Don’t compare yourself

Don’t compare yourself 

 

          For my final project, I decided to do a self-collage. I used a canvas, acrylic red paint, dried roses, images, and gem diamonds. The artist who inspired me to do this project was Amy Sherald since she does a plain bright color background and gray skin colors, with a serious face, which I find so powerful, same with Micklane Thomas, she used rhinestones, and bright colors, Micklane Thomanas make women be powerful, through her paint, she makes women be seen heard and that she matters. For this reason, I decided to be inspired by these two great artists. 

        "Don't compare yourself" is the title of my art project, which I came up with because I frequently compare myself to others. Social media can be a threat because we only see the positive content there and are oblivious to what goes on behind closed doors. I feel like I'm still sorting out my life, but I keep telling myself that I'm on my own time and journey and that everyone else has a different time and journey, so I shouldn't feel rushed about it. I also see individuals my age who already seem to have their lives together. The media can put a lot of pressure on yourself to make things look a certain way or about beauty standards, how you are supposed to look to fit on beauty standards, and nowadays tv, social media always advertising about surgeries, and how your body it’s supposed to look, it can all get to your head, and make us feel ashamed or insecure. For my project, I wanted to do it differently put affirmations for myself to not be so harsh on myself and to accept the mistakes and the “imperfections” that I have as a human being. We should not let social media, or society make us feel some type of way we are all perfect in our way. 

When I saw the painting that Amy Sherald did for the first lady at that time Michelle Obama, it gave me power how something so simple but yet so powerful at the same time. That is when I thought about giving that power to myself, that I should accept who I am, and How I am. I printed a black-and-white picture of myself and painted a red background because I feel red stands for fire and courage. Also, Mickalene Thomas gave me that inspiration of feeling powerful, how she explores the beauty and constructs images of femininity and power. I want to keep giving myself that power and feel that I’m good enough in my own way. 

This class shows me how photography, and art it is so important in our life. How art can be expressed in so many ways, it can be expressed through painting, making a movie, singing, and so on. All of these artists that I learned through the semester show me how much we are supposed to love our job to make it so worth it and feel happy with the outcome, and the journey, and to love the process.

Weekly Selfie: 11/23

This selfie I had taken when I went to Spain in the summer of 2021. I had visited Madrid and Barcelona in Spain. My maternal grandfather is from Asturias, Spain. So let alone my first time out of the country, I had visited Spain to see my Spaniard roots. That’s why I had chosen this picture. Plus, it also had La Sagrada Familia church in the background, so I wanted to show historical buildings in the picture as well to relate to my roots. I also added my son who always makes me feel at home. Also a picture of my mother and I when we were in New York City at Radio City Music Hall seeing a Spanish artist, Rosalia. I also added a picture of a person covered in the flag of El Salvador. My father is 100% Salvadoran and my mother is 50% Salvadoran. And lastly, I added a picture of the New York skyline from the New Jersey side of the Hudson River, since I was born and raised in New Jersey. I also would like to point out that I specifically bought this red dress with flowers on it for my trip to Spain. I loved how it had a high slit on one side of the dress. I thought red would represent my latin and Spanish heritage.

Mirzoeff, Ch. 6:

1. We have already not only long absorbed the costs of this conflict but learned to find them beautiful.
2. We need to compare across time and space and learn to see from other people’s perspectives as well as our own.

These quotes and entire chapter are talking about the climate change happening on Earth due to humans. The first quote goes to show how the conflict and cause of climate change has made us appreciate nature more. These climate change effects have gone on for so long that because of the damage, it makes us see things more clearly and appreciative. The second quote talks about looking through other people's perspectives and how climate change is changing not just by your home but somewhere else around the globe. Even in general, it is always good to think about other people's perspectives instead of your own to gain more knowledge.

Last week’s quotes relating to my selfie in NY Times article about Frida:

1. “The ancient objects convey the couple’s eclectic taste and deep appreciation for Mexican art and archaeology.”
2. “The supplementary mix of Mesoamerican objects, one of the many types of art the couple favored, with her paintings and photographs divulge her yearning for Mexico’s indigenous and agrarian culture and her conflicts with capitalism, especially in the income inequality she witnessed during her travels in the United States.”
3. “Kahlo championed her homeland’s indigenous customs in wearing huipiles (woven tunics), rebozos (shawls) and flouncy, long skirts.”

Amy Sherald, Breonna Taylor:

1. “I wanted this image to stand as a piece of inspiration to keep fighting for justice for her. When I look at the dress, it kind of reminds me of Lady Justice.”

2.  "She calls this portrait a contribution to the “moment and to activism—producing this image keeps Breonna alive forever.”

Amy Sherald Effect:

1. "All are African-American. Should this matter? It does in light of the artist’s drive to, in her words, seek “versions of myself in art history and in the world.” 

2. "When art changes in the present, it changes in the past, too."

Kehinde Wiley, Classic Spin:

1. "For the moment depicted in the painting, the men are protected and invincible, inhabiting an Arcadian realm far removed from the grit of the artist’s childhood."

2. "Mr. Wiley’s champions tend to view his work in overt political terms. He redresses the absence of nonwhite faces in museum masterpieces, “using the power of images to remedy the historical invisibility of black men and women,”"

Black Masculinity:

1. "As I wrote just after the unveiling, the portrait helped bring the many parallels between "portraitist and President" even more clearly into view."

2. "I think I’m pretty good at representing what my work stands for. But when you’re sitting down with the head of state and discussing how he fits within a history of representation, how he specifically can interface with your aesthetic—that’s a pretty high bar to cross."

Weekly Selfie: 11/30

In this selfie, I felt the most confident. It gives off the self-portrait vibe that is seen in Amy Sherald and Kehinde Wiley’s poses. 

From Guy Debord's Society of the Spectacle:

1. “The spectacle is not a collection of images; it is a social relation between people that is mediated by images.” This means that the display is not just images, it creates a social relation between people to talk about and discuss. The spectacle will affect human interactions and relationships. Instead of disregarding a spectacle as a series of images, it has a deeper meaning and message that will affect people.
2. “In a world that has really been turned upside down, the true is a moment of the false.” To me this means that what we deem to be true is actually false. In this quote, he is saying that in a world that has just turned ugly, what we are looking at isn’t beauty and true, it is being hidden by providing something false. It is deceiving us to think that the world is good.

Last Week’s Reading:

1. We have already not only long absorbed the costs of this conflict but learned to find them beautiful.
2. We need to compare across time and space and learn to see from other people’s perspectives as well as our own.

Final Project

"Don't Run With The Rest"

My final art piece is tittled "dont run with the rest", my title is a refrence to the way my painting is dividing a individual from the rest. The television projected in the piece is the main source of the flames that are reaching the group of people. The tv is how society is controlled, it started with the tv but has evolved to your phone, tablet, or anything with a screen. As a society we swallow what ever the media gives us wether that be the realistic horrors happening around the world or the instagram likes that eat at your ego. whatever it is the mass media is what is taken over our attention span, we are too busy with agreeing or disagreeing with the masses that we all forget how to think for ourselves. That is why in my art the flames are over taking all of the faces that are in there. The skeleteon flying away in the piece is a representation of someone who was becoming a corpse to societal thinking but was able to fly away by thinking for himself. The phrase "Dont run with the rest" is scattered around the bottom of the skeletons legs which is the skeleton shaking off even that phrase that people like to label others similar to "folllower", this supports the thought of thinking for yourself so much that no one else can even tell you to be you. I did both painting and collaging, used black cut outs from the magazine to make the cement in the piece and also used face cutouts to use as the people being taken by mass societal thinking. I painted the rest of the subjects on the canvas such as the flames, the sky and wings. Aside from the art itself the meaning of not runing with the rest is one that resigns with me. There are certain points in life where you either find yourself following everyone else or find yourself doing your ownthing. I want people to always know that what they decide to do is self provoked. Following the next person might not even benefit you or it might, my point is not to divide what you should do or whatyou shouldnt do my point is to just have people think for themselves that is also why the project can be interrpreted many different ways. An artist that inspired my art piece is Mear One whos i a street artist known for his bold and political art paintings. His art pieces inspired me alot because of the colors that Mear chooses in his artwork,all the colors are very bold and meaningful. You can see that inspiration in the way i painted the flames, the blue sky, and the pitch black cement. His work represents inner thoughts about the politics going on in America and the oppression on poverty based citizens.My art has a political stand in which it chooses to represent independent thinking for everyone. Alot of his artwork creates the subject in a fantasy type of way to indulge the audience and also most likely poke fun at the subject itself, i had my main subject in the project have a skeleton face, his appearance reflects how you feel after getting sucked up by the rest of the worlds problems.I was inspired by mear one for his rebellous thinking and creative art pieces and his art is very similar to the type of art "Art should reflect one’s intellect and facilitate a path of communication that conveys truth and transcendence." "Not all graffiti is done with political intent but the simple act is a political one in the sense of breaking restricting rules and expressing ones self." "Art is the ultimate way to combat the machine because it reflects imagination, something the talentless authorities cannot control. So Art is the weapon of choice because it can speak and pierce straight to your person and you don’t need to read a book to get it."

Weekly selfie: AmySherald

 

Power Pose

For my weekly selfie I chose to use a photo I took with my great  Aunt and uncle.

Final project

 

Reference/ work inspiration Mickalene Thomas 

Final Project 

Euphoric Simplicity’s 


For my final project I chose to do a self collage. I used a canvas, Acrylic paint, glitter, images, and small little trinkets, as well as other craft materials. Throughout the process of my project I wanted to incorporate things I enjoyed, people I admired, and loved ones. The artist who inspired me the most would have to be Mickalene Thomas and her collages, paintings, and photos. Mickalene Thomas and her vibrant color palette and different mediums influenced the color palette and the process of my collage.  Many of the colors that were incorporated into my project correlated with the artist’s using bright purples, oranges, and blues along with patterns and cloth.

Like the artist I wanted to incorporate  my family, my loved ones, and people who have taught me valuable things throughout my journey of life. I believe through my project viewers Can see many perspectives of me. The title of my project is “Euphoric simplicity’s”.I chose this title because like the word Euphoric I wanted to convey The things and people that truly make me happy and also contribute to my identity. While learning more about the artist Mickalene Thomas I found many of her works to be inspirational Creative and centric. Many of her works touch on sexuality, women’s bodies, gender, and identity. The artist Discusses her own culture while  binding her creativity through her collage work and photography. There were many pieces I took reference and inspiration from. Her Collages Titled “Jet Blue #1”, “Tète De Femme #8”, and “Le Dejeuner Sur L’herbe Les Trios Femme Nior”  Gave me the inspiration for the color material and overall layout of my collage.

In the center of my canvas there is a cut out image of myself. Around the canvas there are some flowers. These flowers represent my love for nature as well as my favorite flower.The right side of the canvas Is mostly made up of glitter and acrylic paint. Around the border of the cut outs insert image there are little objects like paint brushes and pencils representing my joy for art. Going along the border there were little mini Coca-Cola bottles Representing my favorite drink. On the lower left side I painted my zodiac sign. Like Mickalene Thomas and her love and admiration for her family who inspire most of her work, I wanted to incorporate that same idea in my peace. The left side of the canvas mostly conveys photos as well as different background material like cloths, fabric and beads,and patterns. I Throughout the semester as we learned about different artist and art methods, Artist like Wangechi Mutu, Mickalene Thomas, Frieda Kharlo conveyed women ,there beauty, struggle, and Overall perspective of how these women saw themselves. I think my final project grasps and connects to the similar concept of the artist Mickalene Thomas while incorporating my own personal identity, things and people i enjoy in my life in my work.

Quotes 

The Feminist Challenge of Wangechi Mutu

“ These layered references and remixed body politics contribute to an interrogation of otherness, race, alienation, and female representation.”

“These women are not metaphors, they are not waiting to be represented, rescued or destroyed. They are gloriously, catastrophically themselves, and we meet them on their own terms — as we so frequently meet each other — in stagy, embarrassing, endearing selfies launched into the world” Cindy Sherman 

“People have an insatiable curiosity with her, and this presentation is a rare opportunity to see how she built her identity” (Morris).

SELFIE PORTRAIT FINAL

"The Lab"

“Official Happiness” by Abidin Dino

    First off, I want to start by saying that this class has opened my eyes and showed me how important art is to the world. To be able to view art in many forms such as image, film, paintings, and sculptures and see that value that it holds is mind blowing. All the great artists I explored throughout the semester were masters at their craft and also were able to share so much history and knowledge of their work. So, for my final project, I decided to make a video as a display of art. I was going to use my project board that I developed prior to this but I thought a video would have been cool to make to end the semester off. In my video, it is me and a few of my friends. I told all of them to let's make a video and they were automatically down. This is a visual representation of joyful times and having lots of fun. I had decided to navigate and do research on more artists outside of the one that was discussed in class and the artists that I chose that mirrored my final project is Abidin Dino. 

     Turkish artist Abidin Dino (1913-1993) was a versatile artist A man of culture who lived through the great changes of the 20th century, Including two world wars, social revolutions, end of empire with text, lines, colors and form. In pursuit of a fruitful artistic life, Dino is not only a painter, Author, also illustrator, draftsman, ceramist, sculptor and filmmaker Across borders. His work covered all aspects of life but the work that really caught my eye was a piece he painted called “official happiness”. It displayed a big family piled up on the bed laying together, sleeping so peacefully, and looking so happy while there doing that. There were so many ways I could express his paintings, but I decided to go with a video. Me and my friends represent the big family that is on the bed and us dancing is us displaying joy and happiness. Now Abidin artwork covers almost every topic in life so I could take so many approaches when it comes to his work.     

    My first project was a poster board which covered my whole life. That project explained my background, my struggles, how I overcame things, and how I became the person I am today. I was going to stick with that and better it to become my final project but due to bad weather, my project got destroyed outside in the rain. It was a lot of work I put into it, so I did not even feel like doing it all over again. As I was doing research on a new artist, I stumbled across the great painter, Abidin Dino, and one of his pieces stuck out to me. I manifest a lot of great things in my life and joy and happiness is one of them. Then I started to question myself on how I can make a visual concept that displays that theme. I asked my friends if they wanted to go over to GSUB to chill and they were all down to do it. 

    As me and my friends are hanging out, we are watching trendy Tiktoks and laughing, so I then sparked another question which was “do yall want to make some dancing videos”? Of course, they said yes so, we grabbed a speaker and decided to shoot this video which turned out to be lots of fun since we were laughing and had done multiple takes. 

    With this video not being a digital project, the video is demonstrating how i felt throughout the semester. In Mirzoeff text, he quotes: “Seeing the world is not about how we see but about what we make of what we see”. Every time I link with my friends, I’m more at ease and not worried about all the negative things that has been occurring. Experiencing family issues, wanting to give up on school again, starting to feel that I was not valuable had me captured in a cage. Mirzoeff also stated in his work “trained to pay attention to distractions”. I would let all the bad and distractions stop everything good I had going on. Me taking a breather and reflecting on everything with my friends through our demonstrations put me back on course to want to go forwards with my academic career and not give up again. The video was title “The Lab”  because whenever we link to dance, we view it as us being in a laboratory, improving our dance moves, upping our creativity, and creating great visuals to be produced and wanted to be partaken in. I made the video over 2 minutes long, placed us in a big room inside of the student union building on campus, speakers were blasting, and added 2 of my closest friends that attends the university as well, to show this vibe where we zone out and enjoy the moment without any worries. As I’m dancing in the video, you can see me smiling alongside my friends, expressing that we are having a great time and joking around in the moment. Some may look at the video and say that it is just a dance video and not a real project, but when you really look at the facial expressions, body movements, listen to the 2 minute song that is looped, you could easily identify that is a joyful setting.  It was a fun experience recording this video as my final project. 

 Citation:

 'Can you paint the picture of happiness for me, Abidin? (hurriyetdailynews.com) 

 Art Now and Then: Abidin Dino (art-now-and-then.blogspot.com)

WEEKLY SELFIE

Sunlight on a cloudy day

Q1: “In a world that has really been turned upside down, the true is a moment of the false.” Q2: “As a part of society it is specifically the sector which concentrates all gazing and all consciousness.”

PERFORMANCE

Friday Night Vibes

I decided to focus my performance on great vibes and the latest trends. Often, people try to spread negative vibes on social media and downplay people. There is always a negative trend that takes off and it is hard to escape. Just because people see its viral, they would attempt to do it or partake in that activity. On the other hand, there are positive trends and great vibes that are happening in certain areas, but people do not usually ride those ones out. Based on Susan Sontag, we can place the whole universe in our heads and change the narrative. Her saying has inspired me to make a dancing video with my friends. Everyone watching will sense a great vibe, a joyful moment, and see me busting the moves. “The camera does indeed capture reality.” Me and my friends decided to link up one day and as we were chilling, we watched some TikTok videos and decided that we should make a dancing video since we see it going viral. The style of dance is considered a jersey club; we have all been doing it for years and enjoy it. “The camera does indeed capture reality.” That shows what is going on in real time and how we operate in life. An enjoyable time and something we all live for. I would like my video to put people in a good mood. I want the audience to see that the good can always outweigh the bad in life. Also, that there are a lot of great people that walk the same earth as us. Just network and get cool with a group of people and have an enjoyable time. So many things you can do such as dancing, singing, working out together and much more. Let your latest trend be a good trend.

WEEKLY 4 SELFIE

Study Habits 1

Study Habits 2

Study Habits 3

Study Habits 4

“The relation between what we see and what we know is never settled. Each evening we see the sun set. We know that the earth is turning away from it. Yet the knowledge, the explanation, never quite fits the sight.” “Every image embodies a way of seeing. Even a photograph. For photographs are not, as is often assumed, a mechanical record.” People take photos of special moments in their lives to later reflect on those moments. Photos have ways to change our way we see the world. Historical people are not going to have the same perspective as present people do. “I just think that (in my practice at least) the reality of Black existence needs more space right now than the imaginary.” Black artists aspire people to be able to see their work. They do not want their work tucked away. They want the representation that their works hold to not only live in their minds but to live in others as well. "In the politicized environment of the 1960s, many artists employed performance to address emerging social concerns. For feminist artists in particular, using their body in live performance proved effective in challenging historical representations of women, made mostly by male artists for male patrons." "Historically, performance art has been a medium that challenges and violates borders between disciplines and genders, between private and public, and between everyday life and art, and that follows no rules." "Up until then, though, I’d always been extremely meticulous about how that deterioration was aestheticized through the use of makeup, contact lenses and scenography. This was my first time making an artwork without the visual veneer acting as a barrier between the audience and my body."

GALLERY RESPONSE

Wellspring

The Rope

The One and Only

After visiting the art gallery, I can testify that Ashley Lyon’s handcrafted clay sculpture titled Wellspring has caught my attention. This piece of work was inspired by her grandmother’s quilt. This quilt was symbolized as maternal warmth. In 2017 when Ashley Lyon’s child was born, the piece of art was created. This blanket/quilt highlights the love that she has for child. In her family, handmade quilts were a tradition. Each quilt made told a different story throughout the family/generations whether it be a joyful time, a tough time, or a humbling experience. Ashley specific quilt was made with warmth and endless love towards her child. To see that she has used similar coloring, fabric, and additional materials, shows that she is keeping the tradition alive and displaying that same form of comfort that was passed down to her. Making the quilts in ceramic gave the quilt a stronger presence and an unbreakable bond in the relationship between her and her daughter. This symbol will keep carrying on through her family hopefully, which is why it caught my attention. In addition, Ashley Lyon also created an amazing piece called "This rope.” This might just be a simple rope formed a certain way but to me it says “connection.” I want to display an old picture “The One and Only,” with my mom that explains our bond. Throughout my journey in life, she has never once left my side. She had prepared me for the real world and supported everything I did throughout the years. I will never let go of the rope that is connected to my mother and neither will she. Now she is my best friend, and with me being in college and exploring the world, she can now learn from me as I learned things from her coming up. This piece of work automatically made me think about my mother.

PHOTO SERIES

Ehhhhh

The Glow up

The Come Up

Final Form

My photography series is called “The Glow Up” As time goes on, me and others discover that images over the years have so much power. Art and images display your history. They both hold value as they linger and pass on knowledge of events that the next generation any and allow you to relive a moment that happened lifetime's ago which is an amazing thing to experience. “To collect photos is to collect the world.” - Susan Sontag. This quote aligns with how images can show off history and life. Susan Sontag expresses my theme which is evolution. Over the years I thought I could not fit in with the crowd because I did not feel like I was the best looking, I did not have up-to-date clothing, I always felt like an old ball. I eventually Glew up and groomed myself well. This series shows how I evolved in life and how history can be captured and displayed many years later. The camera is one of the greatest inventions to humankind because anyone can relive any moment in life by just looking at an image.

Self-Portrait Final Project

 

Hey Look Ma, I Made It

    For my final portrait selfie, I decided to do a collage with a variety of pictures that are important in my life. By doing this collage I used materials and learn new things while making it, helping me use elements that I did not use before. The background of the poster board it the Dominican Republic flag, painted with blue and red paint while leaving the middle white to represent the crust in the middle of the flag. I did this to represent my identity since I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, I always been proud and would never forget where I come from. In the middle of the poster board, there is a picture of a bird with my face on it. That bird is known as a Palmchat, which if there was one animal that represented the country of Dominican Republic it would be that bird. The reason I picked that bird was to show the connection between the flag and the bird to my culture, but the bird has a twist to it that it was inspired by Frida Kahlo. I decided to cut the face off the bird and paste a picture of my head in it, the reason why I did this was to show the connection between the bird and me. This idea was inspired by Frida Kahlo who often in her paintings would use animals right next to her or combined with her body. The upper left side of the board is a series of pictures of my in down moments, you can see I'm reading, playing cards, and sitting by myself with a drink. But on top of all those pictures is a picture of my mom next to the stars, to show her coming from above to cheer me up. No matter what I'm going through and if I'm alone I know I can count on my mom to always be there for me. 

    The section right under it is also connected to the theme that Carrie Mae Weems showed in her table kitchen series, Weems told her audience that "Women no matter what their color is, the don't always get the appreciation they deserve. I agree with that statement by Weems because my mom has been in all the important moments of my life, but I don' think I told her how much of impact she has had in all my accomplishments. Sometimes we are too busy to forget the real reason on why we are who we are and in my case I'm who I'm today because all the sacrifices my mom made. In the upper right corner of the poster board, there is two pictures of me and my family eating at a table together. I picked these two pictures to continue the theme of Carrie Mae Weems "The Kitchen Table" because even though she said "Memories are made in the Kitchen", is not the fact that been in the kitchen is what make family memories is the fact that at the table is where everyone is together and sharing a moment. My mom always wants us to go out and have dinner or lunch together, so everyone can have fun and talk to each other. We all have a lot of work and things going on, but my mom understands that by having all us together at one table it doesn't matter how often we speak or not; sharing that moment together in the table would give us memories we would never forget. 

    In the last part of the poster board there is a picture of me and my family enjoying a family vacation trip to Florida, doing the one thing we all have in common and that is been in the water. Before we went on vacation things were off at the house and everyone had their own business going on, but my mom decided to plan a vacation so we can all reconnect again. If it wasn't for my mom starting this vacation we would've never share that moment together, but these are the things families take for granted. My mom does not get the credit she deserves for keeping the entire family together and for raising two sons on her own. My entire project is based on the connections between me and my culture inspired by the works of Frida Kahlo. But it is also inspired by Carrie Mae Weems and her "Table Kitchen Series"

                                                                    Work Cited

Carrie Mae Weems: National Gallery of Art

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jIwiBgSNtk&ab_channel=NationalGalleryofArt

Carrie Mae Weems: "The Kitchen Table Series" | Art21
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPDInpNoO50

Final Self Portrait Project

Love Letter to My Culture

Love Letter to My Culture

For the final project, I decided to do a collage piece since I had a great time doing the last collage piece and I was able to experiment with new elements I have not used before. My project is about embracing the culture I once tried to push away when I was younger and trying to show the beautiful hanboks which come from this culture. I tried to represent South Korea the best I could with using a picture of me from when I was about 3 years old and was wearing my very first and only hanbok before I decided I was ashamed of my Asian side. The shame I had for being Asian was deeply rooted in being one of the only Asians in elementary school and feeling like an outcast and especially being made fun of for looking different. Throughout my childhood, I wanted to only identify with my Hispanic side especially since I felt more comfortable with this side and had most of my Hispanic family always in my life. As I have grown older, I was able to understand what I was doing was isolating myself and making me feel hatred for this other part of me. I started recently to love both cultures and sides of me equally since they both play a part in who I am and how I present myself. I decided to photoshop a hanbok on a picture of me since I do not currently own one myself and wanted to show myself that this is my heritage, and I should really embrace it fully. I also made the background by using a picture of the El Yunque forest to also represent my Puerto Rican side subtly but to not let it overshadow my South Korean side once again. I included the national South Korean symbols as well which represent peace, and this was to symbolize the peace I have made with myself fully.

The artist I was fully inspired was Frida Kahlo who always embraced her culture especially in her pieces of work. She never shied away from who she was, and she wanted everyone to know, especially with how she dressed. She also used all her life experiences in her artwork to show how these have modeled her as well as how they are a part of her no matter what. She never let anything stop her and would capture even the most negative emotions in her art. A quote from the Frida Kahlo website states “I paint myself because I am often alone, and I am the subject I know best”. I love this quote as we all only know ourselves best and we can see ourselves differently than others and know truly how to capture ourselves. Another quote from Frida is “I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality.” I was able to capture my own reality as well in this collage and was able to show how I want to embrace my culture almost like a love letter to my culture. Also, I found another quote from Frida, “My painting carries with it the message of pain.” I feel as if even though I have this love letter, there is still the pain and trauma I have when growing up of being bullied out of loving my Asian-ness.

I noticed the differences between this final project and the other projects, is I was able to gradually start to focus more on myself and was able to better myself as I went on. I was able to find a deeper meaning in each project and tackle myself, especially in this last project. I was also able to identify problems which I needed to fix as well as be able to embrace the parts of me which truly need to be loved. Also, with this final project I was fully able to show myself truly and embrace all of me.

 

Final Project

The End of The World - Matthew Rose 

Shambles 2020

 

Barack Obama - Kehinde Wiley

"Shambles 2020" is the working title of my project. My final project is a collage of the world as it will appear in 2020. 2020 was be a difficult year for all of us. 2020 was a watershed moment. I got crafty using magazine cuts, glue, and a sharpie for my creation. This lesson showed me that everything can be art as long as it comes from a creative mind. I wanted to add bits and pieces from what happened in the globe a few years ago for us throughout this process. Nobody saw 2020 coming, and it hit hard. I choose to focus my research on politics and the environment since they receive insufficient attention. 

Two artists influenced my project. Kehinde Wiley was one of those we learned about in class. Also, Matthew Rose, an artist I discovered through art. Wiley's Barack Obama image and Rose's "The End Of The World Collage" influenced my creation. I liked the green aesthetic around Mr. Obama, which symbolized respect and peace. In Matthew Rose's piece, I also loved how vivid his art work was and how well it established a world imagination. "Shambles 2020" is the result of combining these two works. My image depicts the difficulties we faced in 2020. 2020 was a critical juncture for all of us. People were laid off. People were evicted from their homes since their rent and mortgage couldn't be paid owing to unemployment. Riots and demonstrations broke out. There were several guidelines in place. There were supply and food problems. Schools were closed and students were educated online. In the year 2020, several infants were born. Baby supplies were in limited supply. Donald Trump was the president. Unemployment was being distributed liberally. There were several layoffs. There was so much going on that had a huge impact on the planet. 

"Publicity is virtually infinite," says one remark that has stuck with me the most this semester (Berger 153). This phrase is relevant to my study since there was a lot of publicity in the year 2020 owing to all that was going on. Publicity is a form of free communication in which the virtual presence of a product or service is brought to the attention of a potential market or target clients. Everything was captured on film and video. Everything that happened that year was covered by every news outlet. This was a period when the bulk of their time was spent on their phones. Almost everything was shut down, and most people had to stay at home unless they were an important worker. I wanted to center this painting on awareness. When Covid was released, few people took the matter seriously. Most people laughed at Covid. This sculpture represents the value of our health and the economy in which we live. Fortunately, Trump was able to find a method to provide unemployment benefits to individuals who had lost their jobs. I hope the audience finds my work of art as motivating as I did.

Citations: 

Mirzoeff, N. (2016). How to see the world: An introduction to images, from self-portraits to selfies, maps to movies, and more. Basic Books.

Berger, J. (2012). Ways of seeing: Based on the Bbc television series with John Berger. British Broadcasting Corp.

Self-Portrait Final Project

Untitled Film Still #56

Untitled Film Still #414

Perspective

Perspective

Perspective

My final project, named "Perspective," is inspired by Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Still #56 and Untitled Film Still #414. Cindy Sherman is an artist who alters her image in different forms, and then photographs herself, to tell the audience a story. Each of her characters is different, and portrays a unique story to the audience, each of which can be interpreted in different ways depending on the person seeing the images. Untitled Film Still #56 is one of the photographs that sparks the most curiosity regarding her thoughts and emotions when taking them. Many people observe this photograph and question whether she was thinking about a man, and whether she was looking into a mirror because she wonders whether the male species would approve of her current looks. Therefore, many people assume that Cindy has taken this photograph to pose for the male gaze. Others, however, wonder whether she was disappointed, curious, or troubled, and whether these emotions are caused by someone else in the story that cannot be seen within the picture frame. With this photograph, I believe there are multiple interpretations, each individual to the person viewing her photograph. The other photograph I was inspired by—Untitled Film Still #414—is an image of her with dramatic makeup including dark eyes, bright pink cheeks, and black lipstick. For my final project, I combined these two images and added my own personal touch, to turn it into a 3-dimensional sculpture. 

One of the reasons I chose Cindy Sherman as my inspiration for my final project is her ability to express herself through photographs. It is fascinating to me how, through photographs, humans are capable of manipulating themselves to suit society’s current preferences, mask one’s insecurities, or simply to spread creativity and uniqueness. Most importantly, humans today are able to portray the version of themselves they choose. In the Cindy Sherman Effect article, Cindy Shermans says “I think it has made me realize that we’ve all chosen who we are in terms of how we want the world to see us” (Hoban 2012). Cindy Sherman’s ability to transform herself into several different characters, each of which tells a unique story to the audience, does not signify that the characters are posing to satisfy the audience, however. In The Ugly Beauty of Cindy Sherman, the author states, “They are some of the first pure protagonists in Sherman’s work: These women are not metaphors, they are not waiting to be represented, rescued or destroyed” (Sehgal 2018). Like Cindy Sherman’s characters, I hope to show that women have their own stories and their own experiences, and that regardless of age, they can portray themselves in ways that are completely against society’s set regulations, because society does not have the authority nor the right to decide whether women have their own stories and which can be shown to the public. Specifically, I want to demonstrate that women’s identities are not contingent on others’ beliefs, the male gaze, or patriarchal limitations.

When creating my project, I began by painting a styrofoam head with acrylic paint to look like the makeup worn by Cindy Sherman in her Untitled Film Still #414. I then utilized red yarn, which I glued to the styrofoam head in order to give my sculpture hair. Afterwards, I attached a mirror to five sticks for stability, and pasted it to a box, where I attached the foam head at an angle. I attached the mirror and the head at a specific angle, so that viewers can look at the sculpture from the front and see the full face, but also from behind to see her reflection in the mirror. This feature was important for me to implement because it demonstrates how she (the sculpture) is the main character of the story I am portraying. I am portraying the character as she looks at herself into the mirror, with makeup that society does not approve of. Whether she did this makeup purposefully with the intent to contradict societal standards, or if she did it simply because she enjoyed this makeup, is up to interpretation and can vary depending on the viewers themselves. I mostly, however, want to portray her looking at a mirror, emphasizing that she may be looking at her self with pride and not indignation at her inability or lack of desire to "fit in."

The main difference between my first self portraits and this final one is that I was able to spend a large amount of time sculpting my project and manipulating it to portray exactly what I hoped to. Although I may have been able to digitally edit the photographs from previous self-portraits, I truly pushed myself out of my comfort zone to create something unique and more intricate than my previous self-portraits. Learning about Cindy Sherman and her fight against—or disregard of—the male gaze and patriarchal limitations on women's looks and actions helped me create this project because I had a clear idea of what I wanted viewers to gain when looking at my project. The spectacle and media influences identity and self presentation because it adds, or helps spread, the societal limitations women are forced to adhere to. Cindy Sherman, however, portrayed various characters, none of which depended on another character for support. In The Cindy Sherman Effect, the author states,"We live in the era of YouTube fame and reality-TV shows and makeovers, where you can be anything you want to be any minute of the day, and artists are responding to that” (Hoban 2012). The spectacle and media helps promote specific images of women society wants women to adhere to. However, I hope to demonstrate that women truly are the protagonists of their own lives, and can portray any portion or version of themselves to the world whichever way they choose. Therefore, women have the ability to participate in the spectacle and portray themselves in the media as they see fit. I named my final project "Perspective" because anyone who sees my final project may interpret the meaning differently depending on their own perspective on life, the male gaze, patriarchy, and the spectacle. My final project may have millions of different interpretations because there are millions of individual perspectives around the world.

Citations:

Hoban, Phoebe. “The Cindy Sherman Effect.” ARTnews.com, ARTnews, 18 Nov. 2019, https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/the-cindy-sherman-effect-505/. 

Sehgal, Parul. “The Ugly Beauty of Cindy Sherman's Instagram Selfies.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 5 Oct. 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/05/magazine/instagram-cindy-sherman-ugly-beauty.html.