i've been meaning to post for a while.

but lately i haven't had anything positive to say about school in general.  but i write this blogs a thousand times over in my head;; and everything that happens at school or related to school i consider blogging; but refrain, for no reason in particular.

where to start?

i did my first ever self-portrait in drawing II with amy sands and was complacent with it.  i'd never in my 19 years alive attempted to render a human face, let alone my own.  it's a complex detailed image that i've always been intimidated by, but request assignment as per foundation students; i had no choice.  i would post it on here, but i don't particularly want to embarrass myself.  if you reeeeally want to see it, check out the FND show in march, april or may i can't remember when, which is bizarre.  i used to be able to recall exact dates and times of things without much thought, but i have so much on my mind that sometimes i struggle to remember even how old i am.

a conversation i had with a classmate last week went a little something like this.

girl:     do you want to go bowling tonight?

&:        i would but i have to work and finish my drawing, write my paper, study art history, good start on my paper for honors assignment, and spend $200+ for supplies. and i promised logdog i'd hang out with him for a bit tonight.

girl:      wait.  you have two jobs.  your on the honor roll. AND you have a boyfriend?! how do you do it?

&:       i.  don't. know.


but really.  i don't know how i do it.

mapping.

i realize that we are supposed to post our responses to a particular map that was presented in class.

which to choose.. which to choose.

all had their strengths and flaws, but i think we were all a little numb.  most/maybe all of us thought that with a little more time, we could have turned in something great.  so we all ended up shooting for mediocrity.  sad, but probably true.  all the concepts were there, but most just weren't executed to their maximum capacity.  ah, well.

are we supposed to choose just one and discuss?  and can we choose our own? answers people, i ask and demand for answers.

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i now realize that we can describe and analyze our own map, but i've decided against it.

i think the map dealing with the stars was the most visually satisfying.  i appreciated the concept.  as we discussed in class, i think one constellation would have been interesting as well.  some were skeptical of the border, but i was fond of it.  the relations of everything were very interesting..  i found the 'key' to be helpful in trying to determine the purpose of the map, and i'm thankful i knew the theory behind the entire thing.  could see good collaboration.. overall well done.

two possible improvements:  make it entirely 2D.. and somehow include the Walker more.

fluxus

Fluxus is not: a movement, a moment in history, an organization. Fluxus is: an idea, a kind of work, a tendency, a way of life, a changing set of people who do Fluxworks.

—Dick Higgins

Dick also described Fluxes as 'intermedia'.

    Caroline, our tour guide, was; incredible.  I know a lot of people didn't like being told what to think, or what the artist intended.  a lot of people wanted to be able to roam around the gallery aimlessly.  i am grateful that caroline was kind enough to share her knowledge with us.  before the tour, i found most postmodern art to be distasteful, and obnoxious. now that i know it's objective and purpose.. i value it.  i value the fact that our society is constantly changing the norm; the standard.  it forced me to contemplate about what the next possibly art movement could be? anti-art?  hmmmm.  i have a completely different prospective about postmodernism and its purpose now.  i believe i am going to write about fluxus, but i want to get more external information before i begin my reassessment.

     I think this piece at the Walker could be easily looked over, which is a shame.  The more I learn, the more I want to learn.  now that's powerful.  upon first glance, it looks like a glass case of 'stuff.'          precisely!  Fluxes emerged in the late 1960s.  Artists, writers, performers, and filmmakers sought to break down the barriers between art and life.  I would consider Yoko Ono as the most popular, well-known reluctant Fluxes member, however John Cage and George Maciunas are accredited for starting it.

     Most of the fluxes pictures i was able to find online was that of Gilbert and Lila Silverman.  It appears that they must dedicate most of their lives to collecting.  it is the 'only major collection in the world that holds uncompromisingly to the Maciunas-based paradigm for Fluxus (Higgins).  Event performances and Fluxkits are the common denominator of Fluxus practice.  Event performances typically consist of simple, everyday actions, which may seem puzzling.  Fluxus is all about rethinking.  It is a quite difficult concept to understand, and i think I will only understand more with more research.  To truly understand the movement, one must be aware of all the experiments, movements, and films.  It is an art of all of the senses, and sometimes even the lack of senses.   The persuasive argument that I am attempting to cajole is simply that of awareness.  For those who don't know about this fascinating movement to know.  Not to understand, not to love, not to hate.  Just to be aware.  It is an attempt to find something significant in the insignificant.

    I think the Walker Art Center is privileged to have a piece of this history.

http://collections.walkerart.org/item/object/8730

MCA: Interpreting Art

i'm finding it very hard to choose one particular piece to interpret.

but; the mission impossible is suddenly possible.  i evoked a memory i knew i could not forget.  a stunning work of art.  it is that of Chiharu Shiota.  from my quick research, i am unable to tell if Chiharu is a man or a woman, and i think that makes this piece more beautiful.  there is no forced sexism regarding the artist's name.  i truly cannot tell if a man or a woman did this piece, and i think that makes it more wonderful.  i am not saying that incorporating an artists partiality is bad, but i am saying that no bias can be good.  i do however hope that by the end of writing this blog i will know if Chiharu is a lad or a lass.  maybe it's both.

the piece displayed at the midway was entitled Trauma (Mother and Child). 2008. it was crafted from plexi glass, string, and and 'object.'  i hate to admit that i don't exactly know what the object was?  does anyone? anyone?  bueller?  additionally, i'm having a very tough time locating an image of the exact piece located in the MCA.  i hope that the images i post within this blog do justice.

within the first few clicks of my research, i was able to find Chiharu's website.  it turns out he/she did an entire exhibit in 2007 called Trauma / Alltag in the........... ( must go to english conference! will return..... sometime)

return.  The exhibit in 2007 called Trauma / Alltag was in the Kenji Taki Gallery in Tokyo, Japan.

i find it very interesting that this show took place only 2 years ago, and it became a part of Darwin and Geri Reedy's collection. i took it upon myself to do further research on their collection, to see if it had any relationship with this piece.  the immediate answer.  below are a few pictures i have gathered from their collection.

i can't really get any cohesive theme from their collection except; expensive.  i wonder what they do for a living? from what i can tell darwin has a gallery @ 51 Peninsula Rd.  in Dellwood, MN, and he's a republican.  oh, the power of the internet....i actually just attempted to contact mr. reedy to inquire about his interest in Chiharu Shiota..  he did not answer.  i will try again later.

...i tried again.   still no answer.  i also went to the CVA library to look up some books about Chiharu Shiota.  of course they didn't have any.  and i would love to travel back to the midway; but lack of transportation forbids me.  chiharu sure is making this difficult for me.  but she ( yes, she! ) certainly has progressed over the years.

"What's under my feet, what I eat, whom I meet - all that influences my art"

i find it interesting that the current installation @ western is Woven Portals: An Installation by Randy Walker.  very similar; i wonder if he's seen her work? 


chiharu shiota's work is open to interpretation, but she puts a lot of her own energy from daydreams to nightmares.  i'm looking forward to learning more about her.


her formal expression is almost obsessive-compulsive.  she creates manifests of unconscious anxiety that screams.  deep; reflective; fascinating.  the work references mental disorder.  loneliness.  solitude.  tension.




unforgettable. 

midway; contemporary

The Secret Life of Objects

Work from private Twin Cities Collections

    unfortunately midway doesn't have a clever alias like my pals Walker and Mia.  I'll just call him midway.      upon entering the building; i barely noticed Wade Guyton's piece X.  is this art? or is this simply a structure holding up the building? or both? art serving a purpose.  who knows.   wade guyton probably knows.

    as i set foot in the building before venturing to the back room, i noticed this disgusting stain on the ceiling.  i thought about telling them that they have a leak, and they should get it checked out before the whole place falls in.  i kept my thoughts to myself; and now i realize...that's art. to each his own.  the more i think about it, the more fond of it i become.  i could not locate this image on the internet; but it was interesting, to say the least. <--i managed to find the image on the gallery website.  who would have thought!

    further in my excursion, my eyes were glued to Monica Bonvicini's work : Add Elegance to Your Poverty, 2002.  I thought it was extremely fascinating and i was curious to know as to how this could be a part of someone's collection.  regardless, it was thought-provoking.  i was indifferent. 

my favorite piece of the exhibition was certainly Carlo Mollino's unique polaroids Untitled.   Matthew Fitzmaurice is a lucky man.  i can't find a close up of this exact image.. but these should suffice to get Mr. Mollino's expression across.  i don't think i could be friends with anyone who had a negative reaction to this piece.  to me, it defines beauty.  someone who doesn't like this piece is someone who wears croc shoes, and doesn't know anything.  and that someone, will never be my friend.

brilliant.

installation

Lovis Corinth 

Oil on canvas

The Minneapolis Institute of Art

  It appears i've made another new friend this past week.  her name is Mia. (MIA)  She is a lot more straightforward then my other new acquaintance, Walker.  I have to ask Walker a lot of questions, while Mia is much easier to understand.  But.. I appreciate both of their friendships.

  I'm still debating my subject matter for my installation piece.  This is simply an introduction.  I'm at the library, but my stomach is begging me leave and let it meet up with spaghetti.  So...  I'll return to this post; soon.

...ahem. that was delicious.

resume.

[side note, the school is on lock down -- and i'm stuck in the library.]

my camera was broken at the time of the visit... so i am improvising.

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If I were to create an installation with items from The Minneapolis Institute of arts it would include several images, photographs, sculptures of nudity along a back wall, painted black.  in the center of the room there would be a very sheer piece of fabric from somewhere in the textiles section.  I believe that viewers of the installation would get a sense that nudity is forbidden, but the sense of the cloth justifies the 'stark truth'   The various portrayals of nudity would give a sense of history of the body and it's importance.   

Even if there is no set purpose by the artist, the purpose is for the viewer to create his/her own thoughts about the installation.  Nudity is and will probably always be disputed, so the effect of this installation would be interesting.  Perhaps even have a few live nudes. 

A quote by William Blake would also be tactfully displayed.

"Art can never exist without naked beauty displayed."

Nude on a Couch

Gustave Caillebotte 

Oil on canvas

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Battle of the Nudes

Antonio Pollaiuolo
Engraving
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Reclining Female Nude

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
Watercolor, graphite and oil pastel on off-white medium weight smooth wove paper
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Nude Male Body on Wicker Seat

Eva Rubinstein
Gelatin silver print
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Large Seated Nude

Henri Matisse
Bronze

Nude

Edward Weston
Gelatin silver print
The Minneapolis Institute of Art

Source: http://www.artsmia.org

me & my friends are so smart; we invented this new kind of art; postmodernist. -- the moldy peaches

i have a new friend, his name is Walker.  we'd never met before, but i can tell i'll be visiting him often.


(and old man just approached me @ nina's and asked me if i 'forgot' to do my homework)
no.. i politely lied.  i... work much better in the mornings.
what are you writing about? - old man.
art. postmodernism. the walker.
well why don't you write about the art of procrastination? - old man.


end scene.


new scene.
The Walker Art Center
Douglas Huebler,  Duration #31
Boston 1974.


interpretation is everything.


Postmodern attempts to explain reality.  Douglas Huebler succeeds with his piece Duration #31.  This was one of the most captivating pieces in the exhibit.  It truly expresses postmodernism.  It denies the existence of any principles. An attractive woman is depicted, as the write-up explains her stance.  He positioned the shot around midnight of new years eve so that approximately half of her body would represent the old year, 1973, and the opposing half would be a part of the new year, 1974.  Because 'time' moves from east to west. 


Some say postmodern, there are no originals.  Only copies.  And perhaps that is what it is.  The entire notion of postmodern is tested because it's definition is so open-ended.  And maybe that's what it is-- Is this true with this piece? Regardless, it's stunning.




Douglas is a conceptual artist.  The concept is far more important than material concerns.  Genius.
This quote summarizes:


"The world is more or less full of objects, more or less interesting. I do not wish to add anymore. I prefer, simply, to state the existence of things in terms of time and place." 


curtains close.