Currently in sculpture I’m working on combining everyday objects with aspects of human anatomy, I have mainly experimented with plaster, silicone and liquid latex.
Contemporary artist- Xooang Choi
Xooang Choi – The Islet of Asperger Type, β ₯, 2009, photo via koreanartistproject.com
Xooang Choi is a hyperrealist sculptor, who is based in South Korea and obtained his postgraduate in sculpture from Seoul National University in 2005. His sculptures made from a mix of clay and resin and painted with fleshy tones combines hyperrealism as well as surrealism.
He takes body parts out of context to create disturbing and thought-provoking pieces
Widewalls
I felt like Choi’s work inks very well with my own current practice as I am also trying to push the boundaries of preconceived notions and boundaries of human anatomy. After looking at his portfolio I was particularly inspired by the way his sculptures are painted.
Historic Artist – Alberto Giacometti
Alberto Giacometti with his sculptures 1956
The swiss sculptor, Alberto Giacometti, created work inspired by the human condition. Said to be one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century his strong and distinctive style makes his work feel cohesive and it is almost like they have a familial bond.
Standing Woman c.1958β9 – image taken from the Tate website
Although my work and Giaometti’s work do not share many similarities visually, I find his philosophies very interesting and inspiring. Giacometti used his work to raise questions about the human condition which is something I also strive to do through my work.
Untitled Bone Painting, November 2021, Acrylic on black A5 card
As part of a painting project with the focus of human anatomy and bones this smaller piece was created to cause the audience to question the subject matter of the painting. The painting itself is a close up image of a shoulder bone although, during a group critical people stated that the image could be some sort of sea creature or extraterrestrial being. The painting was complimented as it caused the audience to stop and question what the image might be. Different audiences would react and interoperate the painting in different ways depending on their own background. The use of a less commonly recongisable bone as well as its disorientating positioning adds a level of mystery around the painting. The use of acrylic paint allowed for many layers and a textured finish as well as smooth blending of the colours. The positioning of the subject matter allowed for more detail to be added. The black background allows for a dramatic contrast of the yellowing bone, allowing the highlights of the image to stand out.
The subject of focusing on human anatomy was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s anatomy studies and the dark background and heavy brush strokes were influenced by Van Gough’s Skull of a Skeleton With Burning Cigarette.
Skull of a Skeleton With Burning Cigarette – Vincent van Gogh
Leonardo da Vinci anatomy studies
In development of this piece, sizing up the piece would allow for audiences to see the detail properly. Also, pushing the proportions and distortion further to make the original subject matter even difficult to identify.
A photograph I took as a reference image. The angle of the image makes it difficult to identify what the subject matter is.
An art director has variety of roles working throughout many artistic industries. Often working more than 40 hours a week an art director is responsible for the overall aesthetics of a product or project and managing groups of other creatives. There is no set number for the size of the groups an Art Director may be overseeing. The particular aspect of art direction I’m interested in is art direction within TV and film.
To become an art director there a multiple different paths. Firstly you will need to finish a bachelors degree within an art related subject. From this point you can either search for internships or chose to continue with education and get a masters degree in art direction. Personally I hope to go down the route of continuing with education and study the MA Design for Art Direction at University of the Arts London. After this point it is finding work within the field of art direction.
Chae Kyung Sun is the art director behind Netflix’s popular 2021 Korean drama, Squid The entire atmosphere of the show relies on its aesthetics. In watching interviews featuring Chae Kyung Sun it is fascinating to hear the amount of attention to detail. There was not one aspect of the set design, costume or props that were not thought about.
“I think I focused on the mind of the person who came up with the game. I imagined heβd think he gave the contestants a chance as if heβs a god.“
Chae Kyung Sun
I think Squid Game is a perfect example of the importance of art direction. The visual impact of a show is usually the most memorable aspect of the show and responsible for setting the tone. It is an art directors responsibility to ensure all the pieces come together to create a cohesive narrative.
Sources:
What does an art director do? – CareerExplorer – https://www.careerexplorer.com/careers/art-director/#:~:text=Art%20directors%20usually%20work%20more,weekends)%20to%20meet%20strict%20deadlines
How To Become an Art Director | Indeed.com – https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-become-an-art-director#:~:text=How%20to%20become%20an%20art%20director%201%20Earn,a%20full-time%20art%20position.%20β¦%20More%20itemsβ¦%20
ArtReview founded in 1949 is one of the world’s leading art magazines. ArtReview touches on a wide variety of article types such as commentary of the art world, reviews, and interesting takes on artists and their bodies of work.
The article I decided to focus on was ‘Why now, man?’ written by Jonathan T.D Neil from the October 2018. The article focuses on Bruce Nauman, failure, trauma, race, and privilege.
A photograph from Walking in an Exaggerated Manner Around the Perimeter of a Square by Bruce Nauman
The article begins discussing the contemporary artist Bruce Nauman and his infamous work and the fact ‘no other artist has so consistently defied the pull of a recognisable style’. Included in the article is a still taken from Nauman’s Walking in an Exaggerated Manner Around the Perimeter of a Square. The inclusion of this piece within the article was very deliberate, it epitomises Nauman’s work, making it a good starting point to discuss the artists fundamental believes and practices.
Walk with Contraposto (1968) – Bruce Nauman
What is trauma except failure by another name – failure to represent, failure to incorporate, failure to work through and to sublimate.
Why now, man? Jonathan T.D. Neil
Neil brings up the point of Nauman’s privilege and the advances he has being a white male. The American choreographer, company director, writer, visual artist and conceptualist, Ralph Lemon addresses the politics of Nauman’s 1968 Wall-Floor Positions video. Lemon did his own take on the piece Wall-Floor Positions but with two black live performers instead. It also should be noted that Neil is a white male author so even though he was able to reflect on the privilege Nauman has he would not be able to relate or truly understand the struggle and weight of the work by Lemon.
Ralph Lemon’s take on Wall-Floor Positions (2003)
In conclusion, I found Neil’s take on Nauman very interesting. Neil almost questions Nauman’s position within the art world and highlights points that are often overlooked especially by Nauman’s fans. It was intriguing how Neil’s choice of language often seemed to be abrasive and dismissive of Nauman’s beliefs.
Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese contemporary artist whose focus on dots made her infamous and her work easily recognizable.
“My art is an expression of my life, particularly my mental illness.”
Yayoi Kusama
Kusama’s studio is located in the Shinjuku district in Tokyo. Her studio is decorated with a collection of her own personal belongings including her own collection of books and magazines to childhood photographs. Kusama also keeps photocopies of her auction sales within her studio as well. Stacks of her large-scale brightly coloured paints are organised around her studio. The majority of images from Kusama working in a studio shows her sitting in front of a large table with her canvas laid flat in front of her. Kusama now needs to sit while she creates her art because of her age but using a chair with wheels she’s able to quickly move and continue to work on her art from all angles. From photographs, large windows can be seen allowing large amounts of natural light to flood her studio. The feeling Kusama’s studio gives me is that it is very personal to her and is able to reflect her own personality to anyone walking through.
In 2017 Vice’s Dexter Thomas was banned from entering Kusama’s studio(1). Thomas was banned as Kusama had problems understanding his questions and reached the conclusion “[Thomas] did not understand her work”. It is also hinted within the article that Thomas was not allowed to come into contact with Kusama because of her unstable mental state and that she might have felt too uncomfortable to even finish the interview. This was very interesting to me as it made me consider if an artist’s studio could be considered their “safe space”. The more comfortable an artist feels in their studio the more venerable they are able to be with their work.
First used in Asia oil paints date back to the 7th century, being used in Buddist paintings and decorating shields in Afghanistan. It was first used in Europe for decoration in the 12th century but, by the 15th century it had become a commonly used material in art. Known for their thickness and long drying times oil paints are still widely used today.
“Flesh is the reason oil paint was invented”
Willem de Kooning 1904 – 1997
Dutch painter Jan van Eyck who was once mistakenly credited as being the “Inventor of oil painting” due to a quote from Giorgio Vasari has been said to be the first master of oil painting and had a large role to play in the early days of oil painting in Europe. Van Eyck’s work went on to inspire Italian painter Antonello da Messina is said to have introduced oil paints to Italy. Active during the early Renaissance Antonello da Messina studied the surfaces of van Eyck’s paintings and recreated them within his own work.
Arnolfini Portrait 1434 – Jack van Eyck
.
Virgin Annunciate – Antonello da Messina (1470)
The use of oil paints did not stop after the Renaissance and were continued to be used in many infamous pieces of work. Vincent Van Gogh used oil paints on canvas to create ‘The Stary Night’. The thickness of the paint allowed for a textured finish.
As the technological world develops its impact has also spread to art. From using robotics and artificial intelligence it’s allowed art to take on a different breath of life. The first instance of technology and art intertwining that I saw was Sun Yuan and Peng Yu’s “I Can’t Help Myself” (2016). The sculpture is a robot that mimics a claw or an arm that has a large paintbrush or mop attached to the end. It a disturbingly repeats the action of trying to mop up the ‘blood’ like substance on the floor but creating more mess in the process by the mop slapping too hard on the floor or flipping upwards. It is a very disturbingly beautiful to watch a non-human object portray such a human emotion.
Sun Yuan and Peng Yu – I Can’t Help Myself 2016
Another instance for technology and art combining to create something beautiful is Anicka Yi’s “In Love With The World” which used AI to create aquamarine like floating objects that float through the air following their own path. Much like ‘I Can’t Help Myself’ the objects were able to move in such a flowing and naturalistic way.
Anicka Yi’s “In Love With The World’ 2021 – My own photograph taken in Tate Modern November 2021
Ai-Da is a robot created in February 2019 and by Aiden Meller. She draws with cameras in her eyes a robotic arm and an AI algorithm. Even the existence of Ai-Da challenges the idea of the boundaries of art and the future of human intervention and art. Ai-Da’s creation was inspired by George Orwells 1984 and was her creation was to warn against the abuse of technology.
Ai-Da and her self portrait – photograph taken from her own website
In 2019 we launched the Ai-Da Robot Project showcasing Ai-Da at the University of Oxford, the Barbican, the Tate, the V&A, the United Nations and the Ashmolean. We closed the art galleries to continue to develop this remarkable cutting edge project.
Soon as you step inside the Tate Modern you are immediately immersed by the ‘scentscapes’ of Anicka Yi’s In Love with The World. The work commissioned by Hyundai features large jellyfish like flying objects that float above the people walking through the entrance. Having this piece as the first thing people see when they enter the Tate Modern sets the tone for what is expected throughout the gallery.
Established in 200o the Tate Modern is a gallery located in London and is part of a group of galleries including Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It houses contemporary and modern art from a wide variety of international artists. Entry is free although some exhibitions require payment.
Compared to the visit I had made to Whitewall Galleries I felt very moved by my visit to the Tate Modern. Personally I felt the body of work was more genuine. Unlike Whitewall Galleries the pieces didn’t have the price displayed next to the work and each piece had a summary of the work and the artist behind it. It is clear that the work made for Whitewall Galleries is made to appeal to the masses in a highly commercialized environment where as the work in the Tate Modern was made by the artist to share a message or story.
The first source I looked at was Emotional Bodies: The Historical Performativity of Emotions edited by Dolores Martin-Moruno and Beatriz Pichel. I focused on Part II of the book, Performing Emotional Bodies. This part of the book focuses on the emotional development within children. The beginning of the part focuses on Charles Darwin’s studies on child development. Darwin evaluated the children’s distinct behaviors and reactions, even using his own sons emotional development to further his research. He believed that children lacked the adult human attribute of free will and acted closer to animals, acting purely on instinct.
“The art of screaming…from being service to infants, has become finely developed from the earliest days”
Charles Darwin. (Page 65 of Emotional Bodies: The Historical Performativity of Emotions)
Darwins connection between free will and emotions lead my to my second source “What You Think About Your Emotions Matters” written by Jill Suitte fot the Greater Good Magazine. Overall the article reached the conclusion that giving too much power to emotions, positive or negative, leads to a negative affect on mental health and wellbeing.
Susan David giving the TED talk ‘The gift and power of emotional courage”
For my final source I watched a TED talk given by Susan David, “The gift and power of emotional courage”. The talk focused on emotional agility, the ideology that an individual should accept their emotions as they come. David conducted her own study and found a third of the 17,000 person study judge themselves for negative emotions or believe they should repress their emotions. This way of thinking is rigid and is not sustainable for living a healthy lifestyle.
“Life’s beauty is inseparable from its fragility”
Susan David
It is difficult to find an artist who is not inspired by emotions but I wanted to look at The Scream by Edvard Munch (1893) as it took the instinctive action of a scream and turned it into something engaging and impactful.
Emotions are something that affect our day to day lives. I wanted to research more into the topic because for something that has such a big impact on people I knew very little about them.
The first source I looked at was Emotional Bodies: The Historical Performativity of Emotions edited by Dolores Martin-Moruno and Beatriz Pichel. Dolores Martin-Moruno has 3 other published works and her research project at the time Emotional Bodies was published (A Gendered History of Compassion from the Franco-Prussian War to WWII) was given a Swiss National Science Foundation Professorship in 2017. Beatriz Pichel is a lecturer at De Montford University in Photographic History. Her specialism is in photographic history, medical humanities and the history of medicine. As well as Martin-Moruno and Pichel there were 9 other contributors. Published in December 2019 the book covers the purpose of emotions, approaching the topic from a subjective point of view and pulling on historical and social contexts. I focused on Part II of the book, Performing Emotional Bodies. This part of the book focuses on the emotional development within children and how at one time it was believed that infants and young children were not able to feel emotions or pain. The points made were made from a medical point of view having many different researchers to back up the points being made. It also touched upon the political impact of emotions.
The beginning of the part focuses on Charles Darwin’s studies on child development. Darwin evaluated the children’s distinct behaviours and reactions, even using his own sons emotional development to further his research. He believed that children lacked the adult human attribute of free will and acted closer to animals, acting purely on instinct. I found the idea of acting on instinct very interesting and reflected on my own emotional responses and whether I feel free will over my emotions or if I felt my emotions had more control over me.
“The art of screaming…from being service to infants, has become finely developed from the earliest days”
Charles Darwin. (Page 65 of Emotional Bodies: The Historical Performativity of Emotions)
The rest of the part continued to focus on ‘infant pain denial’, referencing Herr Kinderman’s experiments which tested infants senses and American doctor Lewis Starr who believed healthy children never cried. The chapter moved away from the area of emotions I personally wanted to focus on within my research although I found it very interesting how people acted and invalidated emotions of something they couldn’t understand or relate to. The fact infants were subjected to inhumane treatment just to validate the theories of adults says a lot about the way society and the way we treat people and things that we can instinctively relate to.
Darwins connection between free will and emotions lead my to my second source “What You Think About Your Emotions Matters” written by Jill Suitte and published on January 8 2019 on the Greater Good Magazine. The Greater Good Magazine whose tagline is “Science-based insights for a meaningful life”, translates scientific studies to easily digestible articles for the everyday public. It gives people guidance for everyday life from personal to professional struggles with scientific backing. The magazine is published by UC Berkeley, which was ranked 7th in the world university rankings 2021 by timeshighereducation.com. Throughout the articles there are many hyperlinks to the research or studies being mentioned adding reliability to the article. The author of the article, Jill Suitte, Psy.D, wrote her first article for the Greater Good in 2006 – two years after the publication began. Suitte’s own website (jillsuttie.com) classes her as a “free-lance journalist and a staff writer and contributing editor for Greater Good”.
Over all the article discusses the affects on accepting emotions and if we are powerless to their effects. Overall the article reached the conclusion that giving too much power to emotions, positive or negative, leads to a negative affect on mental health and wellbeing. The article references a study by Ronnel B. King and Elmer D deal Rosa, “Are your emotions under your control or not? Implict theories of emotion predict well-being via cognitive reappraisal”. Published February 1st 2019 the findings found after looking at a group of 335 Filipino college students, those who believed they had control over their emotions and thought feelings were malleable had better emotional wellbeing. The researchers concluded “How people think about the malleability of their emotions seems to be a crucial factor in emotional functioning”.
As someone who often feels overwhelmed by my emotional responses and highly out of control of them I found it very surprising that there is a possibility to gain a sense of control over them. In fact it is healthier to take control over the fact I am not a victim of control. It is important to note that the article didn’t touch upon the affects of mental illness and how that might change the feeling or ability to practice emotional regulation. The article gives suggestions on handling difficult stressors emotions such as mindfulness, which would be more effective for some people over others. Overall I believe that this view on emotions is helpful for everyone to adapt in everyday life but, it is important to remember that for some people struggling with mental illness.
I wanted to continue looking into controlling emotion and the impacts of emotion. For my final source I watched a TED talk given by South African psychologist, researcher and author Susan David, “The gift and power of emotional courage”. Within David’s career she focused and studied ’emotional agility’ which was also the focus of her talk.
“Life’s beauty is inseparable from its fragility”
Susan David
Emotional agility is the ideology that an individual should accept their emotions as they come and embrace them as they change. David conducted her own study and found a third of the 17,000 person study judge themselves for negative emotions or believe they should repress their emotions. This way of thinking is rigid and is not sustainable for living a healthy lifestyle.
