Casting And Making A Mould From A Real Pig’s Heart. I Am Planning To Suspend It At My End Of Year Show

Joiners for my photography workshop based off of the theme ‘distance forms around our bodies’, inspired by David Hockney’s joiners and the photography of Jingna Zhang. These were done through photoshop, I merged various photos together. I really enjoyed this workshop, I hadn’t done much on photoshop before so this was really new and interesting.

Installation art and Roman Ondak

Roman Ondak, ‘Event Horizon’ - installation art, 2016-17

Roman Ondak (1966) is a contemporary Slovak artist who grew up under the communist regime (1948-89), this experience is reflected in much of his work. He explores alternate political possibilities and questions the failure of the communist regime in his pieces. His exhibition, ‘The Source Of Art Is In The Life Of A People’ was exhibited in the South London Gallery in 2016-17. The centrepiece of the exhibition was ‘Event Horizon’ which uses an 100 year old oak tree sourced from  the area around Žilina in Slovakia where Roman Ondak is originally from. The oak tree is split into 100 separate discs and on each of these discs is a certain event in history which Ondak has chosen. The exhibition lasted for 100 days and on each day, the consecutive disc was put up onto the wall until all of them were up on display.

The first disc of the oak tree which was put on the wall represented the year 1917 and Ondak has chosen the Russian revolution to be the main event in that year. The events are printed onto the wood in which its natural qualities like cracks and the grain are still visible. This gives a more organic and textured feel to the installation.

The title of the Installation is particularly interesting, it is called ‘Event Horizon’ which is the boundary around a black hole from which no radiation or matter can escape. It is called the event horizon because it is at that point of a black hole where space and time begin to change and distort. This scientific title may reflect the efforts of the Communist Regime to encourage atheism across its states and promote science and technology. Ondak has used this idea of a liminal zone around a black hole to convey a certain meaning in his work. History is something that we can not change, and in Ondak’s installation he is simply stating facts about the past. The past can not be changed however calling the piece ‘Event Horizon’ ,referring to the state in which history can be altered, may reveal Ondak’s own desire to change it. This juxtaposes and contrasts with the heavy, old and historic oak tree which is not malleable and can not be distorted. Perhaps highlighting some oppression he may have experienced when growing up under the regime. 

The use of the oak tree which is specifically from his region in Slovakia symbolises Ondak’s roots and his own history and how it is a part of him. The oak tree symbolises knowledge and resistance which reflects one of the overarching meanings of the installation, passing knowledge down to other generations so that they too may learn about the past which is a fact and can not be changed.

Sources:

http://thisistomorrow.info/articles/roman-ondak-the-source-of-art-is-in-the-life-of-a-people

https://www.estherschipper.com/artists/61-roman-ondak/works/14255/#:~:text=Event%20Horizon%20is%20a%20sculptural,exhibited%20aligned%20in%20a%20row.

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/event-horizon

https://www.southlondongallery.org/exhibitions/roman-ondak-the-source-of-art-is-in-the-life-of-a-people/

How does the use of concrete inform The Memorial For The Murdered Jews of Europe?

‘Denkmal für die Ermordeten Juden Europas’ ( The Memorial For The Murdered Jews Of Europe) Concrete memorial, 2004

The Memorial For The Murdered Jews Of Europe is situated in Berlin and stands as a poignant reminder of The Holocaust in 1941. This memorial was designed by the Burro Hapold group, a group of engineers from all around the world, the US architect Peter Eisenmann’s design was the design that it is based on. The memorial took 17 years to build, it was finished in 2004 and it consists of 2711 concrete steles over 19,000 square metres. The monumental memorial lies in the centre of Berlin near to the Brandenburg gate. It stands as a memorial to remind us of the horrific events of the Holocaust in the same city that the perpetrators had their offices in. 

Concrete is a reliable and durable material and is used in architecture as well as in sculpture and memorials. Throughout history, it has been used to communicate different ideas and messages and is easily accessible to anyone. This memorial is an example of how concrete can be used to convey a certain message. From a distance, it looks like a cold grey sea. The steles are dark grey and in a similar shape to coffins. Their height varies, some are just 20cm tall and some are 4.7m. The steles are meant to create an uneasy and confusing atmosphere which is further created by the ground underneath because it is wavy and creates a ripple effect. 

Although it is in the centre of the capital city, when you enter into the memorial, the din of the traffic fades away and it is almost silent in there. Due to its enormous size it is hard to run into many people, so it gives you a sense of isolation and you can feel the cold of the concrete around you. As you go further into the concrete memorial, the steals get higher, it feels intimidating and you feel very entrapped by this structure. When looking up, only the sky is visible. 

The memorial has many different interpretations. Some say that this sombre grey memorial represents the dehumanisation of the Jewish people during the Holocaust some also say that the different heights of steles represent the gradual escalation of the third Reich’s persecution. It is a possibility that the plain group of steles show the collective guilt of the German people. Another interpretation is that the strength and durability of the concrete reflects the strength of the Jewish people over the ages in the face of persecution. It is without a doubt that its function is to commemorate a tragic event and is set in concrete so that it may never be forgotten. 

~ I have used my own photos

Sources

https://www.visitberlin.de/en/memorial-murdered-jews-europe

https://www.museumsportal-berlin.de/en/museums/denkmal-fur-die-ermordeten-juden-europas-ort-der-information/

Kehinde Wiley and the male identity.

Kehinde Wiley , ‘Alexander The Great’ - Oil on canvas, 2005 ( 243.8 × 182.9 cm)

Kehinde Wiley is an African-American artist who conveys sensitive messages through his naturalistic, bright and vibrant work. In many of his paintings Wiley presents the male identity in a unique way. His painting ‘Alexander the Great’ showcases this, presenting a young African-American man in modern attire holding a sword and standing in front of a brocade-like pattern; typical of medieval tapestries and byzantine silk production in the 6th century. 

Much of Wiley’s inspiration comes from classical paintings. The name of this painting ‘Alexander the Great’ references one of the greatest warriors in history. In his time, it was rumoured that Alexander the Great was Zeus himself. By the age of 25 Alexander was The king of Macedonia, leader of the Greeks, overlord of Asia Minor, pharaoh of Egypt and 'great king' of Persia. Although he was a great ancient leader, his brutality was also renowned and was known to be self-indulgent and reckless.

Wiley has also drawn inspiration from various paintings of Napoleon. His painting ‘Napoleon leading the army over the alps' is similar to that of Jacques-Louis David’s 19th century painting, ‘Napoleon Crossing the Alps’. Not just the names are similar, but the positions on horseback of both men in the paintings. However the man presented in Wiley’s painting wears an army uniform, giving his modern interpretation of the painting of Napoleon. 

The painting, ‘Alexander the Great’ explores the male identity in a distinctive way that references the past and present. The painting is full of juxtapositions for example with the man’s headphones and the centuries old sword he is holding, the modern designer logo on his coat and the ancient textile pattern behind him. In paintings, a sword symbolises protection, strength and courage, which are all  traditionally ‘typical’ male traits and something that Wiley strives to challenge. These ideals clash with the background colour which is green which represents peace, harmony and balance. These are more favoured male traits nowadays. Furthermore, it is possible to see that the background brocade pattern comes round and over the figure in the painting in some areas coming into the very foreground. The swirling and smooth pattern softens the painting and wraps around the strong and proud pose the man stands in. Brocade fabric and patterns are typically expensive and historically show upper class. The pattern makes Wiley’s painting appear more ornate and regal and also softens the proud pose of the man and shows delicacy and gentleness.

The pose in the painting is reminiscent of the painting ‘Napoleon Bonaparte in his Study at the Tuileries’, 1812, which presents Napoleon in a similar pose, with his hand on his hip, looking straight at the viewer in an imposing way, with a sword also featuring in the painting showing his masculinity and strength. Paintings of Napoleon are often grand and show his great power, but his violent tyranny and invasions are said to have been ‘grounded by an aggressive over-compensation for his short stature’ some historians say. 

I think that this pressure of being as masculine as possible was something felt in the past as much as it is in today’s society which is something that Wiley intends to convey in his paintings. In my opinion, Wiley intends to show changing attitudes toward the male identity by referencing hyper masculine historical paintings. Wiley contrasts these attitudes with flowers, soft colours and intricate patterns, challenging the old ideals of male identity but also giving them a different and new relevance in the modern day.

References:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-the-Great

https://www.artsy.net/artwork/kehinde-wiley-alexander-the-great

https://www.theartstory.org/artist/wiley-kehinde/

https://cxainc.com/edition/portraits-inspired-by-napoleon-by-kehinde-wiley-and-jacques-louis-david-come-together-for-the-first-time-ever/

Printmaking workshop,

We printed with oil based inks after sticking the design onto some board, by using the printing press. I photocopied my favourite coloured print and reversed its colours on the photocopier, I love the colours that came out, pinks, purples and yellows. I also really enjoyed creating the black print and printing it out onto coloured paper which I think looks really effective. Overall, it was interesting to try out these new processes.

Ceramics workshop. We are making tea pots, mine is inspired by a poppy seed head and I’ve really been enjoying making it. Its been great to learn about ceramics and the rules that apply like not leaving air bubbles in the clay and making sure to score and slip. I added texture to the teapot’s surface with my nails to give it a more natural feel like a poppy seed head. My clay was a bit too thick in some areas which I had to smooth down but overall, it has gone well so far and I like how it looks.

Some prints of plants that I have been working on in the textiles workshop. This explores negative space, the space inside and outside of plants. Some are studies painted directly onto the fabric with ink and some are printed in coloured ink.

Putting up exhibition space :)

Some snippets from my animation about Brexit which I have linked to Slovakian folklore for my current project ‘Then and Now’

Working on an animation about reconnecting to folklore called ‘The Blooming Heart’. I have used the image of the heart as it has so many connotations to the soul and is often linked to identity and of course life.