How have artists made us think about labor? This past weekend, I saw this wonderful intervention by a dance company in Singapore in making us think about the migrant laborers in Singapore. They foregrounded the laborers by placing them on stage, by responding to their poems, and by inviting them to watch this celebration of their lives. Share with the class an image or a article that brings up this issue of labor.
I think in recent times, labour has become a central theme among many artists. Some, like Dede Eri Supria, talk about labour in terms of class struggle, while others like Duane Hanson speak of the banality of it and how such labour goes unnoticed. In researching artists who have tackled the theme of labour, I was particularly struck by Kara Walker’s body of work, especially A Subtlety, which was a large-scale public art installation of a sugar sphinx placed in the context of a soon-to-be demolished sugar factory.
Armchair
John and William Linnell
About 1754 (made)
About 1840 (japanned)
Beechwood frame, gilt and japanned, with traces of red paint below; modern upholstery
Museum no. W.33-1990
Credit: V & A
I’m thinking of using this object for our exhibition guys! What caught my eye about it is the Chinese latticework on the back and sides of the chair which are even inscribed with Chinese characters and floral motifs. It seems very elegant amidst other kinds of chinoiserie furniture that can look fairly tacky due to being too ‘busy’.
In week 3, we learned about Catherine of Austria and her kunstkammer. Who is a another female patron of the arts? As you reflect on this question, remember to link any images or textual sources to your journal posting that might relate to this question or your thoughts on it.
When I think of female patrons, I instinctively seem to relate it to Italian Renaissance ladies who commissioned artists for portraits of themselves. Silly, but I guess this speaks to the fact that female patronage is often perceived as an antiquated notion, simply because we rarely hear of it in current times. However, this is absolutely not the case and a quick Google search will show you that there are plenty of modern female patrons of art, many of whom are still making waves in the art world. One such woman happens to be Agnes Gund, president emerita of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), chair of its International Council and chairman of MoMA PS1.
Gund’s portfolio is extensive – she served as MoMA president from 1991 to 2002, established and currently chairs Studio in a School – a non-profit arts program that pairs professional artists with New York City public schools -, was appointed member of the New York State Council on the Arts, and was most recently nominated by President Barack Obama as a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Council on the Arts. She also sits on several arts boards in Cleveland, where she grew up.
A staunch feminist, Gund currently takes particular interest in collecting works by female artists, as well as African-American artists. She is also a firm advocate for arts education, often citing her formative years growing up and taking classes at the Cleveland Museum of Art as being instrumental in her appreciation of the arts.
At 76, despite getting on in her years, Gund still regularly conducts studio visits and counts famed artists like Ellsworth Kelly and Chuck Close as friends. Her energy knows no bounds, and I can only hope we see more of her like, especially in Asia’s rapidly growing art scene.
F.Y.I (For Your Interest!) – check out this video if you’re curious about this lovely lady! She talks about how museums acquire art, why everyone should collect art and the role of women in art.
How have your images of Africa changed after today’s class on African ivories? Please link images and texts related to your reflections.
My ideas of Africa have always been skewed at best. We learn very little in school about precolonial Africa, and Western media often focuses on depicting Africa in its extremes; as a continent constantly struggling with famine, disease, uncertainty, conflict and danger, or a beautiful, exotic continent full of adventure and mystery.
(See below for T-Swift’s latest slightly problematic depiction of a white-washed, romanticised Africa.)
Needless to say, racism, income inequality and sexism (re: genital mutilation) have often been at the forefront of my mind upon the mention of Africa.
However, it was heartening to know that Africa (all 54 countries!) was not always this way. In fact, I was deeply surprised to find out that the Portuguese who made their way to Africa in the 15th century saw the locals as equals in their negotiation, as it is too often the case that in colonised countries, the natives are treated as inferior beings or unfairly exploited.
From an artistic standpoint, I find the aesthetics of the Afro-Portuguese ivories fascinating. Its synthesis of African expression and subject matter with European imagery is reminiscent of the Chinese encounter with Indian Buddhism, that saw the blending of Indian symbolism and subject matter with a definitively Chinese rendering and interpretation. It was also interesting to be reminded that the meanings of certain symbols which we take for granted nowadays, such as the cross, have multiple meanings across different cultures.
What is “art” for you? What are the different ways to think about this term art? Link images or articles that you see relevant to this question or your reflections.
As Marcel Duchamp says, “What I have in mind is that art may be bad, good or indifferent, but, whatever adjective is used, we must call it art, and bad art is still art in the same way that a bad emotion is still an emotion.” Thus, the definition of art today has become so loose that it would probably be easier to talk about what art isn’t.
(Haha.)
To me, art is a man-made experience, aimed at communicating an idea to an audience. It is a means of expression – an expression of imagination, a perspective, an opinion, or of one’s skills. It can serve social, physical and personal functions, and cause differing opinions among people, even over time.
In fact, time plays a major factor in what was/is considered ‘art’; the earliest periods of history point to art being a means of recording and preserving information to be disseminated to later generations. They were made with the function of education in mind, and often had a religious or spiritual connection – to gods, nature spirits, etc. This later changed, with art taking on a more decorative aspect; artists served as craftsmen or artisans, putting aesthetically-pleasing decorations on objects of utility. It was only during the Renaissance era that we began to see the transition of an artist from a pure artisan, to that of one with greater autonomy in communicating his/her views about an issue.
Fast forward to today: art seems everywhere and nowhere at once. Art is in galleries, museums, public spaces and the ether. Art is made for art’s sake, as well as for society and personal catharsis. It no longer needs to be beautiful or even made by the artist’s own hands (see: The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, Damien Hirst and An Oak Tree, Michael Craig-Martin). With such a broad definition of what art is, then perhaps the more pressing question is what makes ‘good’ art, if there is even such a thing.
