Week 4 - Semester 2

Week 4- Anish Kapoor

Celebrated for his gigantic, stainless steel 'Cloud Gate' sculpture in Chicago’s Millennium Park, Anish Kapoor is changing the cultural environment with his public works.


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

** In studying Anish Kapoors work, the three works I have chosen to discuss all have similar underlying ideas. Sea Mirror, 2006 was installed in Rockefeller Center, New York. The second work I chose was The Journey, Trafalgar Square, London 2007. And Untitled, 1991 was my third choice. Although these works are all very different to each other in size, form, colour and many other things, they all reflected a certain mystery and were all created on a very large scale. Not only are these works pleasing to the eye, but the factor that they evoke a certain secrecy enhances the meaning of such simplistic lines, curves and spaces, exhibited by the artist.

Sea Mirror, 2006


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

** Privately owned by businessman Alan Gibbs, "The Farm" (also known as the art park, New Zealand) is the proud possessor of the architectural structure, Dismemberment Stage 1, by Kapoor. Its design and sizing, signatory to Anish's norm. It was also constructed in a sense to contest against the uncertain weather of the North Islands coastal region. The ellipse shapes within the piece provide 'windows' over looking views of the valleys of the Kaipara Harbour.

'Dismemberment Stage 1' - "The Farm" Kaipara Harbour, New Zealand


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

** Anish Kapoor's work 'Dismemberment Stage 1' is located at privately owned, "The Farm", Kaipara Bay, New Zealand. I am very unsure about the materials used? I would say fibre glass and PVC along with some kind of Varnish or Gloss as I am very unaware. I myself, would imagine that Kapoor would use materials that he is familiar with, as this would be the most logical. The ideas behind this work reveal a great massive object which is interactive and 'viewer-friendly'. The two ellipses (one horizontal, one vertical) define contrasting views of the beautiful Kaipara Harbour.

States of Limbo, 2007


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

** My ultimate favourite Anish Kapoor piece would have to be States of Limbo, 2007. Although simplistic in design, form and colouration, the fact that it defies gravity really entices me. I love the fact that the spherical objects look as if they are floating, yet the density of the spheres question the possibility of this. I love how the objects are connected not only 'to' the wall but 'with' the wall also. I also highly admire how Kapoor's work in general challenges the audience. How something so simplistic and basic-looking, could be so cryptic and full of hidden questions and answers.

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SOURCES:

http://anishkapoor.com/
http://www.anishkapoor.com/works/public/2006seamirror/index.htm
http://www.sculpture.org.uk/image/910000000542/1/
http://fiftytwopieces.blogspot.com/2009/11/anish-kapoor-hexagonal-mirror-on-4-tony.html

Week 3 - The Walters Prize 2010

Week 3 - The Walters Prize 2010


a) Saskia Leek
b) Fiona Connor
c) Dan Arps
d) Alex Monteith


This week we will be visiting the Auckland Art Gallery to view, research and write about the artists selected for the Walters Prize 2010. Discuss the work in the gallery with your tutors and other students and answer the following questions.

1. What is the background to the Walters Prize?
** Named in the honour of artist and graphic designer Gordon Walters, this prestigious award was put in place to celebrate contemporary New Zealand art produced by Kiwi's.

2. List the 4 selected artists for 2010 and briefly describe their work.
** Saskia Leek - soft pastel colours depicting rigid shapes. e.g. snowy mountains, houses, rocks etc. Combining the 'prissy' with the 'edgy'.

Extract from Video Documentation, Installation by Alex Monteith (2008)


Fiona Connor - structural, strong, skeletal. Questions relationships of the interior to the exterior.

Dan Arps - structured, staged mess. Everyday mess. Making something out of nothing. Utilizing the useless?

Alex Monteith - bikes, peak hour traffic, semi-illegal activity.


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 has been director of Tate Modern since 2003, and has been a prime mover in the Tate’s global success. Not only has he led the Tate through an exciting period, but from 1989-96 he was artistic director for The Valencia Institute for Modern Art (IVAM), Spain, and before it opened he was Chief curator of IVAM. Throughout his career he has organised and curated internationally renowned exhibitions of work by contemporary artists, making him the perfect choice to be this years judge.

Fiona Connor, Something Transparent (please go round the back) 2009 (exterior view)


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?
**I would nominate Dan Arps for this years Walters Prize. I feel that his strength to make the 'useless, useful' was an interesting concept. The materials used not only shocked me, but also allowed me to step into his shoes; To toy with my imaginative thinking and see what I could come up with, using Arp's materials. Funnily enough, even though I found this piece as an ugly disturbance, I couldn't help but stay tuned when viewing his work. I kept searching over and over and over for something, I don't know? Anything! Something out of place, out of context. Something considered perfect, in amongst the trash. Unsuccessful I was. But I guess it was this attraction that kept me alert and entertained. A tonne of useless junk, turned into a piece of carefully thought out and planned piece of art, incorporating the idea of 'bringing what belongs outside, inside' and testing an audiences mind is in my opinion, delightful!

6. Comment on other blogs from your ALVC group to agree or disagree with other people,always backing up your answer with clearly stated reasons.
**

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SOURCES:

http://www.google.co.nz/images?hl=en&q=walters%20prize%20auckland%20art%20gallery&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1600&bih=740
http://www.google.co.nz/#hl=en&source=hp&q=walters+prize+auckland+art+gallery&aq=1&aqi=g8g-m1&aql=&oq=walters+prize+&gs_rfai=&fp=c971ae18321bff61
http://www.aucklandartgallery.com/whats-on/events/2010/july/the-walters-prize-2010
http://www.aucklandartgallery.com/whats-on/events/2010/october/walters-prize-2010-winner-conversation-with-ron-brownson

Week 2 - Hussein Chalayan

Hussein Chalayan is an artist and designer, working in film, dress and installation art. Research Chalayan’s work, and then consider these questions in some thoughtful reflective writing.

1. Chalayan’s works in clothing, like Afterwords (2000) and Burka (1996) , are often challenging to both the viewer and the wearer. What are your personal responses to these works? Are Afterwords and Burka fashion, or are they art? What is the difference?

** At the present time, we are exposed to many exemplars of fashionable items, by big international designers. These items, although beautiful to the eye and to the touch, aren't always practical to live in and wear. By this, I feel that Chalayan's work is a fusion of both, and if to be categorized as anything at all, I would lean towards the ideas of Visual or Installation Art. The artist incorporates a mix of unconventional materials and commonly used fabrics in the works of 'Afterwords'. I feel that this portrays Chalayan's unique style and originality to the T. However, the differences between 'Afterwords' and 'Burka' differ quite a bit. Although the 'Afterwords' collection is pleasing to the eye, 'Burka' raises many political issues surrounding ideas of womans' placement in the world. The idea that 'we make money, not art' delivers a controversial statement to the viewing audience. Also, the images associated in the 'Burka' collection are quite simple, yet sexual, posing ideas of womans' rights, and especially in the middle east.


Not all clothing is fashion, so what makes fashion fashion?

** To me, fashion is an individuals choice. Though, in saying this, who truly determines what is fashionable and what is not? It is one big cycle, heavily influenced by major high-fashioned brands. It is the old being reinvented; The past becoming the present and the future; a thing of the past. So what makes fashion, fashion? I guess it is merely an individuals opinion, influenced by the perceptions of the recognized? I guess if we're the "kids of the future", we are the makeup of what makes fashion, fashion. (:


Hussein Chalayan, Burka, 1996



Hussein Chalayan, Afterwords, 2000




2. Chalayan has strong links to industry. Pieces like The Level Tunnel (2006) and Repose (2006) are made in collaboration with, and paid for by, commercial business; in these cases, a vodka company and a crystal manufacturer. How does this impact on the nature of Chalayan’s work? Does the meaning of art change when it is used to sell products? Is it still art?

** I personally don't feel as if this changes the meaning of art. Art is whatever an artist establishes to be art. I think that art is just about everything really? Though you can 'alter' certain attributes to try and change something, it will always be recognized as it was, in its original form. However, I do feel that being commissioned by the vodka company and the crystal manufacturer, takes away the passion and soul from true art. Being commissioned in this world, is simply a chore. A chore which requires focus to see the money at the end of the tunnel.


3. Chalayan’s film Absent Presence screened at the 2005 Venice Biennale. It features the process of caring for worn clothes, and retrieving and analysing the traces of the wearer, in the form of DNA. This work has been influenced by many different art movements; can you think of some, and in what ways they might have inspired Chalayan’s approach?

** I guess I'll have to watch a part of the film and answer the question later!!


4. Many of Chalayan’s pieces are physically designed and constructed by someone else; for example, sculptor Lone Sigurdsson made some works from Chalayan’s Echoform (1999) and Before Minus Now (2000) fashion ranges. In fashion design this is standard practice, but in art it remains unexpected. Work by artists such as Jackson Pollock hold their value in the fact that he personally made the painting. Contrastingly, Andy Warhol’s pop art was largely produced in a New York collective called The Factory, and many of his silk-screened works were produced by assistants. Contemporarily, Damien Hirst doesn’t personally build his vitrines or preserve the sharks himself. So when and why is it important that the artist personally made the piece?

** Well, I'm not too sure of the 'when is it important' part but the 'why' factor remains simple. There are so many reasons as to why it is important that the artist personally made the piece. For one, it extends the artists reputation throughout the wider art world. It also reflects a 'personal touch' of the artist (as in, putting the artist himself in the piece.) It provides comparisons between past works and more-current creations. It allows the audience to define and nit-pick at the little things, for example 'trade marks' of the artists. These are just a few reasons as to answering the 'why' factor.

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SOURCES:

http://www.dezeen.com/2009/01/27/dezeen-podcast-hussein-chalayan-at-the-design-museum/
http://www.husseinchalayan.com/#/art_projects.the_art_of_fashion/
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFdI_IlSvsqHQpJL25B-0bwrjojZaxchtUmEQ1PZBAIMPf3U2UwyR9dVHURxxJ1oH-eFTb_5VvZnWxfKaq-0tl6Df8ctFieHTY4yFxsQFFJUh7Q4EZgtheigmN2HaTlYAFBCeWG_v1Z4/s1600/hussein_chalayan+burka.jpg
http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/2005/10/his-autumnwinte.php
http://markmaginley.blogspot.com/2010/08/week-two-hussein-chalayan.html

SEMESTER 2 / Blog 1 - Nathalie Djurberg

Nathalie Djurberg's 'Claymations'.


1. What do you understand by the word 'claymation'?

** From reading a variety of definitions, in simplest means, 'claymation' is descriptive of one of many forms of stop motion animation. Each animated piece, either character or background, is "deformable" — made of a malleable substance, usually Plasticine clay.

From Installation 'Garden of Monstrous Plants'


2. What is meant by the term 'surrealistic Garden of Eden'? and 'all that is natural goes awry'?

** I am not too sure but to me, it is the artists interpretation of the Garden of Eden. 'Eden' in her mind, which comes off as twisted and in a way, disturbing to the eye? But we of course, can imagine Eden in which ever way we wish. It is the way we (or in this case, 'she') wishes to perceive such.

Tiger Licking Girls Butt, DVD, 2004


3. What are the 'complexity of emotions' that Djurberg confronts us with?

** Djurberg uncovers an array of emotions within us which varies a great deal between fear and curiosity of the unknown. Her 'Garden of Eden' piece is a testimony to the conformity of the strange and abnormal parallels of the art world. The emotions within us almost force our hearts to beat faster, and eyes to pop out of their sockets. I would also describe her work as evil and corrupted, in the most interesting of ways. By just viewing this experimental 'Garden of Eden'and many other exemplars of Nathalies work, I found myself shocked and scared but in the most exciting way.


4. How does Djurberg play with the ideas of children's stories, and innocence in some of her work?

** Nathalie cleverly intertwines the use of 'claymation', along with the inclusion of animals and bright colours, to give effect of influences of children's stories and innocence. Yet, alot of her work is anything BUT innocent and child-like.


5. There is a current fascination by some designers with turning the innocent and sweet into something disturbing. Why do you think this has come about?

** I strongly feel that as time has passed, the generations of recent years (including the present generation) have become accustomed to a more modern world. With that, comes the early education and fascination with things such as sex and drugs, and thus provides reason for open opinions, minds and in Djurberg's case, art. This gives the artists work the 'shock value' which is highly expected within the art world today.


6. In your opinion, why do you think Djurberg's work is so interesting that it was chosen for the Venice Biennale?

** I feel that Djurberg's work is unique. In comparison to your common stop motion claymation such as wallace & grommit, the boundaries of the impolite and grotesque are on display in the artists work. I think that the Venice Biennale in return would have been honoured to have even been exhibiting her work.


7. Add some of your own personal comments on her work.

** In my opinion, Djurberg challenges the norm of the art world. This seems to be common in the current art world also, as many artists aim to arouse an audience. There are many examples of sexuality and gruesomeness in Nathalie's work which I find more than interesting. By creating work surrounding these conventions, I believe that the reactions given by audiences are what make Djurberg's work so interesting.

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SOURCES:

http://www.softtargetsjournal.com/v21/nathalie.djurberg.php
http://www.contemporaryartdaily.com/tag/nathalie-djurberg/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathalie_Djurberg
http://tompress.blogspot.com/