Looking back, looking forward: a journey through fine art practice:
It was very informative to explore contemporary art and the lack of an ’-ism’. As Hayley mentioned in the session, contemporary art appears to be part of a cultural dialogue that concerns larger contextual frameworks (personal and cultural identity, community, and nationality). Contemporary art keeps pushing the boundaries and combines methods, concepts and materials. It is inspiring to be reminded how important the role of an artist can be in society. How it can be a voice to those who can’t or are afraid to speak. I love how art can bering attention to an idea and how it often questions why things are the way they are. Art thinks for itself and makes a stand on behalf of those who can relate to what it is saying. It makes people think without pushing and shouting and forcing anyone to do so.
The examples that was shown in the presentation was very interesting but some of them also a bit disturbing. Overall, the art of the 21st century it is about moving forward and moving art forward together with new perspectives and concepts of our time. I can’t help but sense the rebellion that is often a characteristic of contemporary artists. I believe that rebellion is a necessary part is society, because often things need to be challenged and not accepted at face value. I believe the world needs rebels and often when I get to know children, it is the ones with some spunk and rebellion that I feel will become the leaders of tomorrow- if guided and developed in the right way. That said, what I find less enjoyable is when artists deliberately push the boundaries and break the ’rules’ with the sole purpose of shocking and challenging the status quo as a means of getting attention (even if it’s negative attention) or achieving some kind of fame. If your work is supported with valid context and theory, then I want to look a bit deeper but if your work is based on whatever has not been done before and whatever is more ‘weird’ than what was done before, I am not interested.
I would like to come back to this post to elaborate on the artists that I found informative.
To be continued…
Contextual Study Session:
The following session that with Michele Whiting. We were able to talk about our contextual studies and ask questions. I really enjoyed this session and the feedback that I got. Listening to the other students, I was relieved to know that they had similar concerns and questions which made me feel more at ease.
Some point that I look away from the session:
- Write questions
- Write the intro of your conceptual study last
- Make something, look at what it is telling you, then make some more (this will keep it alive)
Michele mentioned Anthony Vidler and his writings on ’Warped space’ with themes of anxiety. I am in the process of reading about his work. The Primacy of Drawing by Deanna Petherbridge is another book that Sissel and Michele mentioned and I have had a quick look online. It looks like something I should have on my shelf!
Veronica Ryan who won the Turner prize in 2022 was awarded by the Jury for the ’personal and poetic way she extends the language of sculpture’. Also her use of space, colour and scale. I find her inspirational as I aim to also bring some 3 dimensional work into my practice.
As I spoke about the ideas for my contextual study, I mentioned that I would like to explore the idea of my body as ’home’ to my imaginations, thoughts and emotions. To explore the rooms in my soul alongside the domestic spaces I find myself in. Imagined reality vs reality itself.
Michele responded by saying that Reflecting as a method for research has been used widely and is a valid method for research. Donals Shon’s book – ‘The reflective practitioner’ 1984 is a book I need to read in the near future.
I will end this post with something that Michele said when responding to another student’s work: ’ The context of the human condition always changes but the human condition doesn’t.’ This statement rings true to me because even though contemporary art is evolving and moving forward, the human condition – the needs of his soul and the longings and emotional response stays the same. As I continue on my journey to discover what it is that will emerge from this MA, I will look at the human condition in context with our times.