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.