Unit 1 Project proposal
2019
How do I understand contemporary art? - Stories, materials and broken rules.
Contemporary art creation, as far as I am concerned, is not all about personal inside, but more focusing on the society and the life highlights. By creating artworks, an art creator can show his or her mind, thinking and a unique angle of view, all is aim to respond to what we have received from the contemporary world. A successful artist, if you ask me, must be an excellent storyteller, he or she always be curious, refresh and relish a sensitivity to the world, seeking for the new materials and methods, not afraid to break the rule, find, reveal the problem in the society in an artistic way.
Aims & objectives
Since starting my undergraduate studies in printmaking, I feel I have had the opportunity and freedom to experiment and explore my ideas fully. I have been able to expand and develop my insight into contemporary art, comprehensive painting materials, experimental art and I am now able to create more effective and convincing imagery in other related fields with my further exploration in painting during my postgraduate studies.
The overarching aim of my project is to explore the relationship between contemporary artists and viewers. My aims are:
- To expand my practice of new materials, to find new flashes by doing a lot more practice, different materials could suggest different contexts, try to turn my direction from 2D to 3D, small scale to large scale.
- To get to know: What does the viewer think of contemporary art? In what way? How they like to involved in the field of art?
- To train my painting skills, learn more techniques, try to combine several approaches in my work ( printmaking, photography, animation, etc.)
- To further study art history and explore new possibilities.
Ideas, material requirements & research
Because of my previous study in printmaking, I am extremely curious about materials, making process and methods. I believe the same content will show diverse meanings because of the change of carrier, and I am eager to explore it. I have been to London for two months, In the past few days I made several pieces of work as a part of my project, they showed my London culture shock and mental experience.
- The Fox’s Window(relief print)
I was inspired by the fox I have met in London, she was wandering in a park at that time, it is unusual to me because I have never met a wild fox before, the first time I knew fox is by reading a beautiful but sorrow fairytale written by Awa, a Japanese female writer, she mentioned in that story that there is a little boy who transformed from a white fox told a hunter his window magic, “Dye your fingers with blue Eustoma, make a window, then you will see the most precious thing in your deep inside.” Through the boy’s finger window, the hunter saw an elegant female fox, a boy told him, that was his mother who hunted by a gun many years ago.
I am interested in the structure of the finger window, so I extract this form out of the story, made an interactive work that audiences could add anything they want.
- London Prayer Wheel( wind power hand-held installation)
I was inspired by the crazy wind and high living costs in London. I chose prayer wheel as the main body of my work,( Prayer wheels, which are Buddhistic tools widely used in Tibet, help Buddhists pray more efficiently, Buddhistic scriptures are placed in the wheel. They believe that the benefits attributed to the practice of turning the wheel are vast; not only does it help wisdom, it also help compassion and bodhicitta arise in the practitioner. I think it shows the anxiety of believers.) and I put some receipts I got in London( which have no religious meaning, it’s symbolizing the living costs, also a kind of anxiety.) I aim to show the dislocation between believers and those ordinary beings. Two pinwheels connected at both ends make the installation look more dynamic and closely connected to this windy city. A sense of majesty and tradition are purposely void; creating an anxiety atmosphere of the conflict between people’s spiritual needs and basic living demands. I want the absurd feeling in the work to impact the viewer toward experience, and raise awareness to a belief or reality.
During the process, I have been to some of the most significant galleries in London, this experience helps me to explore more and deeper in the future, since that I started to realize that sometimes art is a trick, also could be a kind of belief, a religion, people will enjoy it after believe in it.
- Untitled work(in progress)
As the following work after the London Prayer Wheel, I decided to use the receipt paper to be the main material. The thermal paper has two striking features, thermos sensitivity, and time sensitivity, to me, it could seem like “rule”, I like rules, because rule can strict and shape us in some particular way, but I more like to break the rule, I enjoy to find the gap between obedience and disobedience, it brings creativity.
As for research, I will keep on going to explore the libraries, galleries and art spaces in London, it is the best method to see, to think and learn how can I tell my story better. Also, I need to keep trying new materials to expand my practice. In the future, I need technical advice to install the larger work.
Ongoing bibliography & influences
Takis [1925-2019]
Takis sought out the essential poetry and beauty of the electromagnetic universe. His works inspired me a lot, guided me to find my motif.
Cai Guo-Qiang [born 1957]
Cai Guo-Qiang’s multidisciplinary practice is conceptually grounded in contemporary social issues and his lifelong interest in Eastern philosophy as a means to inquire into our relationship with the universe.
Xu Bing [born 1955]
“Wherever there are people, there are questions. And wherever there are questions, there is art.” Possessed with a keen sensitivity to the hesitations and ironies within different historical periods, Xu produces artworks that are bound closely to their social and cultural contexts, inspiring viewers to pause and reflect on their surroundings. I appreciate his state of mind.
Ann Hamilton [born 1956]
From textile to sculpture, she acclaimed for her large-scale multimedia installations, public projects, and performance collaborations.
Further references to be considered
Olafur Eliasson
Song Dong
Ufan Lee