Unit 10 - Global Contemporary Flashcards
1
Q
The Gates: Identifiers
A
Style: Site Art
Artist: Christo & Jeanne-Claude
Location: New York City
Date: 2005
2
Q
The Gates: Form
A
- saffron colored, 3 piece vinyl frame (each side on a steel base)
- saffron colored fabric loosely hanging from the top
- a golden ceiling creating warm shadows
- 7,503 gates, 23 miles of walkways, 16 ft. high
- width of gate varied
- 6 weeks to install, came down day after end of exhibit
- Why? Inspired by the way the pedestrians navigate the paths
- did not want to drill thousands of holes in the soil and potentially harm the root systems of trees, etc.
3
Q
The Gates: Function
A
- testament to 2 controversial topics on contemporary art: 1. how to create meaningful public art 2. how art responds to and impacts our relationships with the built environment
- meant for pedestrian motion
- temporary
4
Q
The Gates: Content
A
- responding to Central Park as a designed space: created to preserve the natural environment in a dense urban grid
- although Central Park is an oasis is is one of the finest examples of urban planning- gates reinforce & highlight pre-existing routes in manmade environment
- inclusion/intrusion of fabric left some people uneasy: critiques of The Gates are rooted in the issue of their relationship with nature
- Central Park not an untouched natural space
5
Q
The Gates: Context
A
- perseverance: 26 years in the making, meetings, proposals, presentations, faced rejecting, turning point: Election of Mayor Bloomberg in 2001- collector of their art
- Feb 12-27 2005
- since 1960s adding fabric to the environment
- 21 million dollars- financed by the artists: sold preparatory drawings to raise money, do not accept sponsors
- free exhibition
- city of NY and Central Park Conservancy did not use public money, but their support and approval were seen as invaluable currency by critics
6
Q
Vietnam Veterans Memorial: Identifiers
A
Style: Site Art
Artist: Maya Lin
Location: Washington D.C
Date: 1982 CE
7
Q
Vietnam Veterans Memorial: Form
A
- long series of slabs of stone
- reflective black granite
- thin
- sunk into the ground- walk down the path, sink into the earth and the earth opens up to reveal their names
8
Q
Vietnam Veterans Memorial: Function
A
- memorial
- help loved ones cope with loss
- focus on the servicemen rather than a monument that focus on political aspects/public reception of the war
9
Q
Vietnam Veterans Memorial: Content
A
- inscribed with names of men who died in Vietnam War
- more than 58,000 names, more being added
- names are the only ting not reflective: substance of the monument, reflectivity of granite opened up into a world we could not enter, that we can only see
10
Q
Vietnam Veterans Memorial: Context
A
- National Mall
- Between Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial: bring together past and present
- 1,400 entries- all anonymous: Maya Lin was a 21 year old undergraduate at Yale
- Asian American Artist: experienced racism and backlash over memorial, apolitical approach
11
Q
Horn Players: Identifiers
A
Style: Graffiti Art
Artist: Jean-Michel Basquiat
Date: 1983
12
Q
Horn Players: Form + Function
A
Form: triptych, artist known for his use of text
Function: celebration of African American culture, rewrite the cannon & include himself
13
Q
Horn Players: Content
A
- 2 famous Jazz musicians: Saxophonist Charlie Parker (pink notes) & Trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie (known for scat singing)
- many words relate specifically to Charlie Parker: ORNITHOLOGY!!! Reference to his nickname “Bird”
- PREE = Parker’s daughter
- CHAN = his common-law wife
14
Q
Horn Players: Context
A
- before his success as a painter, he was famous for writing on the walls of lower Manhattan w/ a friend SAMO
- Close proximity to galleries “SAMO AS AN END TO PLAYING ART” “SAMO FOR THE SO-CALLED AVANT-GARDE”
- an outsider in the mainstream art world despite rapid rise to success
- often compared to Picasso- “Black Picasso”: never embraced the nickname, very influenced by his work
15
Q
Summer Trees: Identifiers
A
Style: Modern Painting
Artist: Song Su-Nam
Location: South Korea
Date: 1983 CE
16
Q
Summer Trees: Form
A
- 2 ft. Ink
- artist was a leader of the Sumukwha = Oriental Ink Movement of 1980s/means ink wash painting: Sumukwha is the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese word
- Also known as literati painting: Literatus was known as a scholar poet/artist which was the ideal main in China in 11th century or before
- you would make a painting and a poem using the same tools
- Chinse pottery was considered the best and ink wash painting was its equal
17
Q
Summer Trees: Function
A
- express identity
- Sumukwha provided an ideal: helped with the psychological displacement, model for individual character and moral compass for whatever challenges life presents
- statement of optimism in the rediscovery of traditional values recast for modern times
18
Q
Summer Trees: Content
A
- landscape
- group of pine trees that symbolize a gathering of friends of upright character
- allusion to the world of the literati
19
Q
Summer Trees: Context
A
- in Chinese poetry- mountainous landscapes & plants = ideal qualities for the literatus ~ live in nature away from power & money
- artist was a professor: modern literati of Korea
- 1980s tension about art mediums western (oil paint) vs. East Asian (ink and painting), he felt that materials of West did not properly communicate his identity as a Korean
- trauma- Korea took great pride in political cultural distinctiveness: end of Korea’s ancient monarchy, colonization by the japanese who tried to end korean language, Karean War (1950-53), living in fear of N. Korea, American Military presence
20
Q
Androgyne III: Identifiers
A
Style: Modern Sculpture
Artist: Magdalena Abakanowicz
Date: 1985 CE
21
Q
Androgyne III: Form/Content
A
- figure sits on a low stretcher of wooden legs, substituting or human legs
- figure is hollowed out, just a shell
- placed to be seen in the round: complete back and hollow front visible
- androgynous figure, sexual characteristics minimized to increase universality of figure
22
Q
Androgyne III: Materials
A
- made of hardened fiber casts from plaster molds
- hardened fiber has appearance of crinkled human skin set in earth tones
23
Q
Androgyne III: Context
A
- Magdalena Abakanowicz was a Polish artist who endured WWII, the Nazi occupation of Poland, and Stalinist rule
- since 1974 the artist had been making similar figures, often without heads or arms in large groups of singly
24
Q
A Book from the Sky: Identifiers
A
Style: Mixed Media Installation
Artist: Xu Bing
Location: Originally Beijing, now moves around the world
Date: 1987-1991
25
Q
A Book from the Sky: Form/Content
A
- work references Chinese art forms: scrolls, screens, books, and paper
- 400 handmade books placed in rows on the ground
- one walks beneath printed scrolls hanging from the ceiling
- all of the Chinese characters are inventions of the artist and have no meaning
- artist used traditional Asian wood-block techniques
26
Q
A Book from the Sky: History
A
- original title: “An Analyzed Reflection of the End of This Century”
- originally in the National Museum of Fine Arts in Beijing; filled a large exhibition space
- artist los favor with the Communist government over this work
- Mounted at many venues in the West afterwords
27
Q
A Book from the Sky: Context
A
- Xu Bing is a Chinese-born artist and U.S resident
- artist was trained in the propagandist socialist realist style; that background led to his critique of power in works such as this one
- criticized as “bourgeois liberation” claimed that its meaninglessness hid secret subversions. others interpret the meaningless characters are reflecting the meaningless words found in political doublespeak
28
Q
Pink Panther: Identifiers
A
Style: Neo-Conceptual Art
Artist: Jeff Koons
Location: NYC
Date: 1988
29
Q
Pink Panther: Form
A
- artificially idealized female form: verly yellow air, bright red lips, large breasts, pronounced red fingernails; overtly fake looks
- life size
30
Q
Pink Panther: Content
A
- the woman is Jayne Mansfield (1933-1967), a popular screen star and a Playboy playmate
- Pink Panther, a cartoon character, generally seen as an animalted figure
- the panther has a tender and delicate gesture around Jayne Mansfield
31
Q
Pink Panther: Context
A
- Jeff Koons is a Pennsylvania-born artist, working in New York
- this work is a commentary on celebrity romance, sexuality, commercialism, stereotypes, pop culture, and sentimentality
- the work is a kitsch but is made of “high art” porcelain
- creates a permanent reality out of something that is ephemeral and never meant to be exhibited
- part o a series called The Banality at a show in Sonnenbend Gallery in New York in 1988
32
Q
Untitled #228 (from the History Portrait Series): Identifiers
A
Style: Feminist Art/Photography
Artist: Cindy Sherman
Location: U.S.A
Date: 1990
33
Q
Untitled #228 (from the History Portrait Series): Content
A
- image explores theme of Old Testament figure Judith decapitating Holofernes (from the Book of Judith)
- richness of costuming and setting acts as a commentary on late 19th century versions of his subject
- richly decorative drapes hang behind the figure
- judith lacks any emotional attachment to the murder that has taken place
- uses her sexuality to attract and slay Holofernes
- Holofernes appears masklike, alert, and nearly bloodless
- red garments denote lust and blood
34
Q
Untitled #228 (from the History Portrait Series): Context
A
- NJ born American Artist
- artist appears as photographer, subject, costumer, hairdresser, and makeup artist in each work
- expresses the artifice of art by revealing the props used in the process
- work comments on gender, identity, society, and class distinction
- artist uses old master paintings as a starting point, but the works are not derivative
- series sheds a modern light on the great masters- in this case Italian Baroque
35
Q
Dancing At The Louvre: Identifiers
A
Style: Feminist/Racial Issues
Artist: Faith Ringgold
Location: U.S.A
Date: 1991
36
Q
Dancing At The Louvre: Form/Materials
A
- artist uses American slave art form of the quilt to create her works
- Quilts were originally meant to be both beautiful and useful- works of applied art
- these quilts not mean to be useful
- quilting is a traditionally female art form
- artist combines traditional use of oil paint with the quilting technique
37
Q
Dancing At The Louvre: Content
A
- figures in Ringgold’s works often act out a history that might never have taken place, but that the artist would have liked to have taken place
- artist created a character named Willia Marie Simone, a young black artist who move to Paris. She takes her friend and 3 daughters to the Louvre museum and dances in front of 3 paintings by Leonardo da Vinci
- story is spelled out in text written on the borders of the quilt
- this is the first of 12 quilts in a series
38
Q
Dancing At The Louvre: Context
A
- Faith Ringgold is a New York born American artist
- the quilt has a narrative element
- feminist and racial issues dominate her work
- her works often reflects her struggle for success in an art world dominated by males working in the European tradition
39
Q
Trade (Gifts for Trading Land with White People): Identifiers
A
Style: Mixed Media
Artist: Jaune Quick-To-See Smith
Location: Montana
Date: 1992
40
Q
Trade (Gifts for Trading Land with White People): Form
A
- triptych
- work is a combination of collage elements and abstract expressionist brushwork
- newspaper clippings and images of conquest are placed over a large dominant canoe
- red paint is symbolic of shedding of American Indian blood
41
Q
Trade (Gifts for Trading Land with White People): Content
A
- array of objects sardonically represents Indian culture in the eyes of Europeans: sports teams, Indian-style knickknacks such as toy tomahawks, dolls, adn arrows
- a large canoe floats over the scene
42
Q
Trade (Gifts for Trading Land with White People): Context
A
- Jaune Quick-to-See Smith is a member of the Salish and Kootenai American Indian tribes of the Flathead Nation
- the work was meant as the “Quincentenary Non-Celebration” of European occupation of North America
- American Indian social issues caused by European occupation are stressed: poverty, unemployment, disease, alcoholism
- Trade references events in American Indian history such as Manhattan being sold to the Dutch in 1626 for $24. even if this story is apocryphal, it highlights a history of trade is which Indians have been taken advantage of
43
Q
Earth’s Creation: Identifiers
A
Style: Contemporary Painting
Artist: Emily Kame Kngwarreye
Location: Australia
Date: 1994
44
Q
Earth’s Creation: Form
A
- dump-dot technique which involves pounding paint onto a canvas with a brush to create layers with a sense of color and movement related to “dream time” painting in Australia
- work is part of a larger suite of paintings
45
Q
Earth’s Creation: Content
A
- work references color and lushness of the “green time” in Australia after it rains and the Outback flourishes
46
Q
Earth’s Creation: Coontext
A
- Emily Kame Kngwarreye was an Australian aborigine artist
- largely self-taught and began her career doing ceremonial painting
- influenced by European abstraction of the mid 20th century
47
Q
Rebellious Silence (from the Women of Allah series): Identifiers
A
Style: Ink on Photograph?
Artist: Shirin Neshat
Location: Iran
Date: 1994
48
Q
Rebellious Silence (from the Women of Allah series): Form/Materials/Content
A
- black and white photograph
- poem written on the face is in Farsi, the Persian language; poem expresses piety (religion)
- poem is by an Iranian woman who writes poetry on gender issues
- gun divides the body into a darker and a lighter side
- gun adds a note of ominous tension in the work
- work expresses artist’s duality as both Iranian and American
49
Q
Rebellious Silence (from the Women of Allah series): Context
A
- Shirin Neshat is an Iranian- born artist, raised in the United States
- Chador: a type of outer garment, like a cloak, that allows only face and hands of Iranian women to be seen
- chador keeps women’s bodies for being seen as sexual objects
- westerners could view the work as an expression of female oppression
- iranians could view the work as an image of an obedient, right-minded woman who is ready to die defending her faith and customs
- work contrasts with stereotypical Western depictions of exotic female nudes in opulent surroundings
50
Q
En la Barbería no se Llora (No Crying Allowed in the Barbershop): Identifiers
A
Style: Installation Art
Artist: Pepon Osorio
Location: Hartford, CT
Date: 1994
51
Q
En la Barbería no se Llora (No Crying Allowed in the Barbershop): Form and Content
A
- large installation recreating the center of Latino male culture: the barbershop
- interior of a barbershop in which “no crying is allowed”- a masculine attribute
- photos of Latino men on the walls
- video screens on the headrests epict e playing, a baby being circumcised, and men crying
- appropriately tacky and grimy setting
52
Q
En la Barbería no se Llora (No Crying Allowed in the Barbershop): Context
A
- Pepon Osario is a Puerto-Rican born artist living in New York
- Kitsch items are used everywhere as symbols of consumer culture
- originally a temporary work constructed in a neighborhood building, not in a museum
- work challenges viewer to question issues of identity, masculinity, culture, and attitudes
53
Q
Pisupo Lua Afe (Corned Beef 2000): Identifiers
A
Style: Contemporary Sculpture
Artist: Michael Tuffery
Location: New Zealand
Date: 1994
54
Q
Pisupo Lua Afe (Corned Beef 2000): Form/Content
A
- life-size sculpture of a bull made from flattened cans of corned beef
- 2 motorized bulls often engage in multimedia performance art called The Challenge
- there are small concealed wheels at the feet for ease of movement
55
Q
Pisupo Lua Afe (Corned Beef 2000): Context/Function
A
- Michel Tuffery was born in New Zealand of Samoan, Cook Island, and Tahitian descent
- the artist is interested in exploring aspects of his Polynesian heritage in a modern context
- canned corned beef is a favorite food in Polynesia; exported from New Zealand(canned meat given as a gift on special occasions)
- canned meat has been a major contribute to Polynesian obesity
- the introduction of canned mea caused a fall in traditional cultural skills of fishing, cooking and agriculture
- the artist introduces a tone of irony in that the cow is made of hundreds of opened cans of cow meat
- theme of recycling emphasized by reuse of cans
56
Q
Electronic Superhighway: Identifiers
A
Style: Video Art
Artist: Nam June Paik
Location: Washington D.C
Date: 1995 CE
57
Q
Electronic Superhighway: Form/Content
A
- neon lighting outlines 50 states and the District of Columbia (Alaska & Hawaii on side walls)
- each state has separate video feed, hundred of television set on 50 DVD players
- themes associated with each state play on the state’s screen; musical Oklahoma played on Oklahoma screen, Kansas Wizard of Oz
- camera is turned on the spectator and its TV feed appears on one of the monitors; turns spectator into a participant in the artwork
58
Q
Electronic Superhighway: Context
A
- Nam June Pail was a Korean-born artist who lived in NYC
- intrigued by maps and travel: neon outlines symbolize multi-colored maps of each state; neon symbolizes motel and restaurant signs; fascination with interstate highway system
- constant blur of video clips at the same time can lead to “information overload”
- Paik is considered the father of video art
59
Q
The Crossing: Identifiers
A
Style: Video Art
Artist: Bill Viola
Location: USA
Date: 1996
60
Q
The Crossing: Form
A
- performer: Phil Esposito Photo: Kira Perov
- these video installations are total environments
- 2 channels of color video project from opposite sides of a large dark gallery onto 2 large, back-to-back screens suspended from the ceiling and secured on the floor
- 4 channels of amplified stereo sound come from 4 speakers
61
Q
The Crossing: Content
A
- fire: flames consume the figure of a man, beginning at his feet
- a figure approaches from a long distance. as he stops, a small flame appears at his feet and spreads rapidly to engulf him in a roaring fire. when it subsides, man is gone.
- Water: a man walks toward the viewer and water falls from above. when figure stops, stream of water beings to pr on his head. turns into raging torrent. when water slows, man is gon
- figures walk in extremely slow motion
62
Q
The Crossing: Context
A
- Bill Viola is a Queens, New York born artist
- artist promotes video as an art form
- work shows actions that repeat again and again
- artist is interested in sense perceptions
- there is an implied cycle of purification and destruction
- filmed at high speed, sequences played back at super slow motion
- evokes eastern and western spiritual traditions: Zen Buddhism, Islamic Sufism, Christian mysticism
- requires viewer to remain still and concentrate
63
Q
Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao: Identifiers
A
Style: Deconstructive Architecture
Artist: Frank Gehry
Location: Bilbao, Spain
Date: 1997
64
Q
Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao: Form
A
- building has swirling forms and shapes that contrast with industrial landscape of Bilbao
- from the river side, building resembles a boat, referencing Bilbao’s past as a shipping and commercial center
- curving forms were designed by a computer software program called Catia
- fixing clips make a shallow dent in the titanium surface; it produces an effect of having a shimmering surface that changes according to atmospheric conditions
- curvilinear forms evoke architecture of Borromini and Italian baroque
65
Q
Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao: Function
A
- a modern art museum featuring contemporary art in a contemporary architectural setting
- work follows tradition of the Guggenheim museums around the world, many also created by prominent architects in daring designs
66
Q
Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao: Context
A
- Frank Gehry is a Canadian-American architect based in Los Angeles
- revitalization of the port area of Bilbao is called the “Bilbao effect,” a reference to the impact a museum can have on a local economy
67
Q
Pure Land: Identifiers
A
Style: Video Art
Artist: Mariko Mori
Location: Japan
Date: 1998
68
Q
Pure Land: Content
A
- Mori appears as if in a vision in the guise of the Beian deity, Kichijoten
- Kichijoten is the essence of beauty and the harbinger of prosperity and happiness
- holds a wish granting jewel, nyol hoju, which has the power to deny evil and fulfill wishes
- jewel symbolizes Buddha’s universal mind
- animated figures of lighthearted aliens play musical instruments on clouds
- lotus blossom floats on water and symbolizes purity and rebirth into paradise
- set in a landscape evoking the Dead Sea, a place of extremely high salinity: salt seen as an agent of purification
69
Q
Lying With the Wolf: Identifiers
A
Style: Contemporary Painting
Artist: Kiki Smith
Location: Washington D.C
Date: 2001
70
Q
Lying With the Wolf: Form
A
- large, wrinkled drawing pinned to a wall; reminiscent of a tablecloth or a bedsheet
71
Q
Lying With the Wolf: Function/Context
A
- Kiki Smith is an American artist who was born in Germany and lives in NYC
- theme of Smith’s work is the human body; this is a nude female figure
- female strength emphasized in the woman lying down with the wild beast
- wolf seems tamed by woman’s embrace
- wolf is traditionally seen as evil or dangerous symbol, but not here
72
Q
Darkytown Rebellion: Identifiers
A
Style: Installation Art
Artist: Kara Walker
Location: United States
Date: 2001
73
Q
Darkytown Rebellion: Technique
A
- the artist draws images with pencil or soft pastel crayon on large pieces of black paper and then cuts the paper with a knife
- images are then adhered to a gallery
- the artist uses traditional silhouette forms
- overhead projectors throw colored light onto the walls, ceilings, and floor
- cast shadows of the viewer’s body mingle with the black paper images
74
Q
Darkytown Rebellion: Context
A
- Kara Walker is California-born, New York based, African-American artist
- the work explores themes of African-Americans in the antebellum South: a teenager holds a flag that resembles a colonial ship sail; one man has his leg cut off; a man is caring for newborns
- this is not a recreation of a historical event, but a commentary on history as it has been presented in the past and the present
- viewer interact with the work, walking around it, engaging in elements of it; viewer is part of history of the piece
75
Q
The Swing (After Fragonard): Identifiers
A
Style: Installation Art
Artist: Yinka Shonibare
Location: London
Date: 2001
76
Q
The Swing (After Fragonard): Interpretation/Content
A
- artist inspired by Fragonard’s The swing
- this work is a lifesize headless mannequin
- dress is made of Dutch wax fabric, sold in Africa: references global trade and postcolonial life in Africa
- flowering vines are cast to the floor
- headless figure: guillotined by the French Revolution
77
Q
The Swing (After Fragonard): Context
A
- Yinka Shonibare was British born, but of Nigerian descent; he lives and works in London
- 2 men in the Fragonard painting are not included; audience takes place of the men; erotic voyeurism
78
Q
Old Man’s Cloth: Identifiers
A
Style: Mixed Media
Artist: El Anatsui
Date: 2003
79
Q
Old Man’s Cloth: Technique/Material
A
- 1000 drink tops joined by wire to form a cloth-like hanging
- bottle caps are from a distillery in Nigeria
- artist uses power tools such as chain saw and welding torches
- artist converts found materials into a new type of media that lies somewhere between painting and sculpture
- recycling of found objects
80
Q
Old Man’s Cloth: Form
A
- work is not flat, but hung as cloth
- curators often left to hanging El Anatsui’s work to the best advantage; work appears slightly different in each setting
81
Q
Old Man’s Cloth: Context
A
- born in Ghana, spent career in Nigeria
- produces colorful, textured wall hangings related to West African textiles
- gold reflects traditional cloth colors of Ghana and references to royalty
- gold symbolizes Ashanti control over gold trade in Africa
- El Anatsui combines aesthetic traditions of his home country of ghana, his adapted country of NIgeria, and the global art movement of abstract art
82
Q
Stadia II: Identifiers
A
Style: Contemporary Painting
Artist: Julie Mehretu
Date: 2004
83
Q
Stadia II: Form/Content
A
- work depicts a stylized rendering of a stadium architecture
- form suggests excitement, almost frenzy of a competition held held in a circular space surrounded by international images
- dynamic competition is suggested in sweeping lines that create a vibrant pulse
- work uses multilayered lines to create animation
- sweeping lines create depth; focus of attention around a central core from which colors, icons, flags, and symbols resonate
84
Q
Stadia II: Context
A
- Julia Mehretu born in Ethiopia; lives and works in NYC
- paints large scale paintings
- although paintings are done with abstract elements, titles allude to their meaning
- flags can represent national pride, patriotism or nationalism
85
Q
Preying Mantra: Identifiers
A
Style: Contemporary Painting
Artist: Wangechi Mutu
Date: 2006
86
Q
Preying Mantra: Form/Content
A
- collaged female figure composed of human and animal parts, objects, and machine parts
- reclines in a relaxed position
- green snake interlocks with her fingers; bird feathers appear on the back of her head
- left earlobe has chicken feet, insect legs, an pinchers
- blotched skin
87
Q
Preying Mantra: Context
A
- Wangechi Mutu is a Kenya-born New York-based artist
- art related to Afro-Futurism
- cyborg; a person whose function is aided by a mechanical device or whose powers are enhanced by computer implants
- the work is a commentary on the female persona in art history
- ironic twist on the praying mantis: suggest religious rituals, mantis means prophet in Greek
88
Q
Shibboleth: Identifiers
A
Style: Installation Art
Artist: Doris Salcedo
Date: 2007-2008
89
Q
Shibboleth: Form
A
- installation that features a large crack that begins as a hairline and then widens to 2 ft. in depth
- floor of the museum was opened and a cast of Colombian rock faces was inserted
- work stresses interaction between sculpture and space
90
Q
Shibboleth: Context
A
- colombian sculpture
- shibboleth: word or custom that a person not familiar with a language may mispronounce; used to identify foreigners or people of another class
- shibboleth is used to exclude people from joining a group
- from the bible
91
Q
MAXXI National Museum of XXI Century Arts: Identifiers
A
Artist: Zaha Hadid
Location: Rome, Italy
Date: 2009
92
Q
Kui Hua Zi (Sunflower Seeds): Identifiers
A
Style: Installation Art
Artist: Ai Weiwei
Date: 2010-2011
93
Q
Kui Hua Zi (Sunflower Seeds): Form/Content
A
- installation containing millions of individually handcrafted ceramic pieces resembling sunflower seeds
- they symbolically represent an ocean of fathomless depth; each seed is made in Jingdezhen a city known for its porcelain production in Imperial China
- individualized seeds appear to be the same. no 2 sunflower seeds are identical
- 600 artisans worked or 2 years; each seen is hand painted
94
Q
Kui Hua Zi (Sunflower Seeds): Context/Function
A
- Ai Weiwei is a Chinese artist
- sunflower seeds were eaten as a source of food during the famine era under Mao Tze-tung and were the only source of protein that the artist could get for many years when he was growing up
( the work reflects the ideology of Chairman Mao: hea was the sun; his followers were the seeds
( originally a viewer could walk on the installation but it raised harmful ceramic dust viewing was then limited to the sidelines
