Week 6- Anish Kapoor Sculpture

 Anish Kapoor

Cloud Gate (2004), Millennium Park, Chicago

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 whether it is conceptual art or not. Explain your answer, using a definition of conceptual art.

I think kapoor’s work is conceptual art in the sense that his art is full of ideas and also confusing, confusing because the materials, the colours, and the shapes used in his work don’t go in the same ways than the landscape or the surround. “Conceptual Art is a contemporary form of artistic representation, in which a specific concept or idea, often personal, complex and inclusive, takes shape in an abstract, nonconforming manner, based upon a negation of aesthetic principles.It is different from "Concept" as the content of art, but can be considered an abstract form of the idea and perception of the artwork originating in the artist's mind, which is later displayed in a proposed structure, and a variety of forms.”

2. Research 3 quite different works by Kapoor from countries outside New Zealand to discuss the ideas behind the work. Include images of each work on your blog.

 

His work “sky mirrors” is really disturbing, I first thought it was a photoshoped picture because it’s so unthinkable, “what the sky is doing on the grass?”. In my opinion Anish Kapoor might wanted to show people how the time is going, the sky was the only guide for us to have the notion of the time, even to give directions (Polynesians used to navigate through stars).

 

“Yellow” is a kind of illusion, you may have said “what a great painting, he succeed to make us feel the deepness” it’s actually difficult to think of a non-flat wall through the picture, but this work actually isn’t flat it has a deepness. Anish kapoor really like playing with strong and bright colours, the yellow used fascinate me, and the deepness give a gradient to the yellow that make me feel attracted by it, like something breaking conventions we used to know.

 his work “svayambh” is a giant piece of red wax moving slowly through rails, the wax can’t fit to the doors, so it depose wax on the door and get the shape of it. The first thing I thought when I saw this work was my childhood, playing with clay, a piece of clay pushed into objects to get the shapes of it. The colours involved in this work actually attract much more the viewers.

3.Discuss the large scale 'site specific' work that has been installed on a private site in New Zealand.
4. Where is the Kapoor's work in New Zealand? What are its form and materials? What are the ideas behind the work?

Kapoor’s work in New Zealand is situated in Kaipara Bay in the north of Auckland, “it is designed to withstand the high winds that blow inland from the Tasman Sea off the northwest coast of New Zealand’s North Island.”  this work is made of deep red PVC, it weight 42,750kg and it resists to the wind loads. This work looks like a twisted tube in which both extremity form an ellipse one horizontal (hills side) and the other vertical (Kaipara harbour side). This sculpture is on a hill split in two.

 “I am interested in sculpture that manipulates the viewer into a specific relationship with both space and time.” –Anish Kapoor, Tate Magazine, July 2007

5. Comment on which work by Kapoor is your favourite, and explain why. Are you personally attracted more by the ideas or the aesthetics of the work?

I do really like his work "yellow", I can see his interests in it, I found out that most of his works looks like "Dark holes",They have always fascinated me because it's the only place where time, light, sound, physical condition had completely changed the rules. Some scientific came out with the idea that "Dark holes" is a portal to another space-time and the drawing they've made looks like "the farm" or "yellow", Anish Kapoor made really interesting work, it challenge the viewer to think differently rather than following the rules the human came out with.




http://www.whattoseeinparis.com/anish-kapoor-paris/
http://unitb-responsivearchitecture.blogspot.com/2009/11/anish-kapoor.html
http://www.caroun.com/art/conceptualart/conceptualart.html



Youtube has some excellent footage on Kapoor-take a look at Anish Kapoor at the Royal Academy.

www.royalacademy.org.uk › 
http://www.robgarrettcfa.com/thefarm.htm
http://www.billslater.com/cloudgate/

Dismemberment of Jeanne d’Arc- 

Old Municipal Market Building Brighton

Week 5 - Pluralism and the Treat of Waitangi

Pluralism and the Treaty of Waitangi

In teaching week 5 you will discuss pluralism and the Treaty of Waitangi in your tutorials.
Use this discussion, the notes in your ALVC book and the internet to respond to the following
questions;

1. Define the term 'pluralism' using APA referencing.

“Pluralism in art refers to the nature of artforms and artist as diverse. The cultural context of art is all encompassing in its respect for the art of the world’s cultures. Inclusion of individuals of differing ethnicities, gender, ideologies, abilities, ages, religions, economic status and educational level is valued. Pluralism honours differences within and between equitable groups while seeing commonalities.” Caldwell (1990), ALVC2 ressouce book (july 2011)  

2. How would you describe New Zealand's current dominant culture?

I think New Zealand has the largest variety of culture in the world. Because it’s a growing up country, many businesses, immigrants come to New Zealand and then share their culture. The easiest way to see how multi-cultural is a country is to have a look at the food they serve and New Zealand is one of the biggest multi-culture I know, all kind of food can be found (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Italian, French, Brazilian, and lots more....).

New Zealand’s current dominant culture is, in my opinion, European’s one because of their majority but the Maoris’ one still a really expressed culture, in fact   all advertisement we can see at the airport are promoting Maoris’ culture (visiting marae, old maoris’ village...), the tattoo still an interesting part in New Zealand (even if the meanings of wearing a tattoo isn’t cared anymore),and  New Zealand’s rugby team is also composed of Maoris.

3. Before 1840, what was New Zealand's dominant culture?

I’m sure that before 1840, Maoris’ culture was the dominant one. The first contact the Maoris had with Europeans was in 1642 and they were just visiting and trading, they started living and building in 1800, then churches, but the influence of European’s culture wasn’t spread, in fact Europeans were situated at the north of New Zealand and approximately 2,000 were permanent at this time.

4. How does the Treaty of Waitangi relate to us all as artists and designers working
in New Zealand?

The Treaty of Waitangi have gave us the opportunity to remind and keep Maoris’ culture ( in some other colonised countries, the local culture start being forgotten  such as Tahiti), we are now able to develop, tell, imagine these traditions.

5. How can globalization be seen as having a negative effect on regional diversity in New Zealand in particular?

Globalisation had a really bad effect on regional diversity; in fact globalisation gold is to spread throughout the world any kind of “successful” business, technology or philosophy. Traditions, activities, the traditional hangi, cultures became less interesting, some have sold goods to international business as attractions instead of being eradicated, according to opponents of globalisation it give to wealthier nations the advantage of the poorer ones.

6. Shane Cotton's paintings are said to examine the cultural landscape. Research Cotton's work 'Welcome'(2004) and 'Forked Tongue' (2011) to analyze what he is saying about colonialization and the Treaty of Waitangi. 

 

'Welcome' (2004) Shane Cotton 

http://www.printsandprintmaking.gov.au/catalogues/work/52293/shane-cotton-welcome.aspx

 

  

        

 

'Forked Tongue'(2011) Shane Cotton

  

        

Understand Shane Cotton’s works might be difficult if we don’t know his story. He is a descendant of a Maori and a pakeha ancestors, he grew up with two different cultures and his work explore those two cultures.

 His work ‘welcome’ (2004) is a painting involving two birds on sides, a man who looks like Jesus at the top and a black man at the bottom. This work makes me feel of a conflict, something not balanced, in fact the two birds looks like they are fighting because they are facing each other with drawn feathers. The way that the two people have been set put out the idea of a British dominance. He tell stories and give his own opinion in this work, I think, through this work, Shane cotton felt an “exploitation” on Maoris.

7. Tony Albert's installation 'Sorry' (2008) reflects the effects of colonization on the aboriginal people of Australia. Research the work and comment on what Albert is communicating through his work, and what he is referring to. Describe the materials that Albert uses on this installation and say what he hopes his work can achieve. Define the term 'kitsch'.

                                       Tony Albert | Australia b.1981 | Girramay people | Sorry 2008 |
                                               Found kitsch objects applied  to vinyl letters | 99 objects :   
                                               200 x 510 x 10cm (installed) | The James C Sourris Collection.
                                               Purchased 2008 with funds from James C Sourris through the 
                                               Queensland Art Gallery Foundation | Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
                             

 Tony Albert’s installation ‘sorry’ (2008) is referring to a date, the 13^th of February 2008, when the Prime Minister (Kevin Rudd) gave a formal apology to Indigenous Australian. What happened in Australia since 1788 was the opposite of what happened in New Zealand. In fact European settler had no agreement between white and Aborigines, white civilisation has imposed themselves as “greater natural abilities and higher standard civilisation”.   

His work is composed of many Aborigines faces that had an importance in the history. Those faces are places in the way to create a “sorry”, a simple word that means a lot for Aborigies.

8. Explain how the work of both artists relates to pluralism.

http://www.realartroadshow.co.nz/essays/Cotton%20Shane_Kenesis-Kotahi%20Ki%20Kotahi.pdf

http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/shane-cotton-paintings-examine-cultural-landscape-126412

Week 4 - Kehinde Wiley and inter-textuality

3. Kehinde Wiley Count Potocki, 2008 oil on canvas, 274.3 x 274.3cm

4. Kehinde Wiley Support Army and Look after People, 2007 oil on canvas, 258.4 x 227.3cm

Kahinde Wiley is a Gay American based painter born in Los Angeles, who has an international reputation. Wiley lives and practices between Beijing and Brooklyn.


This week ALVC class focuses on the Postmodern theme "INTERTEXTUALITY", re-read Extract 1 The death of the author on page 39 of your ALVC books and respond to the oil paintings of Kehinde Wiley. 

1. Find a clear definition of Intertextuality and quote it accurately on your blog using the APA referencing system. Use your own words to explain the definition more thoroughly.

Intertexuality refers to the way that any one text (written or visual) is influenced, or made up of a variety of other earlier texts. ALVC2 ressource book (july 2011) p 36

This concept means that every texts is referring back to earlier texts. we all have to start from texts, work, thought to be able to develop and create something.     

2. Research Wiley's work and write a paragraph that analyzes how we might make sense of his work. Identify intertextuality in Wiley's work.

Kehinde Wiley (born in 1977) an American artist has imposed himself into the art history’s portrait painting tradition. His work is based on painting black people in a contemporary style, the way he’s painted don’t put black people as normal but as superior , reusing famous renaissance painting, the posture of a king, the elegance of Venus, or a soldier of a cavalries.

His work reflect intertextuality process, in fact most of his work is a “copy” of famous renaissance painting, it "quote historical sources and position young black men within that field of power.”  

3. Wiley's work relates to next weeks Postmodern theme "PLURALISM" . Read page 46 and discuss how the work relates to this theme.

4. Comment on how Wiley's work raises questions around social/cultural hierarchies , colonisation, globalisation, stereotypes and the politics which govern a western worldview. 

5. Add some reflective comments of your own, which may add more information that
you have read during your research.

http://www.cretique.com/archives/4012
http://www.deitch.com/artists/sub.php?artistId=11