I've Narrowed it Down

Some have shown interest in knowing about the artists I will be studying for my thesis. Well, I've narrowed it down to two non-Western contemporary artists: El Anatsui, born in Ghana, but lives and works in Nigeria, and Rosanna Raymond, born in New Zealand, but now works in London. El Anatsui uses everyday materials and things he finds around him such as wood, nails, wire, and bottle caps. His work reflects much on the history of Africa, but also how that history is reflected in the present. He uses saws and torches to cut and burn into wood, creating a richly textured surface. He makes huge tapesteries, weaving together colorful bottlecaps in strategic patters. The tapestries are paradoxical, both rich and appealing, but also rough to the touch. I am intrigued by El Anatsui's exploration of a painful past through a vibrant and creative means. I was first introduced to El Anatsui's work in the British Museum. They have one of his 'tapestries' hanging in their African galleries. It is a strange feeling to see his contemporary work amongst all the 'traditional' masks, weaponry, and other African 'artifacts.' This is what I hope to explore further. I have been extremely happy to find more of El Anatsui's work in London at the Victoria and Albert Museum and at the October Gallery. The picture here is his work entitled 'Akua's Surviving Children.' It is a comment on the African slave trade. El Anatsui was walking along the shores of Denmark (actually the first country to abolish slavery) and he noticed these planks of wood washing up from the shore. He began collecting them and, after adding some nails and wire to the wood, he situated them to resemble figures. It is powerful to see this piece among the extremely rich collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum. I highly reccommend the following site where you can see more of El Anatsui's work, including his tapestries...

http://www.octobergallery.co.uk/microsites/anatsui/

More to come on New Zealand born artist Rosanna Raymond...

Home...

I took this quote from postsecret.blogspot.com

It was too good not to repeat.

"You know that point in your life when you realize that the house that you grew up in isn't really your home anymore? Even though you have some place where you can put your stuff that idea of home is gone.

You won't have this feeling again until you create a new idea of home for yourself, you know, for your kids, for the family you start, it's like a cycle or something. Maybe that's all family really is. A group of people who miss the same imaginary place."

A New Semester

Well, it certainly has been a while since I have updated by blog. This semester has started out with a few bumps for me, including coming down with a strange virus! I believe I am on the mend, however, and I am scrambling to get caught up with my school work. Yesterday I handed in two papers, both for my American Modernisms class. It has been fascinating to learn about America at the turn of the twentieth century. Yesterday we talked about "Fordism," the phenomenon of mass production introduced by Henry Ford and the production of cars. I had not realized that the first conveyor belt was used in one of Henry Ford's factories! You may wonder how all of this relates to art. It seems that the machine became popular subject matter for artists at the turn of the century. We talked about the importance of Dada, an art movement that originated in Zurich Switzerland and eventually spread to various European cities and then New York. The Dadaists challenged the meaning of art. (You may be familiar with Duchamp's urinal from 1917, entitled 'Fountain'?) But we also talked about Dada artists like Francis Picabia. Picabia created images like 'Parade Amoureuse' from 1917. And those Dadaists that came from Europe in the early twentieth century had been influenced greatly by the machine and it's use in war, in the mass destruction of human life. So while Americans were idealizing the machine for it's ability to speed production, the European Dadaists were more pessimistic of the machine. While the Dadaists used the machine in art as a way to critique both art and the use of the machine, American artists used factories and machinery as the metaphor for a new American landscape in their paintings. Charles Sheeler is just one of the artists we talked about in class who took up this subject matter. (See Charles Sheeler, Classic Landscape, 1931) Charles Sheeler was categorized as a Precisionist. Precisionism then came the name for this art movement, and the artists were praised for their 'precise' technique. This barely sums up all we discussed in class. I am certainly enjoying all my classes. I am also taking Twentieth Century Modernisms in France and Britain, and Postmodernism in Art and Visual Culture. Today I turned in a proposal for a long paper I will be writing for my Postmodernism class. I will be writing on the artist Jimmie Durham, and how his work fits in a Postmodern context. (See Jimmie Durham, La Malinche, 1988-1991).

Portabello Road

One of my favorite places in London is Portabello Road. There are so many neat things to see and to buy at this outdoor market. The first time I went I couldn't help singing the Portabello Rd song from Disney's "Bedknobs and Broomsticks." If you have seen the movie, though, the actual Portabello Rd. is quite different, although there are lots of antique shops and many things to buy. My classmate and I have made it a weekly ritual to walk to Portabello Rd. every Saturday. We buy fresh produce and dried fruit, and then we eat lunch at this great vegetarian place along the way. Before Christmas I bought my Grandma this doll, and then I ended up keeping it for myself! Sorry Grandma!! My Grandma has lots of dolls, however, and I ended up getting her something even better. (excuses excuses) Anyways, here are pictures of the doll. I hope Erica, you will be especially interested!



Other news, the semester is in full swing, and I have many papers and presentations keeping me busy. It is quite an adjustment this semester to have both Monday and Tuesday free of classes. They do this so if students need to travel to do research for their thesis, they can. I hope to use the time for lots of reading and writing. I shall learn to be quite self-disciplined...i hope!

moon birds

original work by Amber Lee

"Volume": Art turns interactive

Hello, friends. I'm back in London...ready to start round two. Check out this amazing installation temporarily located at the Victoria and Albert Museum. It is made up of a series of poles that give off light and sound, which are triggered when viewers move amongst the poles. Each pole gives off a different sound, so as you move among the poles you experience different sensations. One of my friends said that each pole triggered different kinds of memories for her. The Victoria and Albert Museum displays some of the oldest collections in Britain, so it is refreshing, I think, for viewers to encounter this contemporary work of art in the midst of all the Romanesque Sculptures and Renaissance painting. Viewers go crazy over the installation, specifically large groups of young children. It is a field trip, for sure. I think such interactive works are becoming more and more familiar in the art world, as viewers seek an authentic experience, rather than looking at something two-dimensional and from a distance. Someone once told me, people want to know they exist; I think works like "volume" remind us of such things.

For more information on the installation, see:

http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/contemporary/volume/index.html