moma - scenes for a new heritage

Entering through the gi, shop.

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) was founded in 1929 as an educa>onal ins>tu>on. The museum is best known for its collec>on of “Modernist” artwork, from the Modernism art movement, which roughly took place between the 1870s-‐1970s. This movement was made up of several other sub-‐movements, such as Cubism, Abstract Expressionism, Surrealism, Impressionism, Post-‐Impressionism, Fauvism, Brutalism, Suprema>sm, Minimalism, and Dada.

THURSDAY

JANUARY 14

Leaving at the beginning of 6th period

Coat Check & the absence of Egyp>an art…

Totzle/Totsell’s MoMA adventures

Kenny’s favorite piece at MoMA…

Pavel Tchelitchew Hide-‐and-‐Seek Oil on canvas 1942

These days, MoMA also collects contemporary artwork, by living ar>sts. “The Museum of Modern Art seeks to create a dialogue between the established and the experimental, the past and the present…” The current unit we’ll be studying is called Scenes for a New Heritage, and is made up of about 20 different interna>onal ar>sts whose work has been recently acquired by MoMA.

Art as a way to deal with Social Issues

First wave of arBsts to discuss •  Kara Walker •  Felix Gonzalez-‐Torres •  Bani Abidi •  Song Dong •  Alfredo Jaar •  Columbia University, GSAPP

Remember that we’ll be viewing artwork that is both in and out of this exhibiBon. Take diligent notes… There may be a quiz in the future.

“Human behavior is so murky and violent and messed-up and inappropriate. And I think my work draws on that. It comes from there. My artwork comes from responding to situations like that, and it pulls it out of an audience."

Kara Walker is an American contemporary ar>st who explores race, gender, sexuality, violence and iden>ty in her work. She is best known for her room-‐size tableaux of black cut-‐paper silhoueces. She was born in 1969 in Stockton, CA. She received a BFA at the Atlanta College of Art and a MFA at the Rhode Island School of Design. She currently lives in New York City and is a professor at Columbia University.


Comments: .Kai: Disturbing….I think she’ll have something that’s going to creep me out. Rasha: Dull colors, dark colors? Kenny: Same idea as Rasha…but maybe some RED popping out! BLOOD GUSHING! METAAAAAAALLLL!! Joie: Maybe it’ll be the OPPOSITE of what we expect? But probably what we expect Taeron:

What do you think art like this looks like?


Comments: .Tina: DARK roman>cism. Pessimis>c sides of human nature, the bad and EVIL sides. Guzzy: Controversial images that evoke these feelings of murky/violent, etc. Jakara: The colors may be dark rather than upbeat. Sof: PROVACATIVE that we would normally censor.

What do you think art like this looks like?

Kara Walker’s work…

Crea>ve Time

Rendering of city scape

Development of the Domino Sugar Factory property on the East River.

Drawing by Ricardo Cortés

The Interna<onal Labour Organiza<on es>mated that between 5,000 and 30,000 children under age 18 were working on the planta>ons, making up nearly one-‐third of all sugarcane workers. Nearly every child interviewed by Human Rights Watch had suffered machete gashes on their arms or legs while cumng cane.

Sweet History

Sugar Cane Cucers, 1891 Photo by Valen>ne and sons

Carlos T., an eleven-‐year-‐old in Sonsonate, described the work he did during the harvest."I grab the cane, cut it; grab it, cut it. I use a chumpa," a small knife. He began cumng cane when he was nine."Last year was the second year I worked," he said."I would leave the house at 5 a.m."The fields were spread out over a large area."When it was far away, we would go by bus; when it was close, we would walk.If we only had one tarea, we would finish early.We could do three.” Literally "work" or "job," a tarea in the sugarcane harvest is an area of land that contains approximately two tons of sugarcane.

A Subtlety: The Marvelous Sugar Baby, an Homage to the unpaid and overworked ar<sans who have refined our sweet tastes from the cane fields to the kitchens of the new world on the occasion of the demoli<on of the Domino Sugar Refining plant.

The only “interpre>ve aid” in the whole place.

Kara Walker

“I’m interested in the con<nuity of conflict, the crea<on of racist narra<ves, or whatever narra<ves people use to construct a group iden<ty and to keep themselves whole. Such ac<vity has a darker side to it, since it allows people to lash out at whoever’s not in the group.”

Do Now: (EVERYONE needs to write this down) Have you ever been stereotyped?

Have people ever assumed things about you? How did you cope with this?

Kara Walker Gone: An Historical Romance of a Civil War as It Occurred b'tween the

Dusky Thighs of One Young Negress and Her Heart 1994 Paper on wall, 396 x 1524 cm (13’ x 50’)

This wall installa>on, first exhibited in Walker's 1994 New York debut, inaugurated the ar>st's signature medium: black cut-‐out silhoueces of caricatures of antebellum (civil war era) figures arranged on a white wall in uncanny, sexual, and violent scenarios. Walker intends to criBque historical narraBves of slavery and the ongoing perpetuaBon of ethnic stereotypes.



What’s becer? A sad truth or a beau>ful lie?

In the work's elaborate >tle, "Gone" refers to Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind, set during the American Civil War. While Walker’s narra>ve begins and ends with coupled figures, the chain of tragicomic, turbulent imagery refutes the promise of romance and confounds conven>onal acribu>ons of power and oppression. "The history of America is built on . . . inequality, this founda<on of a racial inequality and a social inequality," the ar>st has said. "And we buy into it. I mean, whiteness is just as ar<ficial a construct as blackness is."

Do Now: Na>ons are constructed socially, not naturally. We decide that one land

belongs to one group and other land belongs to another group. But do you think that race is a social construct?

"The history of America is built on . . . inequality, this founda<on of a racial inequality and a social inequality, and we buy into it. I mean, whiteness is just as ar0ficial a construct as blackness is.” -‐Kara Walker

•  Abby: There WAS a social construct as race, due to America’s history, but these days…it’s less of an influence today. Some people s>ll believe that some races are superior.

•  Guzzy: I DO think that it’s a social construct…but it’s less necessary than na>onal borders or personal property. .some social constructs are needed for people to not slaughter each other.

•  Raymond: I feel like racial constructs hasn’t changed since the past….it’s so deeply embedded in our na>on’s history that we don’t realize how much influence it has on our lives.

•  Nawal: I don’t think that race is a social construct….As civiliza>ons grow and change, social constructs form as a result of …discovering a DIFFERNECE between “us” and “them”

•  .Arvin: I believe that race is part of a larger social construct. Religion, Gender, Stereotypes, Na>onality

Do Now: Na>ons are constructed socially, not naturally. We decide that one land

belongs to one group and other land belongs to another group. But do you think that race is a social construct?

"The history of America is built on . . . inequality, this founda<on of a racial inequality and a social inequality, and we buy into it. I mean, whiteness is just as ar0ficial a construct as blackness is.” -‐Kara Walker

•  Taeron: Yes, I do believe race is a social construct….it’s not natural to label people based on the color of their skin. This seems more like a human-‐made idea than a natural thing. •  Tots: Tigers don’t hate other >gers that are a different color. They just want to eat

each others meat. •  Kenny: I agree with Taeron, when we’re born we’re given a label that your parents are

of a certain color from a certain country. These are all human-‐made ideas to DIVIDE us, make us feel different from each other. •  Joie: It’s even part of our social dynamics like when we meet people and ask “where

are you from?” Jean: we assume stuff based on how people look… •  Brian: I’d like to believe that this was NEVER a construct…but it was created due to

corrup>on…if we’re born within a certain ideology (a belief in an idea…) it’s normalized around us.

•  Ruhith: I agree with everyone. And this is where racial stereotypes come from….it’s rooted in WHO has POWER over who…..

•  Myar: We create borders for who we are…and these borders give us an excuse to feel a certain type of way about Others….

•  Brianna: a social construct is something that’s perceived ONTO you…but not necessarily something that you must embody. My skin tone has nothing to do with my character… (even if YOU character it in a certain way)…it’s aggrava>ng to be judged by stereotypes.

•  Ranfery: Also agree! The only possible difference that could be between people is their religion. (though is Religion a social construct??) So there’s stereotypes for this too.

•  . •  .

What Social issue(s) is this ar>st dealing with? How do they raise these

issues?

•  Ny: …Racism as a thing in the past but the present too.

•  Jarrell: Sexism, the idea of men being superior or in control of women.

•  JOJO: She raises the issues by inten>onally being GRAPHIC, and giving people a reac>on, but the viewers of her work create MORE reac>ons…

•  Elle: how people are treated due to their race/sexual iden>ty.

•  Len: The REAL issue is that people aren’t dealing with these issues. –  Totzle: J These people are anonymous, and s>ll relevant to the present.


issues?

•  Zenzi: Sexism and slavery. –  RD: they overlap to a certain point…there is a component of sexism within slavery, but they’re s>ll separate some>mes.

– Awais: Women some>mes has more “domes>c” roles when men had more “laborious” roles

•  jaKARA: Infidelity and underage pregnancy.

•  Ray: Racial superiority, •  Nyle: The “use” of women not just as slaves, but women in general.

Video response…

•  Nyle: Her work is SUPER me>culous. Like the sugar children have lots of facial details.

•  .Arvin: She seems calm, and makes work that is VISIBILE, despite that most people want to make it “invisible.”

•  Tina: She’s determined, it’s such a huge temple-‐like artwork…people didn’t think it was going to happen.

•  Zenzi: Determined and regardless of what happens(ed) she’s going to make it work out.

•  RD: Kinda like laid back. Despite that people are pos>ng all these pictures, she kept her feels to herself.

•  Raph: Using food to make art like Marta Minujín.

Video response…

•  Joie: Is it hypocri>cal of her to use the material that she’s pumng into ques>on…

•  “She makes this visible that are invisible”

•  Myar: if you’re going to cri>cize the sugar industry…using the material itself seems purposeful…to bring up the history. If it’s THERE, it’s easier to talk about.

•  Tae: I don’t mind being wrong if I was misled…because I didn’t know enough to be right. But if I’m wrong because I didn’t think (like it was my fault) then I don’t like the feeling.

Intercommunica<on Devices 2008 Inkjet prints

Bani Abidi

Using this to let people into your building. Use for any delivery person. OR when we have visitors of any kind. It’s use by college miscreants (delinquents ) When your locked out of the house. There’s TWO sides of this…..

Intercommunica<on Devices 2008 Inkjet prints

Bani Abidi

Bani Abidi INTERVIEW found at…

hcp://www.aaa.org.hk/Diaaalogue/Details/796

“The drawing projects, Intercommunication Devices and Security Barriers A-L, are series of ongoing drawings in which I have set out to document meticulously exclusionary architecture and objects which one sees in cities all around us now. It’s a global apartheid, generated by heavy doses of fear that we consume daily.”

“Ignorance is faster than knowledge.” -Len ./ BIG L

Bani Abidi

Born in Pakistan in 1971, Lives and works in Berlin and Karachi. Early on, Abidi had worked with video, which led her to experimen>ng with performance art and photographic methods. She studied at the the Art Ins>tute of Chicago in in the late 1990s, and returned to the USA in 2003. At this >me, she was anxious about the precarious posi>on of her homeland. She wanted to make art that would address it, that would somehow speak to both Pakistanis and Americans about the way the United States, in her view, had pushed Pakistan into falling in line with the war on terror, regardless of the poten>al fallout. Her work at MoMA is a series of digital prints called Security Barriers and was made in 2008.

Bani Abidi Security Barriers

2008

digital prints

Security Barrier Type D -‐Pakistan Naval Base, Karsaz, Karachi

•  Myar: The border between two countries. •  Kenny: Where we don’t want people to

trespass, so people don’t snoop around. •  Brian: Racial barriers. (segrega>on)

•  Joie: Jobs! There’s an exis>ng prejudice against certain names that “sound” different in some way.

•  Interpersonal emo>onal barriers….like we don’t always show what we’re feeling.

WHERE do we put up barriers?

Security Barrier Type D -‐Pakistan Naval Base, Karsaz, Karachi

•  jaKARA: We put up personal barriers…if we dislike a person, we close up and distance yourself.

•  .Ayyy: Roads have barriers to keep us from swerving off and killing people.

•  “People kill each other with barriers” •  jaKARA: Social constructs are types of

barriers!! •  Sof: Barriers, push people away from each

other, which leads to miscommunica>on and trust issues.

•  Guzzy: Originally meant to protect…but like most human concepts…they get distorted and turn against people.

WHERE do we put up barriers?

Security Barrier Type L –Varied Loca>ons, Karachi

How do we divide ourselves

from another?

•  Brianna: By what we wear, what we socially iden>fy as. (I’m African-‐American, you’re Hispanic, and we may expect certain behaviors from one another (associa>ve stereotypes)

•  Kevin: We choose to not communicate.

•  Kenny: Gender divisions…associa>ons we have with names and gender iden>ty.

•  Kai:

Security Barrier Type L –Varied Loca>ons, Karachi

How do we divide ourselves

from another?

•  Cliques, squad, crew….these are groups based on similar hobbies or interests…but it divides those who do NOT share those same interests.

•  Ray: By considering yourself a certain race, some folks may make other classifica>ons by that race…

•  Tina: We divide by na>onal, religious, and other barriers.

•  .

Security Barrier Type G -‐Traffic Police, Karachi

WHY do we divide ourselves

from another?

•  Kozak: People will use anything they want (anecdotes, religious texts, etc) to jus>fy their horrible ac>ons.

•  . •  .

Bani Abidi

Security Barrier Type F -‐Jinnah Interna>onal Airport, Karachi

Bani Abidi Security Barriers

2008 digital prints

Bani Abidi’s work raises issues about how an individual relates to the others they’re surrounded by as well as the culture they’re in / the world at large. Whether physical or emo>onal, these spaces and situa>ons outline the way we are able to connect with one another. And who we’re able to connect with.

“Some people are meant to have Expira>on dates.”

Tina Gao, Junior 2015

Are there limits to what designers and ar>sts should create? Prisons? Weaponry? Concentra<on camps? Where do we draw the line?

•  Taeron & Kai: This all depends on the ar>st and their morals. Limits can only be set by individuals. Nobody has the right to limit what you can do…IN ART. Everyone has natural rights and nobody can take them away from you. John Locke:

•  Kevin: As long as it doesn’t harm a person or the ar>st (physically or mentally) then it’s okay?

•  Len:u I believe limits are supposed to be broken…if necessary. By tes>ng these limits we improve who we are.

•  Michelle: Agrees with Koie, limits should be on things that are dangerous.

•  Myar: we can’t limit what people create. But we have to limit HOW crea>ons are used. Some ques>onable inven>ons could lead to other innova>ons.

•  KenKen:Art SHOULD affect us emo>onally and mentally. Ar>sts shouldn’t have limits on that stuff.

Ethics and Design...

Are there limits to what designers and ar>sts should create? Prisons? Weaponry? Concentra<on camps? Where do we draw the line?

•  .Tina: Nope, there should not be limits for ar>sts…because if one ar>st turns down an offer, another will do it.

•  Arvin: Agrees with Tina…Ar>sts should not be limited…the people who USE these designs are the ones who are responsible.

•  Nyle: I don’t think the ar>st is FULLY responsible…but they share a responsibility. The ar>st is making this idea into a reality.

•  Amina: J If an ar>st KNOWS the purpose of this device…then they are responsible for it.

•  Jus>n: Even if the ar>st knows the full capabili>es of something, they’re not in control of what they made in the end…

•  RD: Do we ever see ar>sts in court cases for these kinds of issues???

Ethics and Design...

Bani Abidi

VIDEO Interview @5:14 @6:40

hcp://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/crossingborders/interview/bani_interview.html

Responses… Kenny: She’s very observant about rela>onships with people and how race/na>onality plays a role in that. Gissell: Calm, and I like her vibes. Taeron: She’s very content with the type of work she makes, like photography and video. Brian: Confident in what she’s saying about her work, she takes pride in what she does. Tots: Very objec>ve about her work…doesn’t say much about her ar>s>c inten>ons. Myar: Concerned with how young people view history, and how its perceived in the future…concern for the master narra>ve… Joie: “Humor is crucial to her work.” Ny: Her humor is closer related to the culture she’s from.

Responses… Ayy: She’s interested in the edi>ng and censorship of history. Students may not know PT: Her show mostly focuses on the US but also Pakistan and it’s history and barriers with India.

See more of her work… www.baniabidi.com ALSO…her husband, Sarnath Banerjee is a graphic novel ar>st/writer!


issues?

•  Kai: She deals with social barriers like race, religion, gender, etc.

•  Tots: she showcases every day objects that we wouldn’t think about in a deep way…but they sculpt our world view.

•  Len: The key to the social issues Abidi brings up is the KEY to isola>on, like how we separate ourselves.

•  Ruhith:in her video she said how she wants to talk more about her home in Pakistan…and how these everyday objects affect the world altogether. These objects are a bigger deal than we make them.

•  .


issues?

•  ArBe: In reference to the mango video…despite what country you’re from we’re all human…and we have the rights..but people always look for differences and compe>>on with each other. Even with mangoes.

•  Tina: Even though most people are the same, but na>onality and religion can create barriers.

•  JAK: reminds me of how mul>-‐racial go about their daily lives asking when they should be one ‘part’ of themselves and when to be another ‘part.’

•  Guzzy: The idea of the mango video reminds me of the Puerto Rican and Dominican debates over food. There’s no need to argue over it…

•  Nawal: àto >na: I think that na>onality and religion don’t create barriers, people’s interpreta>on makes the barriers. How we interpret mythologies can be used to jus>fy our ac>ons. Arabian and dominican Tortas are cake, NOT sandwiches.

How do we cope with loss? (as different from “absence”

•  Kenny: When something bad happens, I let out the tears with family…but when I’m really DEALING with it, I talk about it with someone.

•  Kai: Choose to focus on the good >mes. •  Tots: It’s like a cycle, you may get angry or sad, but also remember the good stuff…it’s not one straight emo>on.

•  Rasha: depending on the severity, I may pray. But also tears….

•  Gissell: MUSIC! Song writers express these feelings through music…some>mes we listen to those songs to feel. To just feel.

•  Brian: Let apathy take you by the hand unBl you are ready to feel what you want to feel.

How do we cope with loss? •  Tina: We mourn. We cry. Show emo>ons. ZenZAAAY: Some>mes people hold it in un>l things stack up and then they EXPLODEEEEE Alannis: Some fall into bad habits (drugs, smoking, alcohol, misbehaving, stress ea>ng!) (NECK PINCHING) #poppinperiod8 #invadeperiod7 Cherrian: So…if Kozak dies, maybe someone would go to their basement and make a pain>ng every day. Sof: Some may avoid the topic of loss, so they’re not dragged down. Ray: Some people react by hur>ng others….Or themselves (self-‐harm) There’s the 5 stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression…acceptance?

Origins of HIV/AIDS

The HIV/AIDS virus is currently known to have begun to develop in the 1920s in the city of Kinshasa, in what is today the DemocraBc Republic of Congo.

According to a report by an interna>onal team of scien>sts, ‘a roaring sex trade, rapid popula>on growth and unsterilized needles used in health clinics probably spread the virus.’

h\p://www.bbc.com/news/health-‐29442642

We know that the virus has existed in the United States since at least the mid-‐ to late 1970s. From 1979–1981 rare types of pneumonia, cancer, and other illnesses were being reported by doctors in Los Angeles and New York among a number of male pa>ents who had sex with other

men. h\p://www.theaidsins<tute.org/educa<on/aids-‐101/where-‐did-‐hiv-‐come-‐0

Felix González-‐Torres

"Un<tled" (Portrait of Ross in L.A.) 1991 Candies individually wrapped in mul>color cellophane, endless supply Dimensions vary with installa>on; ideal weight 175 lbs.

Felix González-‐Torres 1957-‐1996

"Un<tled" (Portrait of Ross in L.A.) 1991 Candies individually wrapped in mul>color cellophane, endless supply Dimensions vary with installa>on; ideal weight 175 lbs.


Felix Gonzalez-‐Torres produced work of uncompromising beauty and simplicity, transforming everyday objects into profound meditaBons on love and loss. “Un>tled” (Portrait of Ross in L.A.) is an allegorical representa>on of the ar>st’s partner, Ross Laycock, who died of an AIDS-‐related illness in 1991. The installa>on is comprised of 175 pounds of candy, corresponding to Ross’s ideal body weight. Viewers are encouraged to take a piece of candy, and the diminishing amount parallels Ross’s weight loss and suffering prior to his death.

Gonzalez-‐Torres s>pulated that the pile should be con>nuously replenished, thus metaphorically gran>ng perpetual life.


Jojo: There needs to be a person there to show WHY the candy is there…the viewer is a part of this process. Taeron: Nope, it’s not necessary to have a viewer here. Those that already know what it’s about is what makes it significant. The metaphor makes it stronger. Sol Lewie: “The Idea is the machine that makes the art.” Brian: Wouldn’t this slowly deteriorate over >me anyway?? The upkeep (replenishment) is more important. Keeping this piece “alive” is the point. Not the taking of candy. Joie: You need people to ac>vate it. You take away and put back.



ARTIE: A ques>on of tangibility…. ARVIN: some>mes memories fade…but objects help us remember/reconnect with that memory. NYLE: The memory (intangible) is more real than the object (tangible). AYY: Memory is not stronger than objects, NYYYYLE! Memories change every so slightly as >me goes on. Tina: Yep. Same. Arvin (again): Juxtapose: When you take two images that DON’T relate and mash them up.



QuesBons to consider…. If this type of candy were to go out of produc>on…how would we con>nue to re-‐create the piece? Should the museum decide the general “shape” of the pile? Or honor what has been made before?


"Un>tled" (It's Just a Macer of Time) 1992 Billboards in New York City


One of his most recognizable works, "Un>tled” (It's Just a Macer of Time), was a billboard installed in twenty-‐four loca>ons throughout New York City of a monochrome photograph of an unoccupied bed, made a,er the death of his long-‐>me partner, Ross Laycock, from AIDS.


"Un<tled" (It's Just a Ma\er of Time) 1992 Billboards in New York City

"When people ask me, 'Who is your public?' I say honestly, without skipping a beat, 'Ross.' The public was Ross. The rest of the people just come to the work."



Ranfery: Feelings are just as limitless as adver>sements. Not only products are adver>sed, feelings are too.

àall good adver>sements are connected to your FEELINGS Jarrell: It’s just a ‘macress’ of >me before we lose someone we love. Rasha: González-‐Torres makes it so the audience isn’t us. The main audience is Ross, which is why it’s so easy for us to look at this and see adver>sement. Elle: “IT’s just a macress of >me before we say goodbye.”



Zeitgeist Something current to the >mes, specific to a moment (o,en the present) vs Canon (Part of an older idea, usually something that is tradi>onally accepted as TRUE or VALID. Something that is expected to happen in a person’s life.-‐-‐-‐1984, To Kill a Mockingbird, Any Jane Austen book….o,en only one point of view…one side of the story.


Un<tled (Toronto) 1992 Light bulbs, extension cord, and porcelain light sockets Sizes vary, usually 20-‐40 feet



Rasha: A reoccurring theme…maybe this is related to Ross? Brianna: Maybe the pile was Ross when he was alive…showing their BOND…and how ‘light’ it was. The string is like their chemistry and how strong it was/is. Myar: It seemed so pure…like the idea that when someone dies they ‘go to the light’ Len: The light bulbs are slowly dying one by one. The whole meaning of life is gone when the light goes out. Brianna: What if all the light bulbs are people and when one dies it affects the others? The room gets a licle bit more DIM. Brian: Each light bulb is unique. It has a >me limit…it’s going to run out. It has a lifespan.



Arvin:The light is like LIFE, eventually it runs out? Nyle: The number of light bulbs could represent how long he lived for.

à ZenZAY: Bulbs have a “lifespan”…each bulb has a different lifespan…similar to our lives, we live to different ages. And AIDS affects that. àKozak: Lightbulbs are fragile. They flicker into life for a short period of >me, and when they finally burn out…they’re ex>nguished forever. Ray: Some light bulbs can’t be replaced, like family members. ANYONE that you love. If you love someone…you’ll never love someone else again in the same way. It’ll be a different kind of love. Cherrian: Light bulbs are cheap, and replaceable…HUMAN LIFE IS NOT.

àNAWAL: Yeah, but LIGHT could be compared to human life. Not the bulb itself.

González-‐Torres imbues common u>litarian objects—lightbulbs strung together—with poe>c significance. The cords, like two lives, are intertwined. The life-‐span of the bulbs, like that of a person, is of a par>cular duraBon and will ul>mately burn out.


The ar>st said, "I don't necessarily know how these pieces are best displayed. I don't have all of the answers—you [the owner] decide how you want it done. Whatever you want to do, try it. This is not some Minimalist artwork that has to be exactly two inches to the leh and six inches down. Play with it, please. Have fun. Give yourself that freedom. Put my crea0vity into ques0on...."

What quesBons would you pose about Felix Gonzalez-‐Torres’ artwork?


Other QuesBons to consider…. Could the work be re-‐created at different museum spaces at the same >me? If someone were to bump into the light bulbs and break one, should it be replaced?

A note on the temporary nature of life and death. Dear P8….

•  Life is like a bubble. Once it pops you can’t re-‐form it. -‐ 0 •  LIFEBULB -‐ 12 •  There was a girl who was dying to finish school, dying to get

married, dying to have kids, dying to explore the world, but then when she was dying she didn’t know how to live. -‐ 3

•  You admire the road but s>ll you turn around and follow your own. -‐ 0

•  The world is a giant slot machine and we are merely bets being made to keep the machine running. -‐3

•  No macer how fast light is darkness will always be there first…and last. -‐ 3

•  We live life for the a,erlife. -‐ 3

A note on the temporary nature of life and death. Dear P7….

•  Life is a beau>ful lie and death is the painful truth. -‐ 6 •  Everyone wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die. -‐5 •  We don’t know what’s coming tomorrow so don’t die giving

up. At least die trying. -‐5 •  Dying is not a “Goodbye.” It’s an “I’ll be wai>ng for you?” -‐ 4 •  Enjoy the life you have un>l you no longer have it. -‐ 2 •  Give a life a try but remember to ques>on it. -‐ 2 •  We live to learn yet fail to understand the meaning of >me. -‐ 3 •  We live life and remember you are not promised tomorrow.-‐ 7 •  You die because you have to….you live because you want to.

-‐10

What Social issue(s) is this ar>st dealing with? How do they raise

these issues?

•  Rasha: Life, Death, and the normaliza>on of LOVE.

•  Ny: He’s dealing with the true meaning of personal loss. Uses simple materials to make a larger message.

•  Kevin: Love is fragile. •  Len: Do we usually ignore

things that are common such as death?

•  Ranfery: He’s coping with loss through art in a metaphorical way.

•  Elle and YUNGTASH: To appreciate the person you have while you’re with them.

AWESOME interview at…bombmagazine.org/ar>cle/1847/felix-‐gonzalez-‐torres

What Social issue(s) is this ar>st dealing with? How do they raise

these issues?

•  PT: death and disease are common themes…but it’s also about how people interpret things. He lets his audience interact to create stronger meaning.

•  ZENZI: Simplicity…his work is about his partner, but it’s also about rela>onships in general.

•  Tina: his work is very personal but also common experiences that everyone will have (death of loved ones).

•  NAWAL: It’s portraying an outsider’s perspec>ve of how people handle grief.

•  JusBn: This is about coping with LOSS. (ross not being alive anymore but also death in general. )

AWESOME interview at…bombmagazine.org/ar>cle/1847/felix-‐gonzalez-‐torres

Alfredo Jaar

One Million Finnish Passports 1995 Finnish passports

Alfredo Jaar


Finland has a historically strict immigra>on policy. As stubborn na>onalists they accept only a >ny frac>on of the ci>zenship applica>ons they receive, far less than other European na>ons. Observing this, Jaar managed to get 1 million Finnish passports printed up to represent the number of people who should have been na>onalized as Finnish ci>zens but weren’t.

Alfredo Jaar


Finland is a country that only has 5.4 million people (compared to the 8.4 that live in NYC). Only 5.5% of the popula>on in Finland was born in another country, compared to the USA, where almost 12% are born in another country.

Alfredo Jaar The work was considered to be so controversial by the Finnish government that it was placed behind a bulletproof glass wall.

Alfredo Jaar

…and every passport was

incinerated in a,er the exhibi>on was

finished.

Tots: This piece of art is holding the idea of ci>zenship within arm’s reach. But it’s SO restric>ve. Kenny: Jaar is going against the Finnish government and proving how easy it COULD be to become a ci>zen….

Gissell: He’s mocking the people? The borders? Also mocking Jo-‐joe: the fact that it’s behind glass encourages more ques>oning?? Myar: He’s showing the irony about how tolerant the Finnish are…but how restric>ve they are about ci>zenship.

Alfredo Jaar

…and every passport was

incinerated in a,er the exhibi>on was

finished.

Arvin: The Finnish government wants to maintain a difficult path To ci>zenship Tina: It’s almost like making the passport into a joke. The passport is just a symbol, or a step to being a Finnish ci>zen.

àPT: If you’re a ci>zen of Finland you…have all those benefits of living in such a progressive place! You could totally have a becer life than others around the world. Ar>e: If I was Alfredo Jaar…I’d say SCREW IT…and print a bunch of passports and give them away. It takes away the message…. Nawal: I THINK THE MESSAGE IS: the global passport system takes away the human rights to be able to travel and find becer opportuni>es. People are trying to escape hardships….

Ask an Art Historian: What do Americans Look like?

•  Ayy: American flag, Old Navy stuff. •  Raph: White guys with blond hair and blue eyes.

•  Guzzy: Nobody drew themselves.

•  only one person brought up “na>ve” Americans.

Alfredo Jaar

Alfredo Jaar

A Logo For America 1987 Digital color Video

Common trends to his work? Countries. Immigra>on, borders “patrio>c” or “na>onalism”

Alfredo Jaar


In the late 1980’s , Jaar created an anima>on that appeared on an electronic billboard in Times Square. This was during a >me when Time’s Square was not so tourist friendly…but s>ll acracted a large number of locals. His piece of artwork appeared alongside other scheduled adver>sements over the course of two weeks.

Alfredo Jaar


This work challenges the visual concept of what “America” is. This work faces the ethnocentrism that is found throughout the culture of the United States of America.

Challenges Euro-‐centric superiority

Jaar’s work bears witness to military conflicts, poli>cal corrup>on, and imbalances of power between industrialized and developing na>ons. Subjects addressed in his work include the holocaust in Rwanda, gold mining in Brazil, toxic pollu>on in Nigeria, and issues related to the border between Mexico and the United States.

La Nube / The Cloud 2000 Public Interven>on Tijuana, Mexico-‐San Diego, USA Border

What do you think are Jaar’s ar>s>c

inten>ons? ArBst IntenBons

1.Kenny: To have people think about country borders and how people are not accepted by all governments 2. Kevin: How we perceive the world and draw borders on different land masses. 3. Myar: He challenges the idea of how a country presents itself through na>onalism, patrio>sm….

àJean: How countries depict themselves….individuals in a na>on may see themselves as SUPERIOR…(through the use of labels like “civilized” or “1st world”, which implies judgment)

àImbalances of power, YO. 4. Brian: important design but a simple message? The message is very complex… (and important) and the design or presentaBon is quite simple and vague someBmes. Jean: you NEED to understand the arBst intenBons to understand the artwork itself. Important to know some background info…

What do you think are Jaar’s ar>s>c

inten>ons?

ArBst IntenBons 1. PT: To show the world how messed up poli>cs are. 2. Zen: To draw acen>on and criBcize issues. Some>mes he uses saBre (using real world situa>ons to cri>cize real world situa>ons) 3. Arvin: Allows the audience to form their own opinions about how governments run things and decide things.. 4. Guzz-‐styles WHY AREN’T WE MORE INCLUSIVE WITH PEOPLE, HUHH! AND WHY DO SOME PEOPLE/OBJECTS HAVE RIGHTS AND OTHERS DON’T?! HUHH! AYYY: Makes me think about how we iden>fy na>onally…and how that MAY make a person more allegiant or obedient Marie: Make people quesBon their rights. To what extent am I allowed to…do ANYTHING freely.

Alfredo Jaar

“As I never studied art, it is a fascina>ng process to ascertain what communicates with a viewer, how it communicates and with whom it communicates. I never forget that communica>on does not mean to send out a message; it means to receive an answer. If there is no answer, there is no communica>on.”

“Artwork has to create a discussion with the viewer. If you don’t put anything out there, you’ll get no answer.”

-‐-‐kevin!!

Alfredo Jaar

WHAT ARE THE COMMON TRENDS IN WHAT WE READ? KENNY: lack of info being withheld from the public (wealth, power)

Kevin: Also the government….conceal informa>on? Meee-‐ARRR: Media control over informa>on.

Story 1: Nelson Mandela in Cape Town: working condi>ons blinded workers. Story 2: Afghanistan, how the USA Government bought all the satellite imagery for the

country. Story 3: Pennsylvania: Bill Gates purchased all these historical photos and buried them in a

>me capsule that nobody will get to see.

More than anything else, this relates to the POWER of MEDIA and IMAGERY. “If we use images to manipulate people’s opinions, it gives us power.”

Alfredo Jaar

WHAT ARE THE COMMON TRENDS IN WHAT WE READ? Story 1: Nelson Mandela: imprisoned for 28 years, forced to mine limestone, but the dust from

this has taken away his ability to cry. Story 2: Afghanistan: Prez Bush Jr has led America into a war in Afghanistan…they purchased some intense satellite images from a company and did not share them with anyone else.

Story 3:Bill Gates: purchased a TON of photos from major historical events and they’re being put into a mine underground…he controls the access to these images.

$$$/ POWER and how it’s related to IMAGES.

Alfredo Jaar

Alfredo Jaar

Lament of the Images

2002

Plexiglass text panels (texts by David Levi Strauss), light

wall, and mixed media

Alfredo Jaar

Lament of the Images

2002

Plexiglass text panels (texts by David Levi Strauss), light

wall, and mixed media

Lament: lament |ləˈment| noun a passionate expression of grief or sorrow

Lament of the Images 2002

Plexiglass text panels (texts by David Levi Strauss), light wall, and mixed media

"We are going through a very paradoxical situaBon. There have never been so many images. We are bombarded with thousands of them daily, without mercy and without warning. And most of them ask us to consume, consume, consume. So how does an image of pain survive in the sea of consumpBon? It doesn’t.” -‐ Alfredo Jaar

Alfredo Jaar’s work deals with real world problems. As we approach 2016, what will you do to be a solu>on

for those problems?

•  Guzzy: pessimist! Not all problems get solu>ons…and solu>ons only come about when something goes EXTREMELY wrong. Maybe if we all were becer people…

•  Tina: People who are in control have so much wealth. There’s problems rela>ng to economics and ethics.

•  Nawal: a lack of empathy causes so many problems. Just because a leader of a na>on disagrees with another, civilian lives are lost. Also Xenophobia

Alfredo Jaar’s work deals with real world problems. As we approach 2016, what will you do to be a solu>on

for those problems?

•  Kai: Assassinate Trump…THEN Replace weapons with HUGS.

•  Kenny: Approach situa>ons in a new light (a fresh start).

•  Ny: Being aware of inequality issues.

•  JoJo: Drop stereotypes…they cause mad problems.

•  Brianna: Nope. This isn’t possible. People who don’t have the power to influence people aren’t able to make change…and even if you could…you can’t FORCE people to change, you’ll lose crea>vity and individuality. Racism,Terrorism, prejudice will not die out soon…

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