ARHI Quiz 4 (Lectures 18-22) WORKS
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Coloring Book #4 art The building of the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento brought about the opportunity for multiple works of public art to be installed around the arena. Though a number of art works were installed around the arena, the one that garnered the most attention, and disdain, was Jeff Koons' Coloring Book #4. What do you think of this work? Do you like it? Is it appropriate for the space? For the function of the arena? The public reaction to this work was overwhelming negative for a few reasons: 1) some people just thought it was ugly, 2) people didn't understand what it had to do with the arena, 3) it cost $8 million, 4) it was not completed by a Sacramento artist. So why did the powers that be choose this particular sculpture? Probably because Jeff Koons is one of the more well-known contemporary sculptors and having one of his works was viewed as a sign of good taste and artistic cultural capital. Koons himself stated that he had close ties to the city of Sacramento and that he hoped the work would provide visual interested and a topic of conversation to those visiting the arena. The work itself is based on a child's coloring page of Piglet that Koons then transformed into a sculpture. So what's the right answer here? Is it good? Is it bad? What's so fascinating about Public art is that there really isn't a correct answer to that question. More so than other art works, public art is really open to the interpretation of those that see it, because there's really no way to control that audience experience in a public display location. If you have the chance, go see this in person and feel free to let me know your thoughts.
fully colored sculpture
Names of the Student Earthquake Victims Found By The Citizens Ai Weiwei is a contemporary Chinese artist and activist whose work is highly critical of the Chinese government and, in particular, their stance on human rights and democracy. Ai's art work and activism has led to his arrest by the government multiple times, including in 2011 when he was held for 81 days without any official charges being brought against him. One important work completed by Ai and his many assistants was the above Names of the Student Earthquake Victims Found by the Citizens' Investigation. This art work is essentially a printed list of all of the names of the Chinese students who were killed in the Sichaun earthquake in 2008. The children were all in school at the time of the quake, but the quickly built and poorly maintained government-funded school buildings collapsed killing nearly all that were inside. Following the quake, the Chinese government refused to release the number of students that had been killed in the poorly constructed schools. In response, Ai and a team of volunteers began travelling to the towns affected and asking surviving family members the names and ages of the students killed. Within a year Ai and his volunteers had collected over 5,000 names that were never acknowledged by the government as casualties of the earthquake. The names of the victims were posted by Ai on his blog and also printed and displayed in his office. While it may seem that this work is simply a printed list of names, it's so much more than that, making it a prime example of Conceptual art. It is a symbol of remembrance for the children that were killed, it is also a symbol of resistance to a government that refused to acknowledge their wrongdoing.
list of names
Semi-Living Worry Dolls BioArt is a relatively new form of art which explores the possibilities of tissue engineering and other scientific advances. Some of the artists in this field celebrate such advances, while others question the morality behind the science. Two artists at the forefront of BioArt are Oron Catts and Ionat Zurr. One of their projects, which has been exhibited multiple times, are The Semi-Living Worry Dolls. The Semi-Living Worry Dolls is based on the traditional doll which Guatemalan Indians would give to their children who would whisper their worries to the doll then place it under their pillow. While the child is sleeping, legend has it, the doll will take away the child's worries. Catts and Zurr's dolls were handcrafted using materials such as biodegradable polymers, PGA mesh, P4HB, PLGA and sutures. When exhibited, a recorder was hooked up to the tank the dolls must be kept in to keep them alive and visitors were invited to share their worries with the dolls, as a Guatemalan child would with the original worry dolls. At the end of the exhibition, the dolls would be taken out of their tanks, effectively killing them. Interestingly, whenever the dolls were exhibited visitors and even gallery employees would ask that the dolls be kept alive. Museum staff even suggested they be trained in how to care for the dolls so they could remain on permanent display, and alive. Though Catts and Zurr never publically comment on the meaning of their work, this piece and many of their others, suggest that they are hoping the audience will being to question the morality of such creations. Is it okay to create something semi-living if you know you are just going to kill it? By creating an attachment between the audience and the dolls through sharing their worries, the artists force the viewer to confront that difficult question regarding new technology. Should we create just for the purpose of creation?
weird dolls
