Contemporary Art as an Access Point

1. Contemporary Artas an Access Point Katherine Giard University of Central Florida

2. Introduction • Any art program is better than no art program. • Is that enough? • Art education challenges minds to be critical, reflect, process skills and techniques, organize structure, make meaning of historical and global connections, be innovative through the use of technology, and, then, assimilate these big ideas for application in the future (“Next Generation,” n.d.).

3. The goal of art education “’is not the art itself, or the aesthetic product, or the aesthetic experience, but rather the child who grows up more creatively and sensitively and applies his experience in the arts to whatever life situations may be applicable’ (quoted in Michael, 1982, p. xix)” (Efland, 1990, p. 235). • Contemporary artists think currently, not only locally, but also globally. • Students who are provided the opportunity to investigate “issues of real concern to them are more engaged in the learning process” (Gude, 2007, p. 8).

4. Han Yajuan

5. Introduction. • Born in 1980 in Qingdao, China, Han Yajuan “enjoyed the social and cultural openness that China has had to offer for its citizens since its economic reform more than a decade ago” (Ng, n.d., para. 2). • paintings are a running commentary on peer society • artist of the Cartoon Generation, grew up with technology, social media, and the internet • girls exude consumerism, material reality, and consumption

6. previous generations of artist were oppressed by a regime that used art to make political statements and produce propaganda (“Chinese Art,” n.d.). • Yajuan’s art is completely contrary to a society that once discouraged individuality and Western influences

7. Biography. • earned her B.A. from the China Academy of Art, well respected institution • worked in the College of Visual Art at the China Academy of Art • earned an M.F.A. from the Oil Painting Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts • currently lives and works in Beijing, China

8. Significance. • forefront of an expanding and evolving Chinese art world, Mainland China has overtaken Japan as the biggest world economy • figures often seem simplistic until you look past their superficial exteriors • closed eyes? • cow companions • caricatures embrace capitalism and success, but at what price?

9. XL Beetle2007oil on canvas, 240 x 120 cm

10. House Party2010oil on canvas, 300 x 150 cm

11. “Almost all her recent works adopt bird’s eye perspective. There are multiple focuses and scenes in each of the paintings, with all the focuses and scenes being independent and equally important. The perspective with multiple focuses is consistent with the multi-point perspective used in traditional Chinese painting, which enables artists to depict objects from different angles and allows the audience to have diversified experiences. The perspective not only empowers Han Yajuan to depict multiple scenes and plots simultaneously, but also makes her art language an effective vehicle of her ideas. The complicated scenes described with the perspective indicate the complexity of society and reveal that seemingly unrelated people may be interconnected with each other (Chunfeng, 2011, para. 2).”

12. Splash Bash No.022011oil on canvas, 200 x 120 cm

13. Episodic Memory #12011oil on canvas, 60 x 60 cm

14. “My recent creations consider the relationship between people, objectivity, and space, and I attempt to use a kind of perspective that transcends reality in order to observe and express the existence of physical ‘materialism.’ Through deconstruction and the overall composition, a multi-dimensional perspective presents itself, and this creates an effect that can highlight the interplay between people, objectivity, and material culture. This type of thinking originates from our curiosity and suspicion of the unknown world, and our investigative probe into the ‘unknown’ behind ‘existent reality.’ And this ‘unknown’ factor may well influence and construct the elements underlying our ‘existent reality’” (“Han Yajuan,” 2011, Talk, para. 1). • symbolism in Chinese painting

15. Diva Fever Fest2012oil on canvas, 200 x 120 cm

16. Hypothetical Proposition2012oil on canvas, 130 x 85 cm

17. Implications. • engaging, cartoon-like • excellent opportunity to explore art as it relates to another culture • think about the lives of people in another place • traditions of Chinese painting in her work, symbols • commentary, stories • interrelatedness of individuals, identity, exploring self • artist’s process

18. Conclusion. • works offer social commentary via ultra feminine figures who are delightfully engaging and unexpectedly relatable • Yajuan’s work represents a culture and a generation dealing with same themes of relationships, identity, and place that exist for others all over the world • Forces us to see that we aren’t so unalike

19. Banksy

20. Introduction. • elusive figure in the street art scene, identity is unknown • works are a running commentary about everything from politics to social themes • works pop up all over the world, on any public surface • paintings, assemblages, and films (nominated for an Oscar in 2011, documentary)

21. Biography. • born in 1974, in Bristol, in West England • spraying paint at 14 • trained as a butcher • part of the Bristol underground scene in 1990s, diverse urban culture, collaborations between musicians and graffiti artists, influenced by 3D • stenciling technique • work parallels that of the Godfather of street art Blek Le Rat • King Robbo, engage in ongoing “Graffiti Wars,” over painting, with artwork and insults

22. Significance • “satirical pieces of art on topics such as politics, culture and ethics” (“Biography for Banksy,” n.d., para. 2). • works are amusing and then, thought provoking • stereotypical graffiti • clever, planned, and imaginative, simple and quick • "Art should have your pulse racing, your palms clammy with nerves and the excitement of creating something truly original in a dangerous environment," Banksy once said (Chaundy, 2006, Political, para. 5).

23. White-Washing of Human Historyn.d.

24. Rat Muraln.d.

25. street artist don’t just go away, as tenacious, invasive, and relentless as rats reveling in their underworld

26. Cigarette Break2009

27. Parkingn.d.

28. challenge the establishment and the status quo • placement is brilliant, appearing on the side of a windowless building, overlooking a parking lot in California, one of the most congested locations in the world

29. Follow Your Dreamsn.d.

30. Sweeping it Under the Carpetn.d.

31. “a metaphor for the West's reluctance to tackle issues like Aids in Africa” (Chaundy, 2006, Political, para. 1).

32. Flower Thrower2010

33. Implications. • obvious technical aspect, planning, creating stencils, spray paint, time • spends time thinking, reflecting • using a stencil to create artwork constitutes an art form? • explore the use of language and symbols, making a statement simply

34. Conclusion. • street art has meaning • may never run out of images and insights to impart • Society reflects the human condition and Banksy sees it as his job to hold the mirror, so that we don’t miss the reflection.

35. Carrie Mae Weems

36. Introduction. • purposeful photographs that beg you to look, linger, and contemplate • as an artist, she is a storyteller, developing plots, using props, and integrating words with image • strives to unravel the truth about race, gender, and class • explore who we are, as individuals, and our sense of place in the world

37. Biography. • born in 1953, large Portland, Oregon, family • interested in dance, shifted to photography when she was gifted a camera • The Black Photography Annual, a book of African-American photographers, more creative • New York to study photography at the Studio Museum in Harlem, bicoastal • B.F.A. at the California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, black women non-existent in art • M.F.A. from the University of California, San Diego

38. studied folklore in the graduate program at the University of California, Berkeley • currently lives in Syracuse, New York and maintains a studio in Brooklyn, New York

39. Significance. • help us define who we are by showing us the sum of our parts in one visual representation • make a change in ourselves or in the world or not • we are more than the labels and constraints that society imposes • works masterfully challenge us to see who we are • she pushes us to become more than we can hope to imagine

40. Family Pictures and Stories1981-1982

41. Black Woman with ChickenAin’tJokin’1987-1988

42. Colored People1989-1990

43. “I assume that I can speak from multiple places and in multiple contexts. And even if I’m wrong, I assume that I can speak for those who can’t or are too afraid to speak for themselves” (Art Participant, 2012, para. 4).

44. The Kitchen Table Series1990

45. Dreaming in Cuba2001

46. Roaming2006

47. Obama Project2012http://carriemaeweems.net/galleries/obama-project.html

48. “In a Feb. 29 New York Times review, art critic Roberta Smith wrote of Weems, ‘No American photographer of the last quarter-century … has turned out a more probing, varied and moving body of work. None has made more adventurous use of the photographic medium, adding performance, film and installation to the serial print format’” (“Carrie Mae Weems,” 2008, para. 2).

49. Implications. • world of photography for children to explore, “Cameras are powerful tools of creative expressionism” (Linderman, 2009, p. 139). • provide the ability to tell a story, capture a moment, and send a message • Is photography art? • determine if there is a message being sent through the work • explore, research, and share photographers that are meaningful, sending a message, and explain

50. technical aspects of operating a camera • appropriate vocabulary relating to the field of photography • explore the theme of identity