i am planning to write a story and illustrate a prequel :) it will be so much fun!
Monday, September 26, 2011
[WRITING] Response to Article: Pay $250 for a photo with nude artist
At the Art Stage Singapore exhibition held in January this year, an artist from India attracted visitors' attention. This artist, named T.Venkanna's artwork involved himself searing in a booth in front of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo's The Two Fridas without any clothes on.
Visitors to the exhibition can choose to join him in the room, hold his hand, and get a photograph taken for a token price of $250.
This process is part of his art installation about "removing the trappings of identity".
Personally, I respect his approach on his art. I acknowledge many things to be art and I feel that art is not confined to sculptures and paintings and things that follow the Principles of Design and Elements of Art. As our society advance, our perception of art will have to change too. Art should be seen as an expression instead of a product. Therefore I can accept his work as art because it is him expressing an idea, addressing an issue.
However I do not think that this is a good piece of art. It does not seem to be doing what an artwork should do. An artwork allows people to think by relating it to people, which is why most museums and galleries are free for people to visit, because art is the spreading of ideas and not selling of ideas. The artwork, which is the naked artist has to be sealed off to prevent visitors from stumbling upon it by accident, that defeated the purpose of the artwork. The artwork is about removing the trappings of identity, it is probably something the artist want to change about this world, something he feels deeply, yet how many people can he reach out to with this approach and how many people can pause to think about the deep meaning he is perhaps trying to showcase beneath the "eccentricity" and the "freshness". People gets attracted because he is doing something different, something weird and interesting, they are not attracted by the values behind the work.
In addition, I feel that his expression of removing the trappings of identity is a little blatant and to your face. While it may be a good thing (people nowadays are very direct), for me it feels like a rather superficial interpretation of the message. I do not think that removing the trappings of identity merely to remove one's clothings. I feel that this artist is expressing his message with a very extreme approach, which would usually cause unnecessary controversies in our society.
Lastly, I do not understand why do the visitors have to pay such a high cost to take a picture with a naked artist as a token. The cost does not seem to have any direct link with his artwork. If it is to protect his privacy, I felt that the cost is also a bit too much. I do not understand what is his real purpose in charging people for taking picture with him.
Although much were said, I would still applaude him for being brave enough to challenge our society's perception of art. Artists often go out to challenge the limit, pushing things further and further each time. It shows that as more and more people accept the different perceptions, art can be viewed as a neutral platform in which many things can be questioned and discussed.
I just wish that his art, especially the substance in his art is worth being so brave for.
:)
Visitors to the exhibition can choose to join him in the room, hold his hand, and get a photograph taken for a token price of $250.
This process is part of his art installation about "removing the trappings of identity".
Personally, I respect his approach on his art. I acknowledge many things to be art and I feel that art is not confined to sculptures and paintings and things that follow the Principles of Design and Elements of Art. As our society advance, our perception of art will have to change too. Art should be seen as an expression instead of a product. Therefore I can accept his work as art because it is him expressing an idea, addressing an issue.
However I do not think that this is a good piece of art. It does not seem to be doing what an artwork should do. An artwork allows people to think by relating it to people, which is why most museums and galleries are free for people to visit, because art is the spreading of ideas and not selling of ideas. The artwork, which is the naked artist has to be sealed off to prevent visitors from stumbling upon it by accident, that defeated the purpose of the artwork. The artwork is about removing the trappings of identity, it is probably something the artist want to change about this world, something he feels deeply, yet how many people can he reach out to with this approach and how many people can pause to think about the deep meaning he is perhaps trying to showcase beneath the "eccentricity" and the "freshness". People gets attracted because he is doing something different, something weird and interesting, they are not attracted by the values behind the work.
In addition, I feel that his expression of removing the trappings of identity is a little blatant and to your face. While it may be a good thing (people nowadays are very direct), for me it feels like a rather superficial interpretation of the message. I do not think that removing the trappings of identity merely to remove one's clothings. I feel that this artist is expressing his message with a very extreme approach, which would usually cause unnecessary controversies in our society.
Lastly, I do not understand why do the visitors have to pay such a high cost to take a picture with a naked artist as a token. The cost does not seem to have any direct link with his artwork. If it is to protect his privacy, I felt that the cost is also a bit too much. I do not understand what is his real purpose in charging people for taking picture with him.
Although much were said, I would still applaude him for being brave enough to challenge our society's perception of art. Artists often go out to challenge the limit, pushing things further and further each time. It shows that as more and more people accept the different perceptions, art can be viewed as a neutral platform in which many things can be questioned and discussed.
I just wish that his art, especially the substance in his art is worth being so brave for.
:)
[ART STUFF] Shea Hembrey's biennale
I was randomly searching for talks to watch on my TED app when I came across this video.
Shea Hembrey is a contemporary artist and the work he had done amazed me.
Because he felt that contemporary artworks nowadays are getting to obtuse and do not reach out to audiences anymore, he decided to plan and organise a biennale showcasing works of 100 artists all over the world himself.
He had two criterias for these works that he is choosing.
1. He must be able to explain the work to his Grandma in less than 5 minutes, which means that it is refined and easy to comprehend.
2. The work must engage the 3 Hs. Head, Heart, Hands.
So where can he find 100 artists that can fit into these criterias?
The answer is, he made them up himself.
100 artists, all different nationality, names, interests, art style, art interests, hobbies, personalities, he made them all up and took on the roles of these imaginary artists and made 100 pieces of artwork.
The artworks actually ranged from all types of materials, each exploring different themes.
But in truth, we all know that all these 100 ideas came from the same man.
Which is why this biennale is so amazing. Just imagine how creative he is and how knowledgeable he is.
Usually when we learn about artists' style, subject matter, they are very distinct and perhaps consistent in their art. But what about someone like Shea Hembrey?
To me his art is like realising a dream. I am sure an artist always start out with many ideas involving different art styles. There's just so much an artist want to do and try but sometimes they don't get to try them out because they have a specific style. So his work is like "oh for all these ideas I have I am going to make them into art, every single one of them". It became hard to define what kind of an artist he is, it is even hard to categorise his works.
But I am sure it must felt fulfilling to see all these 100 sides of yourself gathered at one place.
[COURSEWORK] Installation - My coffin!
I have to update about my installation that accompanies my Manga.
The reason I want to make something 3D is because I feel like my coursework is too restricted to the computer, which makes it very analytical and organised.
I like messy art that can get my hands dirty so I was disappointed that I can't do that in my coursework.
So I decided to make something 3D.
The idea of a coffin came as I was reading a manga.
A coffin symbolises finality. Yet it can also mean continuity.
It's an end because it contains death.
It's a continuity because the death contained inside became infinite.
it's like a protection.
In my story the main character sacrificed himself and turned into a glowing red flower.
I would like to make a coffin to contain this red flower for 3 purposes:
1. to symbolise an end.
2. to protect the light (to treasure it so that it will not go out again)
3. to give him recognition.
this is the coffin i am inspired by.
the body part will be made of wood and the pattern made with clay.
after designing the pattern on my coffin i got down to building it.
the christmas lights to make the flower glow.
i wrapped red paper in the shape of flower petals around each lightbulb to make the flower:
this is how the coffin looked like at first.
the pattern is made with sculpey which i baked in my house oven o_____o
coloured and sprayed with black paint.
FINAL:
the cloth was added to make it look glam and gothic :)
how it will look like in the dark.
[WRITING] Valerie's coursework :)
Valerie's coursework is one of my personal favourite (not just because she's my classmate okay)
I felt that her coursework not only has a very clear message, but she also expressed it in a very creative way.
The coursework consists of 3 paintings and 3 chairs.
Each of the paintings will pair with one chair and together they represents one stage of a person's life.
The whole series is then linked together with a cup - a representation of one's dreams.
The first painting shows a girl at the CHILD stage, with lots of dreams and hope contained within the cup.
The chair that accompanied this painting is a toddler's chair. It is very very stable.
In this stage of our life, we are probably the happiest and most stable.
We don't know about the future hence we don't fear the future.
So we dare to have dreams.
The second painting shows the girl growing up a little, becoming a TEENAGER.
In the painting she is trying to reach out for her cup but because the cup is placed at a high place she is losing her balance.
The chair is also incredibly unstable, with one leg shorter than the other three.
It is not a comfortable or even safe stage of our life. We try to realise the dreams we had when we were young but we realised that they are not as simple to achieve as we though they were.
Dreams may then be broken.
The third painting probably shows they girl at the TEEN stage.
Having broken the cup once, she is trying to amend it so that she can dream once again.
The chair for this painting is very narrow and it has a very slanted back which makes you feel scared when you try to lean back, like there's no support.
The damage done to our dreams left scars, making us fearful.
This is the time when we have to put in a lot of trust and motivation in ourselves to move one
and try again.
I really like this work because it is very closely linked with what we are experiencing at this age.
Also, Valerie has put in a lot of effort, studying the mechanics of chair-building while doing her paintings!
It's very commendable!
:)
I felt that her coursework not only has a very clear message, but she also expressed it in a very creative way.
The coursework consists of 3 paintings and 3 chairs.
Each of the paintings will pair with one chair and together they represents one stage of a person's life.
The whole series is then linked together with a cup - a representation of one's dreams.
The first painting shows a girl at the CHILD stage, with lots of dreams and hope contained within the cup.
The chair that accompanied this painting is a toddler's chair. It is very very stable.
In this stage of our life, we are probably the happiest and most stable.
We don't know about the future hence we don't fear the future.
So we dare to have dreams.
The second painting shows the girl growing up a little, becoming a TEENAGER.
In the painting she is trying to reach out for her cup but because the cup is placed at a high place she is losing her balance.
The chair is also incredibly unstable, with one leg shorter than the other three.
It is not a comfortable or even safe stage of our life. We try to realise the dreams we had when we were young but we realised that they are not as simple to achieve as we though they were.
Dreams may then be broken.
The third painting probably shows they girl at the TEEN stage.
Having broken the cup once, she is trying to amend it so that she can dream once again.
The chair for this painting is very narrow and it has a very slanted back which makes you feel scared when you try to lean back, like there's no support.
The damage done to our dreams left scars, making us fearful.
This is the time when we have to put in a lot of trust and motivation in ourselves to move one
and try again.
I really like this work because it is very closely linked with what we are experiencing at this age.
Also, Valerie has put in a lot of effort, studying the mechanics of chair-building while doing her paintings!
It's very commendable!
:)
[COURSEWORK] THE FINAL.
In the June holidays I completed the basic sketch of my Manga.
But they are very raw and messy so for the whole term 3 I have been trying to tidy up the lines.
After which I added screen tones with screen tone patterns which you can load into paint bucket :)
followed by some experiments with the colour balance adjustments.
I will put my final work here but because JPEG files change the colour a lot... it is not what it is at it's best...
(which is why I didn't save the different trials for colour balance either)
But they are very raw and messy so for the whole term 3 I have been trying to tidy up the lines.
After which I added screen tones with screen tone patterns which you can load into paint bucket :)
followed by some experiments with the colour balance adjustments.
I will put my final work here but because JPEG files change the colour a lot... it is not what it is at it's best...
(which is why I didn't save the different trials for colour balance either)
Monday, September 19, 2011
[COURSEWORK] Themes - Sacrifice
Main theme:
Sacrifice.
Come to think about it my story has veered off the theme Hope and Good Wishes.
A more appropriate theme now would probably be Sacrifice.
Sacrifice is a very interesting theme in my opinion because it consists of two completely opposite feelings: Hopelessness AND Hope.
A person will not sacrifice until there's no other better choices. Yet a sacrifice, although depressing, will bring hope for the ones who are left behind. It's a turning point. A selfless action.
A war, like the one in my story, in my opinion, is the best scenario to express this theme.
Sub-theme:
Lights.
I always feel that light is a very magical thing. With light, our eyes can see colours.
We can't see light (not really), but we can see because of light.
Light travels in a straight line, therefore it can be blocked, which is weird because light has such an almighty power to light up, but it is also really easy to cast shadows by blocking it.
Sacrifice.
Come to think about it my story has veered off the theme Hope and Good Wishes.
A more appropriate theme now would probably be Sacrifice.
Sacrifice is a very interesting theme in my opinion because it consists of two completely opposite feelings: Hopelessness AND Hope.
A person will not sacrifice until there's no other better choices. Yet a sacrifice, although depressing, will bring hope for the ones who are left behind. It's a turning point. A selfless action.
A war, like the one in my story, in my opinion, is the best scenario to express this theme.
Sub-theme:
Lights.
I always feel that light is a very magical thing. With light, our eyes can see colours.
We can't see light (not really), but we can see because of light.
Light travels in a straight line, therefore it can be blocked, which is weird because light has such an almighty power to light up, but it is also really easy to cast shadows by blocking it.
Friday, August 26, 2011
[COURSEWORK]Development - Humans
So.. How do I do research drawings for a digital-based coursework?
Take pictures of course~
Sunday, July 10, 2011
[OLD WORKS] locker installation
Before our lockers had a door... I tried out a locker installation with very simple objects.
I actually like it quite a bit :)
it's about this saying : Put your feet into others' shoes.
It is a saying to get people to feel for others but it is also a saying that is burdensome.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
[COURSEWORK] Everything about lights I want to talk about
I have finally finally evolved my storyline to revolve around a center topic and i am very happy.
Basically since the work is called lights go on again it will revolve around light.
and the good news is. panel 8 to 14 which are the explanation for this light is DONE.
so i will be talking a lot about what is my own definition of light in my panels.
1. there's no such thing as darkness. there's no way to create darkness. you can't shine a DARKNESS torch and expect something to appear. it is not even an existence, it's an absence. an absence of light is called darkness. this is why darkness cannot be created yet light can.
2. lights go out just to go on again. this thought is somewhat unrealistic and very much personified light. i think that lights shine, then they burn out and turn into ashes. ashes are carried by wind to many places. there are places where light can't reach but there's no place that ashes and dust particles can't reach. lights burning out is like a method for them to reach places where they can't reach as lights. and even though they burnt out they still have the hope and dreams and desires they had as lights they are never gone. and when they go on again at places absent with lights and shine even brighter and illuminate others.
this is very relevant to my story in a way.
and this "light" does not apply to only the physical existence but also the light in our lives.
3. light is like a compulsory existence. they will definitely have to shine on something before they are stopped. we can't say we don't want light shining on us.
4. light is always there.
Basically since the work is called lights go on again it will revolve around light.
and the good news is. panel 8 to 14 which are the explanation for this light is DONE.
so i will be talking a lot about what is my own definition of light in my panels.
1. there's no such thing as darkness. there's no way to create darkness. you can't shine a DARKNESS torch and expect something to appear. it is not even an existence, it's an absence. an absence of light is called darkness. this is why darkness cannot be created yet light can.
2. lights go out just to go on again. this thought is somewhat unrealistic and very much personified light. i think that lights shine, then they burn out and turn into ashes. ashes are carried by wind to many places. there are places where light can't reach but there's no place that ashes and dust particles can't reach. lights burning out is like a method for them to reach places where they can't reach as lights. and even though they burnt out they still have the hope and dreams and desires they had as lights they are never gone. and when they go on again at places absent with lights and shine even brighter and illuminate others.
this is very relevant to my story in a way.
and this "light" does not apply to only the physical existence but also the light in our lives.
3. light is like a compulsory existence. they will definitely have to shine on something before they are stopped. we can't say we don't want light shining on us.
4. light is always there.
[COURSEWORK] Inspiration - Bleach
So i picked up Bleach during this holiday and it has some really inspiring points that i want to talk about.
1) Ulquiorra.
this character inspired me with his background story.
he was born in in the bottom of a pit in complete darkness yet he is very different from his fellows because he is completely white in colour while others are all black. because of that he suffered a lot. because of this he said people who hasn't experienced total despair does not know what despair is.
also because of this he does not believe in feelings and the existence of a heart.
because they are something that his eyes cannot see.
i pity this character but yet i am fascinated by him.
(ok probably because i love emo characters but stll....)
in the end he died gaining an interest to human feelings and he thought he finally found his heart.
2) These words by Kisa.
"War is not heroic. War is not exhilarating. War is full of despair. It's dark. It's gloomy. It's dreadful. That is why people fear war. That is why people avoid it."
Isn't this very true? Bleach is a manga filled with characters fighting because of their pride or fighting because of their love to win and everything, which is why kisa's thoughts are considered as cowardy by some people. yet i think this is the very truth about wars. i think he is very wise but he is not suitable to be a shinigami.
Bleach is not a typical manga about fighting. fighting to win, fighting for pride. fighting for power.
it has many many many different point of views presented in it. Each character has a story and their own thoughts. it is very carefully planned and very imaginative.
such a good piece of work.
1) Ulquiorra.
this character inspired me with his background story.
he was born in in the bottom of a pit in complete darkness yet he is very different from his fellows because he is completely white in colour while others are all black. because of that he suffered a lot. because of this he said people who hasn't experienced total despair does not know what despair is.
also because of this he does not believe in feelings and the existence of a heart.
because they are something that his eyes cannot see.
i pity this character but yet i am fascinated by him.
(ok probably because i love emo characters but stll....)
in the end he died gaining an interest to human feelings and he thought he finally found his heart.
2) These words by Kisa.
"War is not heroic. War is not exhilarating. War is full of despair. It's dark. It's gloomy. It's dreadful. That is why people fear war. That is why people avoid it."
Isn't this very true? Bleach is a manga filled with characters fighting because of their pride or fighting because of their love to win and everything, which is why kisa's thoughts are considered as cowardy by some people. yet i think this is the very truth about wars. i think he is very wise but he is not suitable to be a shinigami.
Bleach is not a typical manga about fighting. fighting to win, fighting for pride. fighting for power.
it has many many many different point of views presented in it. Each character has a story and their own thoughts. it is very carefully planned and very imaginative.
such a good piece of work.
[COURSEWORK] Development - Coverpage.
so i sort of hated my previous version of the coverpage... ><
they were not in nice layers as i switched between SAI and photoshop and the colour made me cringe.
so i redrew everything and recoloured it!
as for the final I used colour balance adjustment and other photoshop functions to edit the picture.
they were not in nice layers as i switched between SAI and photoshop and the colour made me cringe.
so i redrew everything and recoloured it!
as for the final I used colour balance adjustment and other photoshop functions to edit the picture.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
[COURSEWORK] Storyline - probably final
OMG THERE'S A PLOT FINALLY!
APPLAUDE ME PLEASE.
Exorcists eliminate demons called akumas.
Akumas are created by the evils to destroy the world.
In this scene, 3 exorcists named hika, sora, ryuu were given a mission to retrieve an ancient power that is rumored to be strong enough to end the whole war.
In Italy, they arrived at this tombstone of Mr Martins, who is the owner of the power before he died. The power is sealed in the form of a ring and one has to sacrifice a life in order to claim the power and use it.
While the exorcists are preparing to fight Mr.Martins, the akumas heading for the same power arrived, they had no choice but to fight the akumas. When the battle is at the bad end for the exorcises, Hika decided to sacrifice himself because he is the light source as said in prophecies. So he puts the ring on his fingers and exploded with a blinding light, which is so powerful that killed all the akumas. Hika turned into ashes.
All the souls of the akumas suddenly apppeared in the form of sky lanterns and the warm light from them lit up the whole place and the ground too.
On the ground we can see that wherever HIka's ashes splashed onto, red flowers started to grow from the ground and soon the whole ground is covered with red flowers glowing in the light.
therefore, lights go on again.
APPLAUDE ME PLEASE.
Exorcists eliminate demons called akumas.
Akumas are created by the evils to destroy the world.
In this scene, 3 exorcists named hika, sora, ryuu were given a mission to retrieve an ancient power that is rumored to be strong enough to end the whole war.
In Italy, they arrived at this tombstone of Mr Martins, who is the owner of the power before he died. The power is sealed in the form of a ring and one has to sacrifice a life in order to claim the power and use it.
While the exorcists are preparing to fight Mr.Martins, the akumas heading for the same power arrived, they had no choice but to fight the akumas. When the battle is at the bad end for the exorcises, Hika decided to sacrifice himself because he is the light source as said in prophecies. So he puts the ring on his fingers and exploded with a blinding light, which is so powerful that killed all the akumas. Hika turned into ashes.
All the souls of the akumas suddenly apppeared in the form of sky lanterns and the warm light from them lit up the whole place and the ground too.
On the ground we can see that wherever HIka's ashes splashed onto, red flowers started to grow from the ground and soon the whole ground is covered with red flowers glowing in the light.
therefore, lights go on again.
Monday, May 9, 2011
[WRITING] A valid interpretation of an artwork is dependent on an understanding of the artist’s intent and the context in which it was created.
An artwork is usually created with a purpose, under a certain context, to convey a certain message. This message can only be properly conveyed if there is a valid interpretation of the artwork itself. Although we often say that art is free for one to interpret, I felt that to reach that valid interpretation that will enable one to receive the message behind the artwork, one need to understand the artist’s intent and the context in which the artwork is created.
An artist’s intent and the context he is in affect the artwork greatly in many senses. The subject matter, colour choice, symbols that he uses would hold meanings in them in order to create a piece that is representative of his intent. If we can recognize the subject matter, the colour choice and the symbols in artwork but do not have an understanding of the purpose the artist has in mind and the context when creating the artwork, we will not be able to make use of the things we recognized and understand the artwork fully. Without knowing the artist’s intent and the context he is in, the art elements that we can recognize can lead us to many levels of interpretation of the work. They can be used to interpret an artwork into any other artwork instead of something that has a unique purpose and message in it.
We should also understand an artist’s intent and the context in which the artwork was created in order to prevent misinterpretation and therefore, negative critiques to a piece of artwork. For example, some artworks are created in a certain way because of a purpose the artist has in mind and an impact the artist want to achieve with the audience in a specific context, yet they were misinterpreted by some people as “vulgar” or “wrong” just because of uses of perhaps sensitive symbols and subject matters. To say that an artwork is “wrong” and hence give it negative critiques just based on what you see is a very serious offence because art is a form of expression and expression is something that should be given freedom and understanding, on top of that, it is unjustifiable for one to give an artwork negative critiques when one’s understanding of the artwork remained at surface depth.
Providing a valid interpretation of an artwork is also giving credits to the thoughts and creativity of an artist, therefore we should try to understand the intention and context of the artwork to arrive at the best interpretation of the artwork.
An artist’s intent and the context he is in affect the artwork greatly in many senses. The subject matter, colour choice, symbols that he uses would hold meanings in them in order to create a piece that is representative of his intent. If we can recognize the subject matter, the colour choice and the symbols in artwork but do not have an understanding of the purpose the artist has in mind and the context when creating the artwork, we will not be able to make use of the things we recognized and understand the artwork fully. Without knowing the artist’s intent and the context he is in, the art elements that we can recognize can lead us to many levels of interpretation of the work. They can be used to interpret an artwork into any other artwork instead of something that has a unique purpose and message in it.
We should also understand an artist’s intent and the context in which the artwork was created in order to prevent misinterpretation and therefore, negative critiques to a piece of artwork. For example, some artworks are created in a certain way because of a purpose the artist has in mind and an impact the artist want to achieve with the audience in a specific context, yet they were misinterpreted by some people as “vulgar” or “wrong” just because of uses of perhaps sensitive symbols and subject matters. To say that an artwork is “wrong” and hence give it negative critiques just based on what you see is a very serious offence because art is a form of expression and expression is something that should be given freedom and understanding, on top of that, it is unjustifiable for one to give an artwork negative critiques when one’s understanding of the artwork remained at surface depth.
Providing a valid interpretation of an artwork is also giving credits to the thoughts and creativity of an artist, therefore we should try to understand the intention and context of the artwork to arrive at the best interpretation of the artwork.
Monday, May 2, 2011
[ART STUFF] Moon games
This is amazing. I realised I really like things like this :D
check out the website of their book QUARTIER LIBRE : http://www.pixheaven.net/livre/
Moon Games - Laurent Laveder and Sabine Sannier
check out the website of their book QUARTIER LIBRE : http://www.pixheaven.net/livre/
Moon Games - Laurent Laveder and Sabine Sannier
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