and deprived of meaning. Hughes’ views can very easily lead to questioning the effectiveness of today’s artwork. Have we gone from truly meaningful art only forty years ago to completely losing sight of what makes it beautiful and unique?  Hughes has a raised some interesting point in this part of his documentary which give viewers reason to believe artwork has drastically changed over the years.  

After the End of Art

One of the main questions that were raised in this article is who has the ability to determine what art is “good?” While for the most part art was only to be appreciated by the “experts” it has become increasingly clear that there is such a thing as the “public’s art.”  The issue has become more controversial as to whether or not the public should have a say in which pieces of artwork are being displayed in widely viewed museums.  While it seems only fair that the public should have input on the decision making process it does pose for difficulties in the effectiveness of the process. Having both the museum and the public give their opinions about the artwork in the museum blurs the lines of power. As the number of people involved in the process increases the level of controversy and/or disagreement also increases. Overall our opinion of this particular issue is that the public should not be completely discounted from the process. Although it may result in a more difficult process it is important for the public to have their own “art” as well as the experts.

Museums and the History of the MET

Many museums were built in the late 1800’s and were structured to have a romantic and elite kind of feel, and were originally targeted and operated for  a higher class of people.  They came about in an unscrupulous way and were viewed for specific things. Artifacts from wars and specific times in history were primarily what were kept in museums which were used to educate and provide the public with evidence of past events. Some museums were publically funded and some privately funded, which still holds true to this day. However over time the way art was made and viewed evolved along with what was placed in museums. Art today is more accessible and is spread through a broader audience.

The Metropolitan Museums of Art known as the “MET” is an art museum located on the eastern edge of Central park in New York City. It was founded in 1870 by a group of American citizens; its founders included businessmen and financers along with leading arts and thinkers of the 1800s whose goal was to open a museum to bring art and art education to the American people. It officially opened on February 20, 1872. Its collection contains more than two million works of art and is currently divided into nineteen curatorial departments. Works of art that are stored in the met vary from artifacts from Ancient Egypt, painting and sculptures from many European masters, and a large collection of American and modern art. The MET also contains holdings of African, Asian, Oceanic, Islamic and Byzantine art and is home to encyclopedic collections of musical instruments, antique weapons and armor from around the world and costumes and accessories from various time periods.

Ai Weiwei - Sunflower Seeds

Ai Weiwei is a well known political artist in China; much of his work reflects anti-government sentiment and expresses the weaknesses and pit falls of events that have occurred throughout its history. His work, Sunflower Seeds, located in the Tate Modern in London, consists of 100 million hand painted sunflower seeds which cover the floor in main hall of the museum. The piece of work can be viewed from the Turbine Hall Bridge. Each sunflower seed is sculpted by skilled artisans from porcelain and later hand painted then baked, although each seed looks the same they are unique in their own way.  

Weiwei believes that art is a tool to set up new questions and to challenge the human mind. His goal is to make people who don’t necessarily understand art, understand what he is doing. More than 1,600 locals are involved with this project, in an interview he stated that everybody in town knows somebody working on the project. His work has brought business to the town, he states it is like the old time where people work together but have different positions. Weiwei plans for his work to go down in history of the town.

This piece of work is very unique and most certainly is mind blowing. We believe that it is highly impressive that so many artificial sunflower seeds were produced and scatted in a museum.

"The Pharmacy" By: Damien Hirst

Damien Hirst is an English artist, art collector and entrepreneur. His work is known to represent some type of human condition, mainly life or death. Although his work is very different from art that I have viewed, it is creative and intriguing in its own way.  One of his more famous works known as the Pharmacy which is a room-sized installation meant to represent not only a real pharmacy but also life. The room contains bottles and prescription drugs, along with four bottles that are filled with a blue, red yellow and green liquid placed on a counter. The four bottles are meant to represent the four elements, earth, air fire and water.

            In this particular piece of work we also find an insect-o-cutor, Damien believes that the most important aspect of this particular item is that it symbolizes some type of god. A god that kills without any mercy, emotion or choice.  

Other items in the installation are a desk which is meant to convey a message that this is a real pharmacy. A cabinet with bottles meant to represent bodies, or society, stools with honeycomb placed on top which made to represent a non-human world and is meant to attract flies to be killed in the insect-o-cutor. Lastly there is medicine which is made to represent dreams.

Matthew Barney

Matthew Barney serves as a very interesting performance artist to study. Barney uses role players, characters and narratives to display changes and endurance that the body goes through. His use of characters is a very effective technique in that it adds originality to his artwork. His characters and narratives are based specifically on experiences or ideas that have influenced his own life which allows the viewer to grasp a sense of his personality. It is also useful that Barney actually plays a role in the films and videos that he produces. By allowing the viewer to physically see the artist it not only portrays his passion for his work but allows the viewer to relate more easily. While we are able to see the artist firsthand it is important to note that Barney does not play the role of himself. His use of “alter-egos” to establish a being other than himself gives him permission to go beyond his natural beliefs and values. He is able to take his ideas further by masking them with another identity. His ability to refer characters as a way to express himself is shown particularly in his film production entitled “The Cremaster Cycle.” In this production he is able to follow imagination of his own work through the use of the horses and different characters. The expression of art through multi-narratives plays in the idea of the “alter-ego” that is seen in much of Barney’s artwork.

Performance Art

In looking at performance art it became clear to us that there are many different interpretations of this term. It is possible to relate performance art to abstract expressionism through the use of "space" as the artist’s canvas. Artists such as Jackson Pollock refer to their work as "action painting" because he uses the floor as his canvas which provokes more movement while creating his art. Another aspect that defines performance art is time. Performance art takes time in preparation and often time in which the artist is displayed in their own work. One very famous performance artist is Marina Abramovic who points out that performance art differs greatly from theater. Abramovic claims that theater is “fake” while performance art is very real in both an emotional and physical sense. Abramovic has been known to hurt herself in creating performance artwork which is likely to adds to the powerful effect her performances has on the audience. Abramovic has also developed an idea in performance art everybody is an artist. Just like Abramovic people such as athletes put themselves through a great deal of pain to obtain an outcome for a passion of theirs. This particular aspect of Abramovic's thinking allows for people observing her art (us) to relate more deeply as it creates a stronger energy.

Robert Ryman

Robert Ryman’s work is normally identified as monochrome painting and minimalism. He designs conceptual art and leaves his work open for interpretation. People may be drawn to his painting because of the white colors he uses and the quality of light within his work. Ryman finds himself experimenting with both the color and light before showing his work to the public. When viewing his work one does not need to know what it is or what it means to enjoy it. His work does not tell a story yet it is a visual experience that we personally find to be relaxing and pleasing. Although Ryman does not find his work to be abstract, it most certainly is. As shown below his paintings are mostly rectangles that do not contain things that we see or know.

Enter the Dragon: On the Vernacular Beauty

This article described the "beauty" as being "the issue of the nineties." This concept at first glance seems to be extremely out of the ordinary considering most people think that what makes art special is one thing: its beauty. While Edward Ruscha himself seems to think his initial statement is "off-the-wall" he continues to build his argument of the possibility that beauty truly was the issue with the nineties. Because art and its "beauty" is a very subjective concept however it is impossible to generalize these opinions as the issue of the nineties. Ruscha argues that beauty is based on how something looks while real art critics would be able to focus on the true meanings behind each piece of artwork. This particular piece of his argument does seem to be in keeping with our definition on "What is art?" We have previously described art as a piece of work that provokes a feeling inside the person viewing it therefore in this aspect we agree with Ruscha. On the other hand it is an extreme exaggeration to assume that artwork having beauty takes away from the meaning it serves.

What is art?

In my opinion art is a piece of work that genuinely means something to the artist and the people the artist is making the art for. Artwork should allow for people to form a connection with it to help them take away the full meaning. In my experience the best artwork is artwork that can be interpreted in many different ways. The most controversial pieces of art are usually the most effective and accomplish the goal of the artist. I think it is important that artwork allows for the viewer to really think and analyze what they are looking at. Obvious artwork could be seen as boring or lacking substance while a piece of artwork that you could analyze for hours will stimulate our thoughts and emotions. I also find that art that reflects modern times is easier for me to connect with. While it is important to have history incorporated with artwork I personally appreciate more contemporary art. Artwork should ultimately be a representation for an underlying message or theme that the viewer is able to determine. The more important the message of the artwork is the more likely it will have a profound impact on the art world.

What is Art?

Art is anything that one views as beautiful, creative or imaginative. It can be in any form such as a painting, drawing or even possibly an object, song or poem. However it must have been made or created by a living person and must express what they are feeling during the time it was made. Art in my eyes normally has some type of impact on the person viewing the creative piece and it could possibly alter their views on a particular subject.

Art should be something that is original and something that maintains some sort of value, any work that is copied should not be considered art because it is not an original idea. Art does not necessarily have to be visually appealing or beautiful to everyone who views it but should convey some type of message.

By: Amanda