Barbara Kruger

The audience experience a more spatial, installation work compared with a poster through the way Kruger displays her works. The image with the writing is almost like an installation put together and the amount of space the artwork takes up definitely relates it to being an installation. The audience interacts with the space therefore gives the artwork an installation feel.
Kruger clearly uses many elements in her work to create a strong impact such as, the three colours she uses - black, red and white. Red being a very impactive and vibrant colour and as it seen as an emotion. The big/bold text she uses definitely creates a strong impact as the words are very eye-catching and the bold text makes you want to keep on reading. In 1969 Kruger started doing large woven wall hangings of yarn, beads, sequins, feathers, and ribbons, they exemplify the feminist recuperation of craft during this period. She took up photography in 1977, producing a series of black and white details of architectural exteriors paired with her own textual ruminations on the lives of those living inside. By 1979 Kruger stopped taking photographs and began to employ found images in her art, mostly from mid-century American print-media soucres, with words collaged directly over them. During the early 1980's Kruger perfected a signature agitprop style, using cropped, large scale, black and white photographic images juxtaposed with pithy and often ironic aphorisms, printed in Futura Bold typeface against black, white or deep red text bars. Since the 1980's Kruger's work has developed as in the recent years she has extended her aesthetic project, creating publice installations of her work in galleries, museums, municipal buildings, train stations and parks, as well as on buses and billboards around the world. Walls, floors and ceilings are covered with images and texts, which engulf and even assault the viewer.


References:
http://www.barbarakruger.com/art.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Kruger
www.google.com/images
http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/feminist/Barbara-Kruger.html

Kehinde Wiley

Wiley’s works reference specific paintings by Titian and Tiepolo, but he incorporates a range of art historical and vernacular styles in his paintings, from the French Rococo to the contemporary urban street. Wiley's work works between traditional and contemporary vision. He describes his approach as “interrogating the notion of the master painter, at once critical and complicit.” He makes figurative paintings that “quote historical sources and position young black men within that field of ‘power.’” His “slightly heroic” figures, slightly larger than life size, are depicted in poses of power and spiritual awakening. He deliberately mixes images of power and spirituality, using them as a filter in the portrayal of masculinity. The poses of his figures relate back to the Renaissance paintings. Intertextuality is an important issue in postmodernism theory. As a result the works of many postmodern visual communicators discuss the notion of intertextuality itself o are explicitly intertextual in nature. intertextuality refers to the way that any one text (written or visual) is influenced, or made up of a variety of other earlier texts. As a result, the notion of intertextuality suggests that whenever we try to make sense of a text (written or visual) we are constantly referring back to our understanding of its influences to help us understand.

During modernity European males dominated the art world therefore I think Wiley's work relates to Pluralism because Wiley uses men figures in his paintings. Wiley is African American himself therefore he has used African American men in his paintings. Wiley's work also relates to Pluralism because it gives the viewers an idea that there are different cultures but everyone 'is equal'. According to Caldwell (1999): Pluralism is an art to the nature of artforms and artists as diverse. The cultural context of art is all encompassing in its respect for the art of the worlds cultures. Inclusion of individuals of differing ethnicities, genders, ideologies, abilities, ages, religions, economic status and educational levels is valued. Pluralism honours differences within and between equitable groups while seeing their commonalities.

References:

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

www.google.com/images

Caldwell, B. (1999) Cultural context. retrieved 16 Oct, 2003 from http://www.public.iastate.edu/~design/ART/NAB/PluArt.html

Anish Kapoor

The first work I looked at is called Cloud Gate (2004). Cloud Gate is Chicago's newest provocative sculpture. Stainless steel plates are put over a fortified steel frame and under these plates it is hollow inside. The quality of the design and craftsmanship are obvious as you approach to study its huge smooth shiny and curvy surface.

The second work I looked at is called Svayambh (2007). 'Svayambh' is a deep red, wax-like block that will be moving along a set of tracks, which reach from one end of the entire eastern galleries to the other. Its appearance which is reminiscent of a train can be related back to Kapoor’s fascination with Andrei Konchalovsky’s film 'Runaway Train' (1985), where two escaped convicts and a female railway worker find themselves trapped on a train with no brakes and nobody driving. Creating a red line through the building, "Svayambh" passes through two doorways, which form and seemingly force the block through their restrictive frames making it leave behind smeary traces of its material such as, a mixture of Vaseline, paint and wax.

The third work I looked at is called Giovanna d’Arco (2009). Anna Grevelius and Chamber Domaine performed Sciarrino’s orchestration of Rossini’s Giovanna D’Arco among the mounds of Anish Kapoor’s Dismemberment of Jeanne d’Arc.

Dismemberment Site I (2003–09) is PVC and steel, 25 × 25 x 84m, installation view. This installation is placed on The Farm of Kaipara Bay in New Zealand. This sculpture is very eye-catching because of the size and the colour. The setting it has been put in also helps it stand out as there is nothing else red around. The two matching red structural steel ellipses weigh 42,750kg each which is extremely heavy and the fabric by its self weighs 7,200kg.

Kapoor's work is placed on 'The Farm' in Kaipara Bay. This sculpture is named after its site and it is made from red steel. It is designed to stop the high winds that come in from the Tasman Sea and the ideas behind this sculpture create a kaleidoscopic view of the stunning Kaipara Harbour at the vertical ellipse.

My favourite Kapoor work is the Dismemberment Site I (2003-09) because it shows the beauty of New Zealand's greenery and land. The red installation is so eye-catching and I personally think is a stunning installation. The idea behind it really relates to New Zealand and its land which I really admire.

References:

http://www.sculpture.net/community/showthread.php?t=6790

www.google.com/images

http://flavorwire.com/49064/daily-dose-pick-anish-kapoor

http://www.anishkapoor.com/exhibitions/index.htm

http://billslater.com/cloudgate/

The Walters Prize 2010

The Walter's Prize is a biennial award for New Zealand artists who have contributed to visual arts in the previous two years. Named in honour of artist Gordon Walters, it was established by founding benefactors and principal donors Erika and Robin Congreve and Dame Jenny Gibbs to make contemporary art a more widely recognised and debated and prominent feature of New Zealand cultural life. The prize itself was established in 2002 and it is New Zealand's most prestigious contemporary art prize.

The 2010 finalists are -

Saskia Leek - Yellow is the Putty of the World shown at Ivan Anthony Gallery, Auckland (25 November - 23 December 2009). Leek uses pastels which insist of whitish blues and whitish yellows. These colours set the mood of sun-faded prints and 'Yellow is the Putty of the World' clearly shows this.

Fiona Connor - Something Transparent (please go round the back) shown at Michael Lett, Auckland (15 April - 16 May 2009). Connor's sterile white structure were made out of wood and bolts and she positioned multiple reproductions of the glass facade. Connor's main focus was all about how spaces operate within specific communities.

Dan Arps - Explaining Things shown at Gambia Castle, Auckland (7-24 December 2008). Arps work is very unique which is shown through the different non-everyday materials he uses.

Alex Monteith - Passing Manoeuvre with Two Motorcycles and 584 Vehicles for Two-Channel Video shown at ST PAUL St, Auckland (19 June - 7 July 2008). Monteith's work is a Two-channel video installation with stereo sound, 18min looping cycle, 8 meters x 3 meters.

The jury members for 2010 are -

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.

The Judge for 2010 is Vicente Todoli, former-director of London's Tate Modern. Vicente was director of London's Tate Modern from 2003-2010. He was a prime mover in the Tate's global success - now the most visited modern art museum in the world. From 1989-96 Todolí was artistic director for The Valencia Institute for Modern Art (IVAM), Spain, and before it opened he was their Chief curator. Throughout his distinguished career he organised and curated internationally renowned exhibitions of work by contemporary artists, making him the perfect choice to be this years judge.

I would nominate Alex Monteith for this years Walters Prize because I personally think his work is something I have never seen before and is a very interesting installation. It was the most appealing to me. I really liked how the installation included stereo sound and the 18min looping cycle really amazes me. The video shows just how steep the sloping horizon lines are.

Reference:

www.google.com/images

http://www.aucklandartgallery.com/whats-on/events/2010/october/walters-prize-2010-jury-tour

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

http://www.gambiacastle.net/explainingthings/explaining1.html

http://alexmonteith.com/work_detail.php?id=51#

Hussein Chalayan

Personally I think there is a huge difference between fashion and art. Afterwords, 2000 I personally think is a piece of art Chalayan has designed and made. The reason behind this is because you would simply not wear this skirt out, as in out during the day and/or night. It is a piece of artwork that is for display and is there to show the viewers how detailed it is and/or how it's been made. On the other hand, Burka, 1996 I think can be an item of fashion as in the Muslim religion this piece of clothing can be noticed as fashion to them. The fashion trends change from season to season but in this situation the Muslims are to always wear their Burka when out in public all the time and this fashion trend never changes. The difference between fashion and art is that fashion is made to be worn, made to be sold in stores and made to be bought from customers. Art is made to be worn in an exhibition, a piece of art that has been made to be displayed, something to look at and admire more than look at and buy for yourself to wear. Because the skirt in Afterwords, 2000 is made to be transformed into a table, this gives it more of a reason to be art.

Fashion and fashion trends mainly refers to anything which is popular in a culture at any given time. The terms "fashionable" and "unfashionable" are used to illustrate whether or not someone or something fits in with the current fashion trend or even a certain type of popular mode of expression. Fashion trends change from season to season.

'The Level Tunnel (2006)' is a fashion design Chalayan has teamed up with level vodka to produce a new installation. The Level Tunnel' is a 15m long, 5m high installation that can be

experienced from the exterior or blindfolded on the inside. It impacts on the nature of Chalayan's work as it has developed an experience of the senses, working with a number of different materials as well as playing with scent, touch and sound. The viewer is blindfolded and led into the installation, where they are confronted with sound created by a flute made from a vodka bottle. Then a breeze carries the scent of lemon and cedar as the viewer moves along the leather coated railings. The final step is a heart monitor is fitted onto the viewer and a display on the outside projects their heartbeat to external viewers. I personally think 'The Level Tunnel (2006)' and 'Respose (2006)' are still definitely art, they are something that interests people and have been made to be displayed for people to look at it.

I think Chalayan's would have been influenced by the form of DNA. Chalayan's work is very modern and I don't think the industry would of changed his approach to art.

It is very important for the artist to design and construct their own piece of artwork because it gives the artwork a personal touch. Although who constructed it may not mean anything, behind all the designing and constructing nothing would be ever made if it wasn't for the artist.

Reference:

www.google.com/images

http://whatmakesfashion.com/

http://www.stylezeitgeist.com/forums/showthread.php?p=61712

Nathalie Djurberg's 'Claymations'

Claymation is a common term used to describe stop motion animation that uses clay, plasticine or even playdoh covering a wire form or armature to create figures, scenery or characters that move. This technique requires that the producers and production team move the figures frequently to create the illusion that the figures are actually moving on their own.

Djurberg's surrealistic Garden of Eden reminds me of a fantasy land,e.g. Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and Alice in Wonderland. These flowers confront viewers with the complex nature of emotions in an artistic and terrifying way. 'All that is natural goes awry' is conveyed through Djurberg's work. The works explore a surreal theme and feels 'made up'. The two constructed towering clay flowers were for the Venice Biennale art show.

The complexity of emotions that Djurberg confronts with us conveys feelings and emotions. It makes us feel uncertain and uncomfortable, these feelings are easily felt through her unreal and unique situations. Djurberg plays with the ideas of children's stories, and innocence in some of her work through figures of children's stories and playing with the idea of innocence through little girls as little girls are known to be very innocent. I think there is a current fascination by some designers with turning the innocent and sweet into something disturbing as something disturbing is very eye-catching and it leaves a long lasting image in our heads. It leaves a long lasting impression that makes us think about the artwork.

I think Djurberg's work is very interesting because it is something I have personally never seen, Nathalie Djurberg is the first claymation artist I have ever come upon. The disturbing and unique works she has made strongly shows why it was chosen for the Venice Biennale.

References:

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

http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Coll_NortelLearniT/Claymation?viewer=print

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

www.google.com/images

Banksy's Work. Grafitti or Murals?

The bonding between Banksy and graffiti or/and street art is not to be denied, particularly where The Bristol graffiti movement and industry is involved. His popularity and success today is due to his symbolic graffiti, portraits and also his true identity which remains a well-kept secret from the public. Even after 20 plus years of producing attention-grabbing graffiti and art, his identity including his actual looks and name is still a huge mystery. Banksy Graffiti is an excellent choice for both art collectors and investors with the majority of the artist's works superior high prices. Still, there is huge controversy surrounding the artist and the question everyone asks "Banksy Graffiti - Is It Art or Vandalism?'
There is a strong connection between Banksy and Bristol graffiti with the two entities being identical to each other. The location of Banksy's work gives it a graffiti feeling. His pieces of art are on topics such as politics, ehtics and culture.
Banksy was born in 1974 and his real name is to be reported as Robert or Robin Banks. Banksy, himself, states 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 me."
He started as a freehand graffiti artist (1992–1994) as one of Bristol's DryBreadZ Crew (DBZ). He was inspired by local artists and his work was part of the larger Bristol underground scene. By 2000 he had turned to the art of stencilling after realising how much less time it took to complete a piece. Banksy was said to be hiding from the police under a train carriage when he noticed the stenciling serial number and by employing this technique, Bristol and London soon noticed him for his art around the place. A quote from Banksy about his stenciling quotes, "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 over an intricate drawing. Efficiency is the key." Banksy's stencils mark outstanding and humorous images, sometimes combined with slogans. The message his artwork portrays is usually anti-war, anti-capitalist or anti-establishment. Subjects often include rats, monkeys, policemen, soldiers, children, and the elderly. For example, the first image (above) Stencil on the waterline of The Thekla, an entertainment boat in central Bristol, the image of Death is based on a 19th century etching illustrating the pestilence of The Great Sink.

In relation to consumerism Banksy's work appears to have accumulated quite a fortune, with his work being shown in famous galleries around the world and purchased by collectors at astonishing prices. People who own Banksy pieces as parts of walls or as individual objects and drawing have been able to sell them for hundreds of thousands of dollars to famous collectors including Brat Pitt.

Banksy's work is located in many other locations such as New York, Berlin, Melbourne and the likes. These graffiti locations are acknowledged as tourist attractions with huge potential in them. Banky's work is appreciated by some and is acknowledged as artwork and others still see it as graffiti. The locations he chooses influences very much that his work is graffiti but for Banksy this may be because he wants his artwork to be seen as many people see these locations. There are many differing opinions.


References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksy#cite_note-NYBanksyWasHere-5
http://weburbanist.com/2008/09/07/banksy-art-and-graffiti-the-ultimate-guide/
http://ezinearticles.com/?Banksy-Graffiti---Is-it-Art-Or-Vandalism?&id=4190981