Pop-Up Exhibition: "Traditional Hybrid" with V. Patel

As a part of our coursework, V. Patel and I decided to work together and curate our works in our pop-up exhibition, "Traditional Hybrid." We decided that we should curate our works together because we both cover the themes of cultural hybridity and fusion. Another common trait that we share is that we are both of European-Asian heritage, which makes our works more closely interconnected.

We decided to host the exhibition in a living room space at 17 St. Georges Road. We thought this might have been interesting to play with the idea of the domestic space because of the Asian cultural stereotype that demands for women to stay at home. As half-Asian women we felt that this would be ironic to follow. Contrary to the idea, we decided to keep the European-like interior decor such as the sofas and frilly curtains to contribute towards this cultural confusion.

See below the photos of our set up: 

In total we had approximately ten visitors for our pop-up exhibition. It was during this time Patel and I decided that we definitely wanted to pursue the idea of stereotypes in the role of the housewife in future projects - whether or not it is a positive or negative expectation of women, we are still unsure.

Things I would do in order to prepare better for my next exhibition is find a more convenient location to act as my gallery space. 17 St. Georges Road was definitely more obscure and could have done with a lot more publicity. I will bear this in mind when preparing for our group exhibition. It might be to our benefit to create a Facebook event, pin a few posters up and advertise to the general student body. An exhibition isn't much without viewers.

Discussions with E. Genevier

As a part of this unit's dialogical approaches I decided to approach E. Genevier, a friend of mine who is in her third year of Fine Art. I was told by P. Grant that she would have concepts to the way I would work. If I approached her I would be able to get a more rounded understanding of the concepts that I am exploring.

As a result I arranged a lunch date with Genevier in her studio space, whereby she showed me her works that she was going to graduate with. One of the works includes a massive piece of tapestry where she would continuously embroider a dense stripe across the canvas. This requires a lot of attention and labour, and Genevier even described succumbing into a very meditative state of mind whilst working.

This certainly taught me that there was more to my concepts of materiality and labour. Initially I was slightly upset at how "unoriginal" my choice was to work within that concept. Eventually the realisation came that it wasn't about how "original" my working concept was, because originality as an artist is how I choose to approach that concept through my work.

I started drawing parallels between our work, since I enjoy working with my rice shoes for the same reason. What I enjoy about the concept of labour is the mindlessness that goes behind the act of creating, I enter the same meditative state of mind that Genevier talks about when dealing with her own embroidery.

However, some of the differences in our works is how she seems to be more motivated by the idea of women's communal labour. She describes that when "an entire group of women are sitting down to sew, the labour no longer seems like a chore." As a joke I had suggested that we should work side-by-side to motivate each other.

Steel Butterfly

"Steel Butterfly"

Details of "Steel Butterfly"

The "Steel Butterfly" is one of my current works in progress. It is a portrait of Imelda Marcos that I had digitally printed to be 60 x 75cm. After gaining risk assessed permission from various people within the University, I was then able to tape down the portrait at one of the school's busiest entrances. This was done with the intent of having 3000 pairs of feet walking all over the portrait - a pair of feet for every pair of shoes that Imelda Marcos owns. The ironic thought of having "the people walk all over her" seemed like an interesting catalyst for political dialogue. I thought it would have been interesting to film this process so I rented out a handycam from the University equipment department. 

Creating of "Steel Butterfly" 

The plan commenced as I set up at 8:30AM (30 minutes before the University was due to open) and filmed until 3:00PM. I got approximately 6 hours of footage and 3000 people visiting the piece. However, from those 3000 people only 1500 actually walked all over her portrait. I noticed that in general participants from Asian heritages tended to avoid the image (as a sign of respect), whilst those from older generations had absolutely no problems with walking all over her portrait. Some people from the older generations even danced on her!

When asked why they refused to walk on her portrait, most participants said either "it felt wrong to walk on someone's face" or "her face is just too pretty to ruin." It was at this point I realised that a new theme had arisen from this project - the idea that beauty is power. This discovery approaches some very feminist themes, which could be continued another day. This correlates well towards Marco's biography as she started off as a beauty queen in the Philippines, before eventually becoming the first lady alongside Ferdinand Marcos. The variety of body languages that my participants were creating was very interesting to study, which gave me something to do as I sat there for more than six hours.

At the end of the day the glossy surface of the photograph turns out to be really dusty and scratched. This was precisely the surface I was looking to create from contact with 1500 pairs of feet. Unfortunately not everyone from my 3000 participated by making contact with her portrait, instead I was able to derive a new conclusion from their responses. The six hour long video was then edited to be sped up and last 20 minutes however I found that this video did nothing to either support or take away from the overall concept. If anything it was just an amateur attempt to document the creation of this piece. The framing could have been done better (because I framed according to angles that wouldn't obstruct the path of my participants) so I decided to scrap the video piece all together.

I am quite tempted to not use this piece as one my of my resolved and final works, because of its politically aggressive nature. This is one of my first times creating political art and since Imelda Marcos is still alive and well I am quite paranoid of the negative repercussions that could impact my safety. Due to its creative nature I do want to keep it as a piece of coursework, so I will be submitting it for academic purposes. Following Yoko Ono and Marina Abramovic as my inspirations for performance art, I feel it is my duty as an artist to go ahead, take the risk and present my work as it is. Especially because there is a powerful message that can be derived from the process of performance art, one that makes the piece significant to the time and place in which we currently reside.

If I were to display this in a gallery this piece would have to belong on the floor - the same platform on which it was created. That way the scratched nature of the photograph won't seem out of place if the portrait were to be hung on the wall instead.

Work in Progress: Stupid Mistakes

The worst part is how this isn't even a mistake I can learn a valuable lesson from. I didn't make any artistic discoveries, experiments or any progress.. This plan was thwarted when I realised I had run out of black acrylic paint. It's a Sunday evening and there is certainly no art shops open at this time. 

Looks like I have to wait until tomorrow. 

As a side note, Patel had discovered that if we used acrylic paint we are able to scratch off any designs that we weren't happy with. This helps us fine-tune our designs to how we want it to appear. The only downside to this is that we can't use the plates when scratching and scrubbing the surfaces are required. I suggested that we could experiment with transparent spray paint as a protective coating at a later stage.  

Work in Progress: Plates with Patel

To follow up on our proposal of working together on a collaborative piece, V. Patel and I have decided to put action into place and painted together on Saturday afternoon for five hours. In this time we managed to paint one plate each. 

What was probably the most tedious task of this project was to think of a continuous design that would still be reminiscent of the henna designs. Patel said that "this just comes naturally after a while," as it is fairly obvious that my plates (left) could do with a lot of practice. This aspect of the project is far more challenging than my rice-shoe project, however, it can be done in less time.

Our group goal is that I will paint three plates whilst she will paint three bowls throughout this entire week. This will hopefully bring us closer towards the dinner table piece we envisioned together. Whether or not we will either destroy the plates or host a dinner party is still under discussion. For now we are just planning to present them on a dinner table for our 4-week project exhibition. 

Gallery Review: Stan Douglas’ “Disco Angola” at the Victoria Miro

Stan Douglas has created a series of works that are staged photography with the appearance of documentary photography. The imagery takes context within the underground culture of Disco in New York and the liberation of Angola in the 1970’s. Both subjects are displayed parallel to each other or opposite the other in an exhibition for a more direct comparison.

What I find to be the most interesting aspect of the exhibition is the conceptual idea that Douglas is pursuing. He explores the idea of freedom and how both worlds are parallel in discovering their newfound boundaries. The meticulous nature of Douglas’ photography makes the staged works come across as documentary and true, which really questions the objectivity of photography.

Elements that may have informed Douglas’ works include his experiences with having lived through this period of time. Especially whilst the world was at war. The question of objectivity in photography also becomes interesting when considering that this period of time was at its peak for propaganda from the Media. It is considered possible that Douglas created these works as a response to the reception of truth during this time, possibly to challenge the system of control in the political hemisphere.

This might relate to the works of contemporary film, because showing the photographic parallels between locations gives the viewers a sense of the wider world. This feeling might be especially apparent as the pieces are situated across the other, which not only complements the other but also leaves the viewer with a sense of being immersed into the scenarios. Strangely it also leaves the viewers feeling like they are stuck in an omniscient plane, observing the doings of those in different countries. Especially when they’re of two different worlds undergoing similar situations. I believe that because of this format the viewer is more able to engage with the works that surround them, which goes against “traditional form” to think only inside of the frame. It also goes against “traditional forms” by staging documentary pieces of work, which brings forth a new conceptual layer regarding objectivity and truth.

What I might take from the content of this exhibition might be to explore the ideas of freedom and the parallels between the East and West. Especially considering the parallels between Germany and the Philippines, because both are typically stereotyped to be hard working. Also, the conceptual idea of questioning the objectivity of truth makes me less wary of staged photography. What I might take from the formal aspects of the work is Douglas’ methods of presenting works parallel to the other. This would give the pieces as sense of relationships and a comparison that can be made, especially when I am dealing with concepts that involve different cultures.

Gallery Review: Nastio Moquito, Carlos Noronha Feio and Richard Perry’s “Accumulation, Displacement, Deletion, Rearrangement and Insistence” at narrative gallery

Nastio Moquito, Carlos Noronha Fei and Richard Perry have created a variety of mixed media works that cover fine art, photography, sculpture and video. These artists use a sense of irony to criticize the idea of systems and governing bodies, especially in Mosquito’s “3 Continents” (2010). In this piece Mosquito uses poetry to dictate the idea of how politicians can manipulate ideas that are not as useful, into sounding like they are. In his poetry, Mosquito addresses the issues of faults in the system such as corruption and how he “bought it” through his election.

In all honesty there weren’t very many other works that were as interesting and significant to me. “3 Continents” grabbed my attention especially for the fact that it was the only video piece. However what I did find interesting is how pillows of Barack Obama surrounded it, of which were created by Richard Perry. It felt as though this arrangement were commenting on how the United State of America is being governed. The purpose of this video piece’s content is to criticize the way in which our current system of governing works, so that we may improve on its flaws instead of blindly believing it to be okay. The fact that Mosquito also created video pieces for “Europe” shows that Europeans are not free of this corruption. The fact that Mosquito couldn’t even verbally address “Africa” shows the apparently obvious nature of the governing corruption.

The audience experiences the space by entering into a room with a projection of “3 Continents” playing. Ironically there are two pillows by Richard Perry but no sitting space. This leaves the viewer feeling impatient, which might reflect on the general opinion of most politicians. After this space the second room is covered by a bead door by Richard Perry, and into a room of mixed media works. In this second room the audience will experience more large scale pillows with Obama’s face, along with modified photography by Carlos Noronha Feio. This format does not really break the conventions of traditional form, except for the video piece that is repeatedly played to mask the silence of the space.

What I might take from the content of this exhibition is their ability to approach politicians without getting sued or targeted. This could be because Obama is a major icon so it would be impossible for him to recognize those who criticize him. As opposed to my Imelda Marcos piece, not enough people know of her tyranny or seem to remember who she is outside of the international community. What I find interesting is how Mosquito never addressed Asia at all. Perhaps this is something I could explore in my own works. As for the formal aspects of the work I find it interesting how Mosquito could make his viewers feel so irritated by not providing them a place to sit. Perhaps I could consider this when presenting any of my video pieces.

Gallery Review: Adam Chodzko’s “Room for Laarni” at Marlborough Contemporary

The body of works that Adam Chodzko displays in “Room for Laarni” are mostly that of conceptual art. The works he presents comes in the forms of photography (“Sleepers. Hole,” and “Too”), collage (“Suddenly we all begin”), sculpture (“Mask Filter” and “I See Through Every Image. [A souvenir for Laarni; A planting template for Belladonna seeds”]) and video montage (“Same”). Within these works Chodzko explores the psychological impact on the invisible image moderator as he engages the gaze of the audience for that of Laarni.

Some of the most significant pieces from his exhibition includes “Same” and “A souvenir for Laarni.” In “Same,” Chodzko introduces the life of an image moderator and the potential for psychological damage that they undergo. Displayed in the form of a Skype conversation, Chodzko describes the details and hardships of the job whilst superimposing imagery over the conversation to suggest imagery from Laarni’s memory.

In “A souvenir for Laarni” Chodzko creates a sculptural piece whereby Belladonna seeds are laid on top of a print, whilst the print is laid on top of unmarked boxes. The unlabeled boxes is an allegory for how the imagery “could have come from anywhere,” much like the imagery that Laarni sees during their job. The Belladonna sees are known as a hallucinogenic with the effect of dilating the consumer’s pupils. Thus the seeds are seen as an “invitation” to see through Laarni’s eyes – on a new platform of consciousness. The audience is lost further into the space as Chodzko plays soothing guitar music amongst the familiar messaging sound of Skype.

            After the introductory pieces (“A souvenir for Laarni” and “Same,”) the viewers are established in their mindset of appreciating the aesthetic value of the imagery. Since the details of the job are seen as excruciating for Laarni, we are invited to test our psychological resistance to impatience. This goes to show the importance of layout and “introducing” an exhibition through certain pieces of work. Especially when an atmosphere needs to be established.

Elements that have informed Chodzko’s work in “Room for Larni” includes his past experiences with exhibition spaces. During his time with his “Schwitters in Britain” and “Raven Row,” Chodzko realized the viewer’s desires of wanting to locate imagery and our parallel significance. This runs in parallel to most contemporary artists who work within the digital environment as they try to appreciate the massive influx of information that the Internet provides. However, the idea of establishing an intimate gaze between the viewer and Art is a long-running tradition whereby Chodzko invites the audience to participate through the Belladonna seeds.

Personally, I found Chodzko’s work to be rather inspiring as an artist who is keen on exploring the geo-political side of Art. Chodzko’s work depicts the issues of “invisible labor by Filipinos,” as he makes us aware that more than just more than just those whom we choose see our online data. It also brings forth the question of how long Laarni can endure the slow process of psychological torture, by moderating hundreds of thousands of online images.

From the content of the exhibition I am keen to explore the idea of “the hidden labour,” especially when my family members are trapped in the same cycle as Laarni. Whereby they are undergoing work that could risk their physical or mental health, for the sake of supporting their families. Chodzko’s “A souvenir for Laarni” has inspired me to incorporate more layers of conceptual meaning into my works, so I shall be trying to exploring this element where it is appropriate.