In thinking about the work we saw today by artists Kara Walker, Yinka Shonibare, Vija Celmins, Cao Fei and Mark Dion, explain how their works speak to concepts like truth, rejuvenation, globalization and identity? Wy do you think these are issues in which contemporary artists are so interested?
Perhaps the most important concept throughout all of these artists’ works is the quest for identity. Each of their works is an attempt to identify themselves, or how they are perceived within their societies. For example, Kara Walker’s works relay historical perspectives of African Americans, but they connect to her own identity as a black woman within contemporary US society. Further, the quest for identity is shared with the viewer. For example, when analyzing Vija Celmins’s art the viewer asks questions of their own role in the universe.
ReplyDeleteTruth is also important to the works of Cao Fei. She offers her perspective on contemporary Chinese society and the limitations of the economy and government. Even in a virtual world, the government limits her avatar. It is the truth of this society that Fei’s works shed life on.
The concepts of identity and truth are key to the philosophy of postmodern art. All of these works offer individual perspectives, but offer the viewer an opportunity to explore through a visual medium. This mission to educate the viewer continues to drive artistic interest.
Postmodernist philosophies reject universal truths and instead create a whole array of truths through individual perspective. Contemporary artists encourage this process by experimenting with techniques and concepts as well as inviting the viewer to create personal interpretations. Because postmodern art does not have boundaries and it has such capacity for interpretation, artists like Kara Walker, Yinka Shonibare, Vija Celmins, Cao Fei and Mark Dion can easily experiment with such open-ended themes (like identity and rejuvenation) because artistic possibilities are limitless. As David said, Cao Fei's virtual world provides insight into the limitations of Chinese society from her perspective. Even though the virtual world can be seen as an escape from reality, the work still reflects truth. Truth can also be seen in Shonibare's works. His works are based on pieces of the part, whether it be truthful historical events or recreations of famous art historical works. Yet, the works are created as products of an individual's mind, shaped by his outlook on the world. Although each artist can provide insight into a theme or idea, no single truths exist within the art world. Thus, viewers and artists alike are encouraged to keep open minds and think beyond possibility to uncover new meanings and interpretation from personal perspective.
ReplyDeletePostmodernism allows for anything and everything to have the capacity to be art. Artist like Kara Walker, Yinka Shonibare, Vija Celmins, Cao Fei and Mark Dion use the freedom of postmodern art to express an array of ideas and concepts, especially those that we deal with in society today. Kara Walker and Yinka Shonibare speak on the issue of race and identity through racial stereotypes and how history has played a big role in forming the cultures and identities of African-Americans today. Vija Celmins speaks to the concept of truth and identity with her landscapes that may not have a central theme but invite the viewer to let their subconcious wander and as David said question "their own role in the universe." Cao Fei also addresses identity in her Second Life works. People become so involved in technological worlds that they become absorded and form their identities based on them. Fei's work deals with "the premise that people can choose characters that are very different from their real selves. They can use their character to create a “second life,” to change their friends, family, and lifestyle — like switching a TV channel". Fei also examines globalization and its effects on the rapid and chaotic changes that are occurring within Chinese society, especially with western culture greatly influencing china's younger generation. Mark Dijon also addresses globalization and how it affects our understanding of cultures, knowledge and nature. He describes his works as “holding a mirror up to the present” and is interested in how the viewer perceives the issues he addresses.
ReplyDeleteI think that aspects like truth and identity are present in all of the artists’ works we looked at on Monday but I believe these two factors are most obvious in the works of Walker, Shonibare, and Fei. Like it has been stated before, Cao Fei’s virtual reality as well as her video work comments on the restricting Chinese society she lives in. Her work, Whose Utopia, is a poignant and beautifully executed piece about the harsh realities of the youth in China. By revealing the dreams of these young factory workers and how they have no means of achieving them as they are trapped by their circumstances, Fei communicates the bleak truth of Chinese society and the lack of identity the factory space creates for its millions of workers. Kara Walker also deals with truth and identity by revealing the startling truth about slavery in the antebellum south. Her silhouette works convey the various horrors of slavery while glossing over any direct identifying features. Her material and technique recreates the de-individualizing nature of slavery. Shonibare also removes any identifying features from his sculptures by removing their heads and giving them caramel colored skin, neither black nor white. This, combined with his witty use of Dutch wax fabric to create Victorian-era suits and dresses allows Shonibare to play with the idea of truth and identity in the postcolonial vein.
ReplyDeleteI think that most contemporary artists, whether they like it or not, use their art to process themes of identity and truth. Kara Walker, Yinka Shonibare, Vija Celmins, Cao Fei and Mark Dion are all examples of this. Though different in their mediums—ranging everywhere from textile work to silhouetted murals, and “cabinets of curiosity” to digitally animated worlds—these artists explore themselves and try to find some sort of truth in this complex and ever-changing world we live in.
ReplyDeleteQuestions that arise from their work are common ones we all think about like “Who am I? What made me this way? And where do I belong?” Many of these artists feel confined by the boundaries imposed by our society—whether by technology, social/racial stratification (Walker and Shonibare), industry (Fei), or simply the limits of human knowledge and experience (Celmins). Accordingly, they use their art as a means of escape to another time and another place, because as Cao Fei pointed out, “it is impossible for anyone to live entirely within reality.”
Contemporary artists are so interested with concepts like truth, rejuvenation, globalization, and identity because they in the past artists tended not to focus on any of these concepts. In modernism artists did search for truth, but through science and reasoning. Like Nicole points out, post modernists reject those universal truths that were set before them. Contemporary artists don’t need to conform to explore issues in such ways; instead they can call upon internal meditation, go completely into a different realm, etc.
ReplyDeleteCao Fei definitely works in a different realm by drawing upon issues of identity and truth through her work that takes place in second life. She creates a whole new reality where others can see her new world and even collaborate in helping her sustain it. Yinka Shonibare, while he doesn’t create a new world, does still focus on similar concepts. His post-colonial work focuses on the identity and globalization issues between Westerners and African culture. Kara Walker goes a step further and directly talks about identity through racism, sexuality, and the history of these matters. Her goal is to make sure that people from a dialogue, whether it is positive or negative. Mark Dion also wants dialogue, but more of a positive forward thinking notion. His work is about rejuvenation and globalization wanting people to talk about how life thrives on, whether it’s through his collection of oddities or through nature and his ‘living’ artwork.
I agree with David, in that Kara Walker, Yinka Shonibare, Vija Celmins, Cao Fei, and Mark Dion all share in this quest for identity through their work. Ideas surrounding truth globalization, and rejuvenation are by-products, i believe, for the main theme of attempting to find one's own true identity. Vija Celmins work isn't made with the intention of having it viewed by others. It's more of a meditative personal journey that Vija is traveling on while she creates art, attempting to hash out the feeling or experience she sees inside of herself. Cao Fei's work is a by-product of globalization and the need for cheap labor by wealthy western cultures. The identity of the every-day factory worker in China isn't that of a factory worker, as we saw in the video. Each and every one of them wants something better for themselves, and Cao Fei's video game gives them that opportunity. I think Mark Dion's work with the tree speaks to finding a new identity in a rapidly changing world and culture and also a bit of nostalgia for the past. By placing the tree in the middle of a urban area, he's reminding the local citizens of their past ties to the environment.
ReplyDeleteCao Fei intention is to build a bridge between art a popular culture. The perception of her work is about who you want yourself to be. Her substance was based from Second Life which reenacted a second virtual world. Her ideas marked the rapid changes occurring in China today. Identity and role play paralleled these two themes in her work. She notes on class conflicts with the new generations in China, which the people have no choice to follow their dreams. The reality is that they will forever be in the assembly line in China. Fei is considered to be the new voice in china.
ReplyDeleteYinka Shonibare takes historical moments and mixes media of African fabrics. She questions identity in her evolution of her craft. She is known for using fiberglass in her work and references works from art history. She deals with a construction of stereotypes by referencing current events referenced with the past.
Vija Celmins major theme in her work is violence. She also worked with a different scope to this counterpart by mixing desert and sea landscapes, which she is also influenced by. Her work flows through her. Her work is about the viewer feeling the space she has created in nature. She wants to viewer to be captivated and mesmerized which her use of repetition allows. She enables our brains without having us to contemplate. Her work is extremely tranquil due to its infinitive nature, which is limitless.
Kara walker searches the past to understand the present. She uses themes of race, gender, sex and exchanges of power and history. Her goal is to create a dialogue whether positive or negative. Her use of dark shadows reminisces the unconscious, allowing oneself to go beyond the function of language. She perpetuates black stereotypes and incorporates text into her work. She manipulates her characters to incorporate power struggle among the black community. Her work is very still, yet has movement. Her continuation of narratives gives the viewer the ability to wonder and understand the past and present.
These artists are interested in the common themes of reference, truth, globalization, identity and rejuvenation. They seek to understand the methods of human nature. They see the world as a whimsical place that has been distorted through the overuse of our land and intellectual property. The old ways in which we used to live seem to have been submerged into a dark undertone that they wish to revive. Their work is about creating a dialogue and questioning the motives of the human condition.
-Peter
Kara Walker explores the "intersection of race, gender and sexuality" through her large-scale silhouettes. Identity is explored through these topics. Yinka Shonibare uses "batik in costumed dioramas" that explore race and colonialism, challenging our notions of cultural identity. She references past and current events to bring up the construction of stereotypes, but most importantly questions identity in the evolution of her craft. Vija Celmins produces renditions of natural scenes (limitless spaces like seascapes and the night skies). This would relate closet to the question of identity, as the viewer questions their own role in the universe when viewing these vast depictions of things much greater than we are. Cao Fei's work explores "perception and reality in places as diverse as a Chinese factory and the virtual world of 'Second Life'." One particular video of hers I was fascinated by was "Whos Utopia", which was filmed inside a Chinese factory where young workers had little hope for the future and were likely to spend the rest of their lives working at for little pay and very long hours. She had some of the workers dress up as what they would want to be when they grew up if they actually had a choice, and little girls dressed up as ballerinas and twirled beside the sewing machines they slave at daily. Living in a country where we have the opportunity to create our own identity and carve our own paths for the future, we sometimes forget there is more than just us out there in the world and not everyone has the opportunities we had. These children working in factories in China do not have the opportunity to construct their own identity or move up in society. "Whose Utopia" depicts this in a way that is easy to understand and very moving. Mark Dion's work examines the way in which "dominant ideologies and public institutions shape our understanding of history, knowledge, and the natural world". He believes the job of the artist is "is to go against the grain of dominant culture, to challenge perception and convention." This connects to the concept of truth and encourages the viewer to question this and create dialogue. Contemporary art is all about making statements and stirring questions and discussions- and concepts of truth, rejuvenation, globalization and identity are relatable to all audiences and allow them to interpret in their own ways.
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