Monday 30 July 2012

Post-Modernism with Ai Wei Wei and Banksy

"Its this confusion on what postmodernism actually is that makes any attempt at critiquing it so difficult." (Bryon Clark)


Questions from the Cadi Blog:

I. Define Post-Modernism using 8-10 bullet points that include short quotes.
  • Reflexivity
             "The post-modern artist is "reflexive" in that he/she is self-aware and 
              consciously involved in a process of thinking about him/herself and society in 
              a deconstructive manner, "demasking" pretensions, becoming aware of 
              his/her cultural self in history, and accelerating the process of self-consciousness."  
              (Witcombe, 2000, para. 19)
  • Relativism
             "Relativism is the idea that "anything  goes." It is the position where one has 
              left the belief in absolute truth, and instead embraced the idea that knowledge 
              is dependent on one's perspecitive." (Saugstad, 2001, para. 5-6)
  • Rejection of modernist reason
             "The seemingly anti-modern stance involves a basic rejection of the tenets of 
              Modernism; that is to say, a rejection of the doctrine of the supremacy of 
              reason, the notion of the truth, the belief in the perfectability of man, and the 
              idea that we could create a better, if not perfect, society." 
              (Witcombe, 2000, para. 7)
  • Non-universalist
              "But in postmodernism, society is more fragmented. Belief in the One Truth, or 
               universal criteria, has been substituted by a number of "small stories," and a 
               diversity of criteria." (Saugstad, 2001, para. 9)
  • Pluralist
              "Echoing concerns of postmodern and poststructuralist (see Chapter 5) theory, 
               cultural studies has tended to emphasize polysemy and pluralism: meanings are 
               not received uniformly by a 'mass' audience, they are negotiated by many 
               different groups." (Ward, 1997, p. 56)
  • Irony
              "Irony in postmodernism erases the difference between ideal and real, high and 
               low culture". 
               (Thomson, n.d. "Some ramifications for language and literature," para. 5).
  • Reconstructive
              "Constructive postmodernism does not reject Modernism, but seeks to revise its 
               premises and traditional concepts." (Witcombe, 2000, para. 14)
  • Linguistic Idealism
              "a radical and quite bizarre idea that language contstructs reality." 
               (Saugstad, 2001, para. 12)

II. Use a quote by Witcombe (2000) to define the Post-Modern artist.
 According to Witcombe (2000):
      
      The post-modern artist is "reflexive" in that he/she is self-aware and consciously 
      involved in a process of thinking about him/herself and society in a deconstructive 
      manner, "demasking" pretensions, becoming aware of his/her cultural self in history, 
      and accelerating the process of self-conciousness. (pg. 24)

III. Research Chinese artist Ai Wei Wei's 'Han Dynasty Urn with Coca-Cola Logo' (1994) in order to say what features of the work could be considered Post-Modernism.

'Han Dynasty Urn with Coca-Cola Logo' (1994) Ai Wei Wei

Ai Wei Wei's 'Han Dynasty Urn with Coca-Cola Logo' is considered a Post-modern artwork because it explores the issues of Postmodernism and contains postmodern values like irony and reflexivity; his view of the current society. The artwork isn't about the skill of the artist or the material, but the ideas and reflection of the current culture; which is what most post-modern art tends to show.

The antique urn is valuable not for the object itself, but the representation of the Chinese traditions, culture and history. By placing a popular Western brand onto the urn, Ai shows that in the present day we are living in a commercial and consumerism culture. This culture is replacing our past traditional ideals. Not many people can tell that this is a special urn, but almost everyone can recognize the 'Coca-Cola' logo. Our culture can be said to be "redefined by branding" (Monti, 2012, "Authorship, Subjectivity, Authenticity, and Value in Modern China," para. 1). 

A post-modern feature of the urn is the play of irony on the urn's value. The urn itself is a valuable object but by placing the 'Coca-Cola' logo on the urn, Ai has devalued the urn. However the logo has made the urn become more valuable but not as a Han Dynasty but as an artwork.

IV. Research British artist Banksy's street art, and analyze the following two works by the artist
to discuss how each work can be defined at Post-Modern.


Banksy is a very popular yet very mysterious graffiti/urban street artist. His works normally focuses on social issues; such as war, poverty, capitalism and the government. He is described by the Urbanist (n.d.) as a "counter-cultural prankster". He is a very post-modern artist because he is 'reflexive'; he is aware of the society that surrounds him. By making marks on city walls and buildings he is trying to get across his ideas and views on the current society. It could also be seen as rejecting modernist reason. The path that the world is going is probably not the ideal utopia for underground people like Banksy, who once said "Graffiti doesn’t always spoil buildings. In fact, it’s the only way to improve a lot of them" (2008, para.29).

'Flower Riot' Banksy

'Flower Riot' is considered a post-modern work because of it's play on irony. The work shows a gang member or rioter throwing a bouquet of flowers instead of something dangerous, which is unexpected especially from the position of the rioter. Instead of making war, he is making peace. This work could also be interpreted in many ways, because of the post-modern pluralist and non-universal society. Is the rioter trying to make peace, or was he already making peace to begin with? This question can also be applied to war and terrorism, like whether they are on the side of justice or not.

'Los Angeles' (2008) Banksy

Again playing with irony, 'Los Angeles' is about a prehistoric man holding a tray of fast food that only exist in present day. The burger, chips and drink automatically reminds us of Mcdonalds. This could be about Banksy's view on our consumerism world. The work seen in Los Angeles is very significant because Los Angeles is a city of culture. However in recent years because of the media and celebrities influences, Los Angeles has become a more idealized place for these celebrities. Banksy might have wanted to show that people in this area are losing their history and culture. This is very post-modern and by going forward with this idealized view, we are like a caveman forgetting how to get food.


Reference:
http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/postmodernism.htm
http://workersparty.org.nz/2008/08/25/a-marxist-critique-of-postmodernism/
http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/elab/hfl0242.html
http://arthistoryresources.net/modernism/modpostmod.html
http://personal.georgiasouthern.edu/~dougt/pomo.htm
http://www.communicationandculture.co.uk/postmodernism.html 
http://www.dukenexus.org/894/beyond-the-%E2%80%98fake-smile%E2%80%99-ai-weiwei%E2%80%99s-vision-for-individual-rights-in-china/ 
http://dailyserving.com/2010/07/ai-weiwei-dropping-the-urn/ 
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/05/14/070514fa_fact_collins?currentPage=all 
http://weburbanist.com/2007/07/19/banksy-paradox-unofficial-guide-to-the-worlds-most-infamous-urban-guerilla-street-artist/ 
http://weburbanist.com/2008/08/12/the-art-of-being-banksy-interviews-films-and-videos-featuring-the-elusive-street-artist-part-five-in-an-eight-part-banksy-series/ 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3672135/Banksy-off-the-wall.html 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1024130/Breaking-Banksy-The-interview-worlds-elusive-artist.html 

AUT University. (2012). Academic literacies in visual communications 2: Resource book.
      Auckland, New Zealand: Lyceum Press for AUT University.

Explorationfilms. (2008, June 25). What is post-modernism? [Video file]. Retrieved from
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL8MhYq9owo

Inkw311. (2006, April 4). Banksy [Video file]. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/8e0IJSOq0xg

KET. (2011). Street art: The best urban art from around the world. London: Michael O'Mara
      Books Limited.

Opensourcebuddhism. (2009, March 27). Post-modernism: Deconstruction and derrida 
      pt. 1 [Video file]. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/Fs5Q0tYlVQc

Ward, G. (1997). Postmodernism. London: Hodder Headline Ltd. 

Monday 23 July 2012

Semester 2 with Nathalie Djurberg's 'Claymations'

"Nathalie Djurberg's claymation films are sweet, depraved things that can shock, amuse and confound in equal measure." (Skye Sherwin, Guardian.co.uk)

'Feed All the Hungry Little Children' (2007) Nathalie Djurberg

Questions from the Cadi Blog:

I.What do you understand by the word 'Claymation'?
Claymation is a type of animation that uses clay. The clay objects or figures are moved and filmed using stop-motion photography to bring them to life. Claymation is popular today especially in films aimed at children such as 'Wallace and Gromit'. The term 'Claymation' probably came from the words 'Clay' and 'Animation'. 

II. What is meant by the term 'surrealistic Garden of Eden' and 'all that is natural goes awry'? 
The term 'surrealistic Garden of Eden' was used to describe Djurberg's 'Experiment' in 2009.  The term describes how the Garden of Eden in 'Experiment' was surrealistic - things that are found in the natural world are changed to become a more psychological dream-like state . Djurberg's garden is odd and dark; A Garden of Eden that was formed in Hell.
'All that is natural goes awry' supports this dark Garden of Eden. It describes how Djurberg's natural environment and organic forms in the Garden of Eden are twisted, bizarre, and disturbing - almost an invert of what is in the real natural world. Shown by the nauseating, cold and darker shades of colour.

'Element' (2009) Nathalie Djurberg
III. What are the 'complexity of emotions' that Djurberg confronts us with?
Because of the strange, sweet, yet disturbing horror that Djurberg gives us, we get nostalgic looking at her work with a hint of nightmare at the same time. These contradictory elements creates this complex depth that stirs up the emotions inside of the viewer. Djurberg confronts us with our childhood fantasy but also giving us the fear that we only see in our dreams or the eyes of a child.

IV. How does Djurberg play with the ideas of children's stories, and innocence in some of her work?
Djurberg tends to start her films off with children's stories-like feel and innocence. Keeping the traditional roles of fairy tales such as the good, bad, and kind helper; she blurs these roles by adding gore to make the film more grotesque. She probably wants to show that naivety and innocence do not last long, and the real world is nothing like these pure childish stories. Djurberg also notes that appearances can be deceiving, like children are actually not as innocent as they seem.

V. There is a current fascination by some designers with turning the innocent and sweet into something disturbing. Why do you think this has come about?
The idea of 'sweet and innocent' is very nostalgic and can be related to many people's childhood. By adding dark elements to these ideas it makes things more interesting. Not only does it 'wake up' the viewer, but can also cause some discomfort which is what makes the idea very eye-catching.
Another reason is probably because of the current society. 'Sweet and innocent' obviously falls into the 'light' category. By adding evil to good, dark to light, artist and designers are blurring the line that defines what is good and bad. This is a reflection of the present life of today.

VI. In your opinion, why do you think Djurberg's work is so interesting that it was chosen for the Venice Biennale?
I personally think Djurberg's work was chosen because her work is about grotesque. The disturbing, ugly yet beautiful is a concept that is gaining popularity in current years. Her works also questions the viewer about their perception of right and wrong, showing us a fantasy realm where we have to question these ideas and confront our fears of what we do not understand. Another reason could be the way she lays out her clay sculptures to make a scene is not how you'll see it in a usual gallery. Her works also makes people talk and debate, which is why I think it was good for the Venice Biennale.

VII. Add some of your own personal comments on her work.


Even though I have not seen any of Djurberg's animations, I think her work is very interesting and makes you most aware of how human you are. I think that is why her works are very uncomfortable to look at. Realizing and accepting the truth is not always easy. As we investigate into the dark side of the human soul we realize how much humans are capable of. I think Djurberg's work allows us to question whether there is such a line between good and evil.


Reference:
http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/10/view/6886/nathalie-djurberg-experiment-at-venice-art-biennale-09.html
http://blog.art21.org/2009/06/16/nathalie-djurberg-and-paul-chan-making-weird-worlds-at-birnbaums-biennale/
http://we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/2009/10/nathalie-djurberg-who-won-the.php
http://artnews.org/artist.php?i=1211

Kazanjian, D. (2008). Wicked fairy tales. Retrieved from http://dev.www.zachfeuer.com     
      /wp-content/uploads/ND_Vogue_1108.pdf

Schwabsky, B. (2006). Emerging artist. Retrieved from http://www.zachfeuer.com 
       /wp-content/uploads/ND_ModernPainters_0906.pdf