Ben Jones Gallery

  Ben Jones, an artistic activist. Born in Patterson, New Jersey 1941. His talent was discovered in his early ages by his art teacher Roslyn Feinstein. She immediately brought Jones to New York to view the art exhibits. Feinstein went as far as to purchase materials for him to further his talent. This investment crafted his talent that helped further his career.

This opportunity for Jones to discover his creativity in his early ages lead him to establish an artistic style. In his early adulthood Jones was the target of biased police aggression, as well as racist aggression. Ben jones started his journey as an activist and became heavily involved in, “ The Black Freedom Society.”  Jones attended informational, talks on black consciousness and history. His artistic approach is influenced from his experiences of identity and race. Jones’s gallery connects the roots of many African-Americans through the vision of art. 

Many of the images conveyed an artistic message one image that stood out to me is the African panorama created in 1976. It is a mixed media from the collection of the artist this artistic creation uses many vibrant colors. It starts with a top layer with what seems to be eight levels. The first level is of different female bodies. They carry pots in the traditional manner on their heads. 

The first print pattern has triangles that contain squares and circles. Each one are colorful with vibrant colors, the next level is conceived of colorful stars and dots in this specific pattern the colors are being repeated in a sort of pattern. The next level contains stars and circles with similar colors from the first round of painted women. The next room have two men who look as if they are discussing, one male has an eye behind his head. The other seems to have some spiritual thought on his mind with what seems to be a symbol of something with spirituality behind his head. Both men have their hand placed on their mouth as they are posing a thought. 

The following line appears vibrant with colors. They are structured and used to connect the following women in sequence. The final line are different flags, showing how we are connected in one way or another. This piece shows how, although we are from different locations. Different cultures may have similar techniques. The spiritual faith within cultures as  others may utilize a more critical understanding. Either way we all come in different shapes, sizes but we may be connected in more ways than we think.

A second image that stuck out to me is connected. Connected is a very strong piece with many interpretations connected was created in 2022 on acrylic with digital print. It is a part of the artist collections. This creation is exposing the reality people are connected whether they realize it or not positive and negatively first thing to notice of the image is the motherboard in the sensor of the eye. 

The image can be perceived in many ways. The art incorporates technology and reality. On one side there is the iPhone. Some may view this as the latest technology. Another part shows a lightbulb in the center of the eye. It could stand for innovation possibly a symbol for ideas. 

Surrounding the eye are multiple lineage connections they connect from one image to another. In some connecting lines there is an atomic bomb and it connects to other images. At one end of the drawn connections are fish, while others have connect from the seeds of nature. This RP contains images of war and life. The negative effects, that society may have a hold on us. 

It is an explanation of exploitations of the world through war and technology advancements. Our knowledge and vision can be the same very thing that destroys us. We consume so much in the world, we have not learned to protect nature from environmental degradation.

Each artistic piece conveys a different message. As you walk through the gallery viewing each image in order you get a sense of a storyline. It begins with a sort of where it started, rather than letting the viewer interpret who they are. The creator artistically expresses different geographical locations, while showing how we are all intertwined. 

Rather than leaving it to the viewer for interpretation, he then follows through with portraits of musicians who contributed to an error of “inspirational music,” Ben Jones- The Universe of Ben Jones exhibition. Harold B. Lemmerman Gallery (Hepburn Hall) March 2024.

Ben Jones goes on to state, how the “60s was about identity.” They had James Baldwin, they used abstract impressions, many found identity through Art descriptions. 

Jones uses his versatility to expose the power and racial injustice, many have dealt with at the hands of others. Ben takes us on a journey from where we came from. What we have become as well as where we have gone. Each artistic creation shows a time frame of different moments.  These seem to be pivotal moments that did not define him,  but solely shaped his views. His life experiences as a black man in America are his own personal experiences published artistically to create and demand change

 

Weekly Selfie 8 (3/27) Collage 1 - Kyle Pangilinan

 

Wangechi Mutu: Forensic Forms, 2004, 

ink, acrylic, collage, contact paper on Mylar.

Autopsy Wanted Poster

Recreation: Forensic Forms

My collage titled, Autopsy Wanted Poster, is depicted as a wanted poster featuring an infamous criminal couple. Referring to Mutu's Forensic Forms, I created a setting that encapsulates the flawed human misconception of "perfection." This notoriously narcissistic couple despised their own flaws and envied others for having what they "supposedly" lacked. They took parts they wanted and discarded parts they did not need, thus their physique emulated their twisted views of "perfection." They were now adorned in a grotesque collage matching their deeds and personalities at the cost of others.

How to See the World. Chapter 2

        1. "According to this perspective, we learn how to become individuals as part of a wider community. This outcome is the intriguing result of the revolution in studying the brain, which many would consider to be the most individual organ of all, and in particular how humans and other primates see. My point is not that modern neuroscience is the final version of the “truth” and all other previous understandings have been shown to be wrong (although some neuroscience boosters do come close to saying this). Rather, as we shall see, neuroscience and its ways of visualizing the mind and human thought are becoming the vital visual metaphors of our time. It is our version of the truth, for better or worse," (Mirzoeff 20).

        2. "In his small painting Diana Leaving Her Bath (1742), Boucher sets off the sensuousness of the goddess of the hunt’s naked body with a dramatically vibrant background of golds and greens, representing the natural world behind her. The painting creates a sense of tactility to heighten its allure. By contrast, neoclassical painting, which came into fashion in the late eighteenth century at the time of the French Revolution, stressed the primacy of drawing, using hard edges for figures and objects. If we glance at Jacques-Louis David’s much-larger portrait of Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier and His Wife (1788), the difference is at once apparent," (Mirzoeff 27).

The human mind is a powerful yet fragile thing. Our ability to communicate through several means (whether verbal, sign, art, etc...) conveys our unique qualities to others.

John Berger. Ways of Seeing, Chapter 4+5

        1. "The tradition, however, still forms many of our cultural assumptions. It defines what we mean by pictorial likeness. Its norms still affect the way we see such subjects as landscape, women, food, dignitaries, mythology. It supplies us with our archetypes of "artistic genius". And the history of the tradition, as it is usually taught, teaches us that art prospers if enough individuals in society have a love of art," (Berger 84).

        2. "The art of any culture will show a wide differential of talent. But in no other culture is the difference between "masterpiece" and average work so large as in the tradition of the oil painting. In this tradition the difference is not just a question of skill or imagination, but also morals," (Berger 88).

Art in any form can be the physical manifestation of one's thoughts and desires. When presented to others, their artwork can be interpreted in many ways that may or may not be linear with the artist.

Wangechi Mutu Dresses Cultural Critique in Freakishly Beautiful Disguises

        1. "The studio walls were covered with pieces in various stages of completion and images cut from magazines, copies from books or dowloaded from the Internet: faces, eyes, mouths, animals, ethnographic studies and, her recent fascination, a particularly jowly Neapolitan mastiff. Because of her figures’ ultimate other­worldly manifestations, it was most surprising to see that they begin as rather classical drawings before they are reworked, manipulated, amputated, ornamented and otherwise transformed," (Cash).

        2. "Two multipart works present a comical cast of characters. Forensic Forms (2004) comprises 10 medium-­size depictions of bizarre creatures with such quirks as walleyes, gaping mouths, a blaze of black glittery hair and dangling legs like braids. Equally bizarre are the 12 figures in Histology of the Different Classes of Uterine Tumors (2006), collaged on vintage medical illustrations. Mutu incorporates elements of the ana­tomical diagrams into whimsical portraits—using a prolapsed uterus for a nose, for example—as if to bring some levity to these female afflictions," (Cash).

Perfection is unknowable and impossible, yet we as humans have our individual preferences and standards that will most likely not line up with other people's views. It is frustrating and chaotic, yet through that chaos, it can inspire people to explore their unique traits and find self-worth.

Work Cited:

Mirzoeff, Nicholas. How to See the World. Chapter 2

Basic Books; Illustrated edition (April 12, 2016). 

John Berger. Ways of Seeing, Chapter 4+5

Wangechi Mutu Dresses Cultural Critique in Freakishly Beautiful Disguises

https://www.artnews.com/art-in-america/features/wangechi-mutu-dresses-cultural-critique-freak-beautiful-disguises-1234655195/

Weekly Selfie 8 - Aileen Herrera

 “How To See The World”, Nicholas Mirzoeff

“It is now clear that modern visual technology is a part of that learning process. Seeing is changing”

Because everyday the world is developing further and further we are exposed to new ways of learning how to see the world. The author mentions that new studies have come out of how playing video games improves hand-eye coordination; something like video games aren't really seen as educational but have managed to improve a helpful function. 

“Seeing the world is not about how we see but about what we make of what we see. We put together an understanding of the world that makes sense from what we already know or think we know.”

I think this is a very interesting observation, and one that I feel like is pretty obvious but not at the same time. Of course the way we see the world is through how we interpret the world or what we learn from it. It’s kind of like a collection, we collect knowledge from the world and use it to go about our everyday lives.

“Ways of Seeing”, John Berger

“ A painting could speak to the soul - by way of what it referred to, but never by the way it envisaged.”

Personally, I understood this as a painting could speak to you but not in the specifically in the way that the artist intended it to.

“Art history has totally failed to come to terms with the problem of the relationship between the outstanding work and the average work of the European tradition.”

I think this is such an interesting topic that should be talked about more! It is said that the painting of Mona Lisa is in itself mediocre and only famous because of its history of being stolen. People from all over the world fly to see the Mono Lisa and ignore other astonishing paintings just because the painting is famous. At the end of the day the painting itself doesn’t matter but its virality.

“Wangechi Mutu Dresses Critique in Freakishly Beautiful Disguises”, Stephanie Cash

“Because of her figures’ ultimate other­worldly manifestations, it was most surprising to see that they begin as rather classical drawings before they are reworked, manipulated, amputated, ornamented and otherwise transformed.”

Collaging is one of the things that really got me into art. In making these collages, I always found it fascinating what you could do with such limited resources, like images and clipping from newspapers or magazines, yet the possibilities are endless. 

“As Hannah Höch once wrote: “Photomontage could be used not merely to produce things heavy with political meaning . . . but . . . one could also regard it as a means of self-expression and eventually arrive at purely aesthetic works.”

It’s really nice to hear that not all art needs to have this whole story or stance it can simply exist as something that is nice to look at. When looking at Wangechi Mutu’s work it's clear that the artist is trying to convey a certain message but there are also some that aren't as clear and can simply be seen as something visually interesting

Inspirations:

Wangechi Mutu, Funkalicious Fruit Field, 2007

Wangechi Mutu, Shy side-eye, 2015

My interpretation:

Week Selfie 8 - Arianna Guevara

How To See The World

Nicholas Mirzoeff Chapter 2

“The point here is that we do not actually “see” with our eyes but with our brain. And we have learned that in turn by becoming able to see how the brain operates”
This quote is a pretty interesting way to think about how we see. Our eyes capture visual information but it's our brain that processes and interprets that information allowing us to make sense of the world around us.

“One of the most intriguing of all the insights from the new research is that we do indeed learn mostly from each other, rather than by ourselves, and that our brains are specifically designed for that purpose.”
I find this quote true from experience. Without the proof of science, it's easy to see that as humans we do learn a lot from each other when it comes to learning how to communicate and even perform certain daily functions. As babies, humans learn how to speak, eat, read, write etc. from interacting with other humans. Looking at the bigger picture, we still use history to form a better understanding of our world. This statement is indeed very intriguing as we can gain an understanding and verify this through experience.


Ways Of Seeing

John Berger Chapters 4 & 5

“A painting could speak to the soul - by way of what it referred to, but never by the way it envisaged.”
 A painting has the power to deeply touch our souls through the emotions and ideas it conveys. It can evoke powerful feelings and provoke thought.

“Each time a painter realized that he was dissatisfied with the traditional role of painting as a celebration of material property and of the status that accompanied it, he inevitably found himself struggling with the very language of his own art as understood by the tradition of his calling.”
Some artists stuck in one form of art may seek to push boundaries or their art, exploring new forms of expressions that go beyond the norm. This struggle can lead to thought provoking works.

From the Archives: Wangechi Mutu Dresses Cultural Critique in Freakishly Beautiful Disguises

“As Hannah Höch once wrote: “Photomontage could be used not merely to produce things heavy with political meaning . . . but . . . one could also regard it as a means of self-expression and eventually arrive at purely aesthetic works.”
This quote gave me the motivation to put together my photomontage based on whatever came to my mind at the moment. I didn't know exactly what I was going for at first or what would be the meaning behind it, but as I took my time it all fell into place and made sense. I agree with the statement that photomontage could be regarded as a means of self-expression because you are destroying other pieces of art to create something of your own.

“The artist doesn’t deny that there is a feminist quality to her work (she was included in the 2007 “Global Feminisms” show at the Brooklyn Museum), though she believes that the approach can be limiting when “there are so many political issues in other spheres of society,” Mutu says. As she puts it, “The art world is not where true urgency exists.”

I relate Mutu in this aspect because I feel that there is a feminist quality to some of my works as it is what I feel most connected to. Sometimes it may be unintentionally, but as a woman I feel it becomes a natural part of my expression. I like her statement about how there is no true urgency in the art world because I find it as a relaxing way to express your emotions or feelings toward certain issues.

Weekly selfie 8 - BinChao Yang

Mirzoeff textbook, How to See the World Chapter 2

"Seeing the world is not about what we see but what we make of what we see."

- Everyone sees things differently. A thousand people have a thousand opinions. You just have to take what you see seriously. If other people's ideas are better, you can learn from them, but you can't easily deny other people's opinions.

"Indeed it is noticeable that people today often put more trust in a less than perfect pgotograph or video that takes an effort to decipher than they do into a professionally finished work, because they suspect that the latter will have been manipulated."

- Most people are more willing to trust an unaltered photo or video because people think that an altered photo or video is not trustworthy because the person who altered it will use it to manipulate the authenticity of the matter.

John Berger, Ways of Seeing, Chapter 4+5

"Oil paintings often depict things. Things which in reality are buyable. To have a thing painted and put on a canvas is not unlike buying it and putting it in your house. If you buy a painting you buy also the look of the thing it represents."

- People often buy a painting because the things and images in the painting are accepted and recognized by people.

“Such pictures were particularly popular with the newly arrived bourgeoisie who identified themselves not with the characters painted but with the moral which the scene illustrated.”

- The moral meaning in the painting is more important to the people who buy the painting, because it not only represents their recognition of the painting, but also the painting's recognition of them.

Wangechi Mutu Dresses Cultural Critique in Freakishly Beautiful Disguises

“organized by contem­porary art curator David Moos, Mutu ironically under­scores the violence and oppression that“civilization ”often entails. ”

- In human civilization, people often conflict for power and interests, and even wars break out. Wherever there are people, there will be conflicts. This is a fact that will never change because human greed and desire will never go away.

“Mutu’s work is informed by important social and cul­tural issues, but leaves the ugly truths for the surrounding discourse, even though there are hints in the works, such as stereotypical depictions of “exotic” Africans."

- Women will be regarded as objects of sexual desire in any era. Mutu's works allude to and satirize this phenomenon without being harshly preachy. She wants people to be aware of the issue and think about it.

WEEK 8 - ARIANNA ALMAGUER

 How to See the World 

Nicholas Mirzoeff   [Chapter 2]

QUOTE 1: Indeed, it is noticeable that people today often put more trust in a less-than-perfect photograph or video that takes an effort to decipher than they do into a professionally finished work, because they suspect that the latter will have been manipulated.

QUOTE 2: Ramachandran calls them " Ghandi neurons' because they blur the boundary between the self and others — not just metaphorically, but quite literally, since the neuron can't tell the difference." The quality of empathy is, in the current metaphor, hard-wired. 

RESPONSE 1: My question goes, what can art be, and my answer is that art can be imperfect, have its imperfections. For an art to be perfect it won’t catch people’s attention and so, for the art to not be perfect it can be seen successful because something that is so imperfect people tend to look towards that and it gravitates a lot of attention. So, something like that, it has an appeal and would be characterized as beauty and perfection in its way. Perfection ruins people because it makes people go crazy trying to perfect something almost trying to reach to an AI level of which it does not exists.

RESPONSE 2: The second quote made me feel that this is about empathy and my mind went straight thinking about what’s been going on in Palestine and Isreal, which it’s an ongoing war. Looking at some of the pictures and videos of children murdered in such an amount how can Isreal not have any empathy for these little lives that has been taken from them. 

Ways of Seeing 

John Berger  [Chapters 4-5]

QUOTE 1: Such pictures assert two things: that the poor are happy, and that the better-off are a source of hope for the world.

QUOTE 2: The point being made is that, among the pleasures their portrait gave to Mr and Mrs Andrews, was the pleasure of seeing themselves depicted as landowners and this pleasure was enhanced by the ability of oil paint to render their land in all its substantiality.

People who are very wealthy likes to spew out lies about the poor that they are happy where they are at just to convince them to stay in their status and not to think about trying to better themselves and go up. This resemblance identifies these poor children while the smaller percentage of the higher class are seen godly beings. Because of this, this was a way to persuade the poverty-stricken that the rich people are the only importance in the society.

So from this, the underprivileged are down in depression for their economic crisis. For the lavish people meant being proud of having lands and different assets to show off. We all want to own a home or a car and not be drowning in debt and not experience the pressure from society influencing you to do this when you are in a position that you can’t.

From the Archives: Wangechi Mutu Dresses Cultural Critique in Freakishly Beautiful Disguises - Stephanie Cash

1. "The work of Kenyan-born Wangechi Mutu features gorgeously grotesque creatures that range from amusingly freakish to macabre. Using ink and collage on Mylar or paper, she combines humans, animals and machines in seamless and commanding compositions full of small moments of discovery and random elements that may betray only an oblique relation to the overall image," (Cash 2023).

2. "Many viewers sim­ply admire her fantastical compositions and never deduce the subtle critique at play. It’s hard to deny the work’s sheer visual delight." (Cash 2023). 

The way that Cash explains in creating her works makes it interesting. Her collages are emotional and confusing and because of this, it draws the viewer in. 

Wangechi Mutu

Alien Awe 1, 2003

Omer Tiroche Gallery

Crazed

Weekly selfie

 Night out in the city 

Week 8 Wangechi Mutu | Navdeep Sanghera

How to See the World Nicholas Mirzoeff   [Chapter 2]

Indeed, it is noticeable that people today often put more trust in a less-than-perfect photograph or video that takes an effort to decipher than they do into a professionally finished work, because they suspect that the latter will have been manipulated.

Ramachandran calls them " Ghandi neurons' because they blur the boundary between the self and others — not just metaphorically, but quite literally, since the neuron can't tell the difference." The quality of empathy is, in the current metaphor, hard-wired. 

Imperfections are part of art, and what makes art successful. In A Dialectic Approach To Film Form by Sergei Eisenstein, for works produced to be called art, the artist has to believe in irregularity and reject any set form. Regularity destroys art. "... of maintaining taste in art is to impress on artists and the public the importance of irregularity. Irregularity is the basis of all art." The irregularity has an astonishing appeal that can be unexpected and a surprise, an essential characteristic of beauty. This applies to the statement about less-than-perfect photography/video. Perfection ruins an artist, as they try to reach a state of exactness and we have AI making perfect works. Perfection is on a decline as it is mundane to us. The second quote made me wonder since we can empathize, about the ongoing genocide of Palestine and Isreal. How do the people of Israel not empathize with the murdering of children, women, newborns, elders, and men who live their lives wholly with Israel? 

Ways of Seeing John Berger  [Chapters 4-5]

Such pictures assert two things: that the poor are happy, and that the better-off are a source of hope for the world.

The point being made is that, among the pleasures their portrait gave to Mr and Mrs Andrews, was the pleasure of seeing themselves depicted as landowners and this pleasure was enhanced by the ability of oil paint to render their land in all its substantiality.

The rich often spread a myth about the poor being free and happy in their current state, in an attempt to convince and remain in their economic status and not strive for wealth. This analogy equates the poor to little children, while the small percentage of wealthy individuals with authoritative power are seen as divine beings. The idea is to persuade the poor that the presence of the rich is necessary in society. In adversary, the poor are doubled in depression for their economic wealth. Being Rich means to be proud of your assets and pleasure as a landowner. We can see middle-class and wealthy people have properties of beautiful estates and houses with cars, patios, backgrounds, gardens, etc. We all universally want to own a property/estate and experience relief, no more pressure from society and family influencing you to own a house. 

From the Archives: Wangechi Mutu Dresses Cultural Critique in Freakishly Beautiful Disguises Stephanie Cash 

“Photomontage could be used not merely to produce things heavy with political meaning . . . but . . . one could also regard it as a means of self-expression and eventually arrive at purely aesthetic works.”

The work is a perfect melding of two of Mutu’s concerns: stereotypical depictions of exoticized African women and of hyper-sexualized African-American women.

After seeing a sample of Wangechi Mutu's collage work I am engrossed in self-expression aesthetic work. Work that pleases your mind. Like Frida Kahlo, the artwork allows you to explore yourself, your thoughts, and your dreams. I have always wanted to create work to express myself and feel that liberation. I thrive to create aesthetic works to my liking that evoke me. Onto the topic of stereotypes, I find creating artwork with stereotypes destroys itself, ideologically. It reminds us out of question to rethink those hurtful stereotypes we attribute to race, culture, or religion. The artist makes the call to end stereotypes by bringing them up again and genuinely making the audience re-evaluate the historical aspect and through Wangechi's work see the personification of this stereotype as a human creature, we, as a society have created. 

 Untitled, Digital Collage, 18 x 24 in.

Weekly Selfie #8 - Nicole Corvi

 Wangechi Mutu - Nicole Corvi

Wangechi Mutu: Forensic Forms, 2004

My interpretation

From the Archives: Wangechi Mutu Dresses Cultural Critique in Freakishly Beautiful Disguises - Stephanie Cash

1. "The work of Kenyan-born Wangechi Mutu features gorgeously grotesque creatures that range from amusingly freakish to macabre. Using ink and collage on Mylar or paper, she combines humans, animals and machines in seamless and commanding compositions full of small moments of discovery and random elements that may betray only an oblique relation to the overall image," (Cash 2023).

2. "Many viewers sim­ply admire her fantastical compositions and never deduce the subtle critique at play. It’s hard to deny the work’s sheer visual delight." (Cash 2023). 

I think the way that Cash explains how Mutu creates her artworks makes them a lot more interesting. Mutu's collages are chaotic, emotional, confusing, familiar; they draw the viewer in through obscure decoration. Even when there are stories or deeper meanings within her pieces the captivation of the surface overrules the work as a whole.

Ways of Seeing (ch. 4&5) - John Berger

1. "The art of any period tends to serve the ideological interests of the ruling class," (Berger 86)

2. "Landscape, of all the categories of oil painting, is the one to which our argument applies least," (Berger 104)

How to See the World (ch. 2) - Nicholas Mirzoeff

1. "Simons attributes this to what he calls 'inattentional blindness,' the inability to perceive outside information when concentrating on a task," (Mirzoeff 76)

2. "It turns out, according to recent research, that this is because there are two streams of brain activity; one for perception and one for action (Nassi and Callaway 2009)," (Mirzoeff 92) 

Works Cited

Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin Books, 1972.

Cash, Stephanie. “From the Archives: Wangechi Mutu Dresses Cultural Critique in Freakishly Beautiful Disguises.” ARTnews.Com, ARTnews.com, 1 Feb. 2023, www.artnews.com/art-in-america/features/wangechi-mutu-dresses-cultural-critique-freak-beautiful-disguises-1234655195/.

Mirzoeff, Nicholas. How to See the World. Basic Books, 2016.

Week 8 | Andy Liu

 Mirzoeff textbook, How to See the World Chapter 2

"Seeing the world is not about what we see but what we make of what we see."

"Only the fact that we think indicates that we exist. Everything else must be doubted and tested."

- I found these quotes to be intriguing as they pertain to our everyday lives. As an artist, it is fascinating how there could be one picture or painting yet everyone sees something a little different. We are all seeing the same thing, yet we aren't. The saying goes, we bring ourselves into whatever work of art we're experiencing. Thus, even though we're looking at the same thing, we all make something different of what we see. Furthermore, it's interesting to approach existence based on the fact that we think, yet the thoughts we have are nonmaterial which in contrast to all the "existing" objects in our world are of material. I agree with the sentiment that everything must be doubted and tested, because if it wasn't then how would be know?

John Berger, Ways of Seeing, Chapter 4+5

"Oil painting did to appearances what capital did to social relations. It reduced everything to the equality of objects. Everything became exchangeable because everything became a commodity."

"Yet many oil paintings were themselves simple demonstrations of what gold or money could buy. Merchandise became the actual subject-matter of works of art."

- Oil paintings of ordinary objects tend to instigate questioning regarding why this object was painted, yet when the object is painted it isn't the object anymore but a representation of said object. With this in mind, this allowed "everything" to become a commodity as anything could be painted then sold. It's understood that in art history that still life paintings depict the lifestyle of the owner of the painter and that itself become a commodity. 

Wangechi Mutu Dresses Cultural Critique in Freakishly Beautiful Disguises

"Because of her figures’ ultimate other­worldly manifestations, it was most surprising to see that they begin as rather classical drawings before they are reworked, manipulated, amputated, ornamented and otherwise transformed."

"Mutu’s work is informed by important social and cul­tural issues, but leaves the ugly truths for the surrounding discourse, even though there are hints in the works, such as stereotypical depictions of “exotic” Africans."

- I appreciate her perspective and the topics she addresses in her works. Although times are progressing, women at times are still seen as objects for sexual desires, and through Mutu's work she criticizes that aspect. To appropriate pornographic images to create portraiture is a means of reclaiming the power that pornography holds and recontextualizing it present the audience with images that challenge their assumed depictions of women in seductive positions.

Creature collage inspired by Wangechi Mutu

Weekly Selfie 8 - Daniel Lau

 How to see the world, Chapter 2 quotes

Berserk Demon

Wangechi Mutu, Sentinel 

"Indeed it is noticeable that people today often put more trust in a less than perfect pgotograph or video that takes an effort to decipher than they do into a professionally finished work, because they suspect that the latter will have been manipulated."

- With this quote, it's basically saying that people trust amateur media more than professional content because they suspect manipulation in the latter. People like real things even if they're not perfect, showing they prefer authenticity over polished stuff.

"Seeing the world is not about what we see but what we make of what we see."

- This quote emphasizes how we interpret what we see shapes our understanding of the world. This shows that our experiences and beliefs shape how we see things, affecting our view of reality. 

Ways of seeing, John Berger, Chapter 4+5 quotes

"Yet many oil paintings were themselves simple demonstrations of what gold or money could buy. Merchandise became the actual subject-matter of works of art."

- What this quote is saying is that oil paintings often prioritized displaying wealth over meaningful subjects or stories. Oil paintings became symbols of status for wealthy patrons, shifting the focus of art from conveying deeper meanings to displaying material wealth. 

"Such pictures assert two things: that the poor are happy, and that the better-off are a source of hope for the world."

- With this quote, we can see that it talks about paintings portraying happy poor people and hopeful wealthy ones, which reinforces social norms. It shows how art can support existing power dynamics by romanticizing poverty and celebrating wealth, influencing how we see class and status.

Wangechi Mutu Dresses Cultural Critique in Freakishly Beautiful Disguises quotes

Wangechi Mutu: “The art world is not where true urgency exists.”

- We can see that she's critiquing the art world's priorities, suggesting it lacks urgency compared to other societal issues. It's a call for artists and the art world to focus more on pressing social, political, or environmental problems, moving beyond just aesthetics to create impactful art.

Hannah Moch: “Photomontage could be used not merely to produce things heavy with political meaning . . . but . . . one could also regard it as a means of self-expression and eventually arrive at purely aesthetic works.”

- With her own words, she's talks about photomontage being versatile. It can carry political messages or just be about personal expression and aesthetics. This shows how artists can use photomontage for different purposes, depending on what they want to communicate.

Week 7 Frida Kahlo | Navdeep Sanghera

 Frida Kahlo Was a Painter, a Brand Builder, a Survivor. And So Much More Rebecca Kleinman

" People have described her as broken and fragile, but she was strong and accomplished a tremendous amount in her lifetime." 

I was not interested in and inspired by Friday Kahlo until reading and watching her biography. Her artworks liberated and put her mind at ease while she went through pain in her life. Her resilience made me emotional, seeing someone else facing issues. She continued making art as it aided her complex and unfortunate journeys. Kahlo's artworks show her determination to live on and be quite a strong individual.

Ms. Small pointed out that Kahlo " carefully groomed her unibrow," a defiant choice at a time when "many depilatory methods existed. That brow was meaningful because it didn't conform to Hollywood beauty standards."

During a period when women's beauty standards were constantly increasing, Frida Kahlo proudly displayed her autonomy by keeping her unibrow intact. Despite probably receiving numerous comments from her mother, sister, and other relatives to get rid of the unibrow, Kahlo did not let the comments stop her. In fact, she created her own beauty standard and admired her unibrow, which was an act of activism through beauty.

Frida Kahlo Self-Portrait with Monkey 1940

Recreation 

Upon taking this picture I incorporated many themes alongside the surrealism of dream. I dreamed of a raven and other pets when I had more of an autonomous choice. As Frida, I wanted to make myself in a stature presence with utmost confidence, as I aspire to be a person with full confidence. I incorporated elements of my culture, with long and gorgeous earrings a headpiece, and a cardigan made from back home in India. This photograph represents me accepting the duality of two Identity: An American and an Indian Identity. My whole childhood up until the beginning of college. I questioned what my identity was. I wasn't fond of my culture at all. I only wanted to embrace being an American. Back then being a white kid seemed cooler and fun rather being from a different culture. We knew being white was superior back then, and among other kids, we felt we weren't as special compared to the white kids in our school. And hearing how much fun their parents took them on family trips while we stayed home- we devalued ourselves and our culture.