I have a growing interest in mining and all it's sociopolitical drenched history. I know Chilean miners are what people are into lately but these are Ukrainian. The portraits were shot by photographer Gleb Kosorukov and I think they are striking (silly pun) images. They are also serving as part of visual reference for a series of performance based images I am working on.
I am finding myself thinking about advertisements a little more than ever before. I think I thought I tuned them out, but of course that is what everyone says, either way they never really bothered me.
Increasingly they have been p*ssing me off and sparking a sparkling variety of emotions. Perhaps it is because I am curious as to how media influences people not only in what they purchase but in who they are, particularly in regards to gender based identities. Perhaps it is because I watch Mad Men which is set in a New York 1960s ad agency. Perhaps it is because I watch The Apprentice which usually has tasks involving the development of ad campaigns. This causes me to imagine the thought process behind the things I see. (I am not sure if it is even a semi accurate portrayal of how things get done but I suspect the shots of cringing graphic designers copying and pasting up the stereotypical ideas of idiots-with-egos might be realistic.)
I hate being sold a lifestyle and I hate being told what it is to be a woman but somehow I love this John Lewis ad. I first learned of the campaign at the Guardian a while back. John Lewis is a British department store that is known as an old reliable. It is unique in that its employees are referred to a partners as they all have a share in the company. It's selling point is that it is a fair, consistent and people orientated company. The developers Adam & Eve communicated this with emotive success.
Usually women in television adverts are very one dimensional. They are often characters informed heavily by Sex & the City style lifestyles. Shoes and bags and cocktails with the girls kind of thing. Although the female lead in the advert is not challenging stereotypes, she is portrayed as a complete human being. She is an innocent child, a beautiful wife, a caring mother, an ambition career woman and a stylish elderly person. Woman are too often dehumanized in the media by being represented as incomplete people. I think this plays a huge role in the objectification of woman and so, in violence against women too.
Or perhaps it is the golden light, the Billy Joel cover and the stylish elderly lady that has me.
I have hidden need to make things that reference "art history" or more specifically what I remember being a big deal from art history lectures. I am not entirely sure if this is always apparent or if it is just some inside joke only I am laughing at. My schooling taught me Giotto to Cezanne, which is "absolutely ages ago to really long time ago European art". When I got to college, everything outside of this intrigued me and, I think, played a huge part in my practical understanding of contemporary art.
This is (a little something I whipped up earlier which is) one of those things that references art history. Hokusai, The Big Wave of Kanagawa is one of the first things I remember of non Western Art that was a big deal. The lecturer was talking about how this asymmetrical composition influenced Western art as asymmetry was a somewhat new idea.
I think Art is ever changing because society is ever changing and what was once relevant becomes irrelevant and vice versa. And so I painted the wave bang on in the centre.
For a brief moment the setting sun reflected off a window of a building in the horizon and into mine, causing a tight beam of glowy light to illuminate my tea. The steam looks like flames. I had to dash to find my camera, the focus isn't quite right as it lasted for only a minute, no time for fiddling with settings. 5.15, it's magic!
Nestle is bringing back the fond favorite Milky Bar kid with the great and catchy slogan "Ungrown up" and the introduction of a bar with raisins. That's all shit obviously, but look, don't these milky bar grown ups look like they are in an Andy Warhol costume? Hah!
A quick look around my current studio/work space. I have a bunch of pictures from my studios down through the years but I am afraid they are not very interesting. Unlike most people (I think) I don't tend to hang up the things that I have made or the things I am referencing, unless I am currently working on them. I did it more so in college, perhaps because it was encouraged. Possibly to make group critiques and tutorials more useful.
It is my method of working, no one comes to my studio so there is no need to engage in the showmanship. (Perhaps that is why no one comes to my studio.)
P.S You can see the racks in the first photo as mentioned here
This is a brown paper bag that I used to protect the carpet when I was painting racks that I had made to organise my spools of thread. I loved the pattern it serendipitously left on the paper. Of course brown paper is a simple but often beautiful thing and I have always had a love for cheap white paint and linear, geometric marks. As seen here in my degree show.
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