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- Uh, Oh, Look Who Got Wet by Janiva Ellis 1). The saturated colour grabbed my attention and the flowing water added a good kick to it. 2). First, where are the woman and the kid heading? Second, the woman lying on the shore looks like she is in pain and her scale is so much larger than the woman with the kid. What is the purpose of showing her in this gesture and this scale? Third, there is a pair of hands and the back of the running woman. Whose hands are they? 3). It is about a mother rushing somewhere with her little daughter. The mother might be a local woman in the village. 4). The colour and the scenery makes the art piece very surrealistic. The characters in the painting are designed like animation figures which give the audience an imaginary storyline.
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- Procession by Nicole Eisenman 1). The kneeling man on the cart caught my attention. The scale of the sculpture amazed me. 2). First, the sexuality of the first figure is very ambiguous. I wonder why the artist didn’t identify if it is a man or a woman. What is the intention?Second, what is the purpose of creating a piece of artwork on such a big scale? Third, there are two figures on the floor. One is kneeling, the other is crawling. What is the difference between these two people’s social status and representation in the entire art piece? 3). I think the artwork is about slavery, similar to a cultural ritual. It reminds me of Egyptian labour and the ancient Chinese empire. 4). The materials are mostly modern but the whole design created a very ancient feeling. The composition is almost symmetrical but not entirely. It showcases the event/ritual is under some supervisions and in order. It allows us to draw attention to the focal point which is the first standing figure. The gestures of the people send out emotions of pain and torture.
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- Night Exterior by Milano Chow 1). The neatness and the compositions of the artwork caught my attention. 2). First, why did the artist make the space look like a floor plan? 2). Is there a specific way the audience should look at the artwork? Are we supposed to fold the paper and look at it? Third, Why is there a same woman printed in two different sizes in the first picture? 3). It looks like architecture design. However, it was occupied by existing female owners. 4). The artwork is two dimensional, however, the drawing of the building created space in it which makes it three- dimensional. The elegant ladies living in the weirdly positioned building makes the design strange and mysterious.
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- Untitled (Fan Puuuuuuff) by Brian Belott 1). The fan caught my attention. I was ready for some cooling wind standing in front of it. 2). First, is there any meaning of the patterns? The fan caught all of my attention so I didn’t understand what is the function of other elements on the artwork. Second, why is there a space behind the fan and the wall was also cut through? Third, I am not sure what emotion the artist is delivering. 3). I think I was experimenting with different materials and trying to make an artwork functional. 4). The design is brilliant. The black pattern takes up most of the space and the fan is quite small compared to it. However, the black pattern becomes the negative space and the fan becomes the positive space. The artwork transformed itself from a flat two-dimensional object to a three- dimensional window which opens the door for the room behind it.
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- Mandingo/DON’T TREAD ON ME by Pat Phillips 1). From further away, I thought it is a painting of a huge centipede eating a rabbit. 2). First, the pattern of the snake is very interesting. I am not sure if it is the skin of a dragon, crocodile or a snake. The animal is very ambiguous to identify. Second, the skin of the human-like creature is black and the rabbit is white. I am not sure if it relates to racial conflicts. Third, the hand and the snake are wrapped together. Is it telling the audience that they are one creature or the snake is trying to suffocate the man? What is the relationship between the man, the snake and the rabbit? 3) I assume it is an artwork expressing the anger towards racial inequality. 4). The colour tone makes the artwork look more violent, chaotic and turbid. The complicated relationship among the three creatures troubles the audience sand gives them a sense of unease.
