STUDIO ASSIGNMENT 2 – TOPICS IN 3D STUDIO

PROJECT #3: THE WALL OF FORTUNE

A wall/blanket/expanse of folded paper fortune tellers in the same color. I used to repeatedly produce the small, simple toy in my youth, anywhere I could find the paper to do so. I would make them in all shapes and sizes…I think there is something ironic about “the wall” (THE WALL) as an object…maybe not IRONIC but something to be noted about modern society, is the way that we take words and misconstrue the definition through bouts of sinister internet comedy and meme generating. We have basically, essentially, repurposed the english dictionary. This relates to ECSTATIC RESISTANCE, a piece by Emily Roydson which speaks about the blurring of the lines between different art styles and genres.

What kind of connotation does the wall have? It is meant to blockade, supposed to separate…think of how Trump uses the wall and what it means now.

The wall represents movement, acceleration, progression in the face of oppression, resistance, stagnation. How? Because of it’s ambiguous nature, the wall-of-fortune is able to traverse many different universes. It exists in itself a 3D object composed of many small 2D objects, and also seems to move, bounce, and sway on its own accord. Let’s make 20 billion of them and shield the polar ice caps or some miraculous feat that would cause global satisfaction replete.

I love my wall <3 I feel like hanging it over my bed catch bad dreams and rid my room of any looming bad spirits. 

 

 

STUDIO ASSIGNMENT 4 – TOPICS IN 3D STUDIO

PROJECT #4: SHROOM FORCE 1

I really initially just wanted to create a sneaker from that mycellium kit; either a carved out version or an exact replica by way of vacuum former. But alas, time and money restrictions didn’t enable it, and I was left to interpret a moldy sneaker by impressing legit chunks of the mushroom mulch onto my beloved G FAZOS (slang for Nike Air Force 1 Shoe). This isn’t without, of course, first ensuring the tactility of my beloved beaters with cling wrap. The resulting piece is one my friend Erin refers to as a clog, which I quite like, because it transforms my beat up, off-white, dog-shit-ridden sneaker into something of a suburban mom or super eurocentric, foreign to me, something I don’t know.

STUDIO ASSIGNMENT 2 – TOPICS IN 3D STUDIO

I created a lampshade.

Since the object had to be made of paper and plastic, and I have just moved into my new apartment, I decided to make something that could decorate my room. When I had first moved in, I immediately removed the lampshade; I didn’t like it for some reason. Now, I have replaced it with an object made of a pair of sneakers I completely adore–my Nike Air Force 1s. I often draw the shoe, and find myself frequently slipping them onto my feet as well. They are easy, all white so they go with virtually everything, and comfortable beyond compare. Since creating the lampshade, I have also revamped my pair to match the aesthetic.

 

FOUNTAIN HOUSE GALLERY @ LONG ISLAND CITY

STEPHANIE FREADER, UNTITLED 2017  is the most “outside” piece to me in the gallery. This is because it is almost like a papier-mâché dress, with wire caging and leaves. The dress may even be cement, making it definitely impossible to wear, displaying the fact that the artist could not have possibly made it for herself or for anyone else. It is not a conventional art piece (for obvious reasons like the fact that is it not on a canvas or on a pedestal), as it almost seems like it should be a functional garment and not a sculpture. It is also a very neutral color, depicting little to no desire to cater to aesthetics on behalf of the artist. It sticks out the most of all the pieces in the entire gallery.

ANTHONY NEWTON, UNTITLED 2017 is the least “outside” because they are obviously portraits of people and they are beautifully composed. They look like they should be in an art gallery, truthfully, because of level of confidence in the strokes and colors used; they compliment each other perfectly. Anyone would agree that the pieces presented by this artist are all gorgeous, especially due to the quality and freeness in the brushstroke. Additionally, even if the artist created these pieces completely from his imagination, they are still portraits of faces and people made with the knowledge that they are portraits.

MARTIN COHEN vs. ADOLF WÖLFLI

Both of these artists make pieces with great color and attention to detail. They are extremely iconic pieces, and featuring many different kinds of images and imagery but seem to ultimately flow together. Though Wölfli’s work is more drawing and painting and Cohen’s work is collage, you can seem the similarities between the artists especially in their implementation of color. They also work in differentiating scales, and are both “outside” artist. They create these amazing worlds for themselves through their works.

I especially enjoyed the work of A. Lutz, especially the piece titled PRIMORDIAL FLOWER (2017). It is composed of what looks like yarn, and some kind of ceramic sculpture reminiscent of coral. It looks like a mashup of an organism or virus living inside of the human body and a waffle; an immature coupling that I find pleasing to the eye. It reminds me of marine biology—of some sort of underwater creature that hasn’t been discovered yet. This artist’s pieces are interesting and beautifully outlandish. 

 

RINGS AROUND THE MOON @ CAVIN-MORRIS GALLERY

The most “outside” pieces are the small, colorful geode-like forms hanging from the ceiling and displayed on the pedestals. They are created by Sandra Sheely completely out of found materials, such as thread, beads, sequins, shells and fabric amongst other things. These bursts of different visual aspects are described on the gallery’s website as “amuletic sculptures” that “come from an inexplicable urge to find cathartic release through physical manifestation.” Perfectly summed up in those few words, Sheely’s work seems to be produced for her own personal pleasure. Since the pieces are also made of found or recycled items, considered by some to be unconventional, her works are definitely the most “outside” of the entire show.

The least “outside” piece os a ghostly black and white painting on the right wall of the gallery. It seems like something seen before, in an art gallery or the result of a 2D Studio Assignment (no offense to the artist.) It just doesn’t seem as “outside” as the other pieces, and almost seems like it shouldn’t be in this gallery show. Each of the other pieces seem to be freeform expressions and this one seems to be the most taught.

Some of the artists in the show regard their work as expression, not on their own account, but as a release in which they must indulge. One even goes so far as to say that she is a channel through which spirits pass and communicate, instructing her to completely these pieces by way of specifically dictating which color inks to use and what shapes to draw. Ferdinand Cheval has a similar background; one day, he tripped on a rock, and when he looked at it he realized it was beautiful. He found this to be true of all rocks, stating that “it represents any kind of animal, it represents any kind of caricature.” He then dedicated the rest of his life to building the ideal palace, a place where any person of any background could reside. It’s almost like someone or something—some higher being—was compelling him to build this palace, like he was a passage or channel for said higher being. He was one of the first people to go public with his obsession, even going so far as to create a shrine to his wheelbarrow in the basement of the palace and a tomb where he could be buried once he passed (because his town told him he couldn’t be buried in his palace.)

I truly enjoyed the pieces that seemed to be someone squatting, masturbating, etc. as well as the recycled geodes. There was this one form that was composed of all black found objects and had silver bead-like forms on top of it that I found myself especially fond of, because black is definitely one of my favorite colors. It also seemed to be the only geode that was made mostly of one solid color, rather than a bunch of different fabrics and patterns etc.

STUDIO ASSIGNMENT #1 – CORE SEMINAR 2: FORM & INNOVATION

I wanted to create a series of posters inspired by The Fact of Blackness by Frantz Fanon. The reading specifically resonated with me, because I have felt these feelings for the entirety of my life and know a lot of my colleagues have as well. Attending a school in a town populated by a majority of white, upperclass families from 5-18 years old, I was always faced with racism. My first encounter happened in first grade. Imagine being that young and having someone tell you that they “don’t like black people.” Confused, I brushed it off slightly, making note to bring it up to my mother later and figure out exactly what that means. Fast forward 13 years, those same kids I grew up with are in their senior years of high school unable to comprehend why they can’t say the n-word.

I created two images, one hand drawn and one computer generated. One is a copy of the other; literal duplicates, just distorted and bent in a way that makes the text unreadable. The image is also distorted, creating an interesting sight for the viewer that I wanted to either inspire or frighten. The colors contrast strongly and are bold and dark. I specifically found inspiration in the following quotes:

“”Look, a Negro!” It was true. It amused me.”

“I existed triply: I occupied space. I moved toward the other . . . and the evanescent other, hostile but not opaque, transparent, not there, disappeared. Nausea . . . ” (84)

As I grow older, I feel more and more like the first quote. Amused. Not in an entertained way, but in a cynical one. I know myself and I find the ignorance amusing now, because I cannot believe that people are so content in their stupidity. Fanon later discusses the stereotypes associated with black people–big lips, big teeth, big feet, etc. I’ve been made fun of for these things as well, proving that gender does not play a defining factor in ignorance.

The piece is representative of the fact that an image can be misconstrued, there are different ways to dissect and perceive it. Personally, some of the stereotypes of black people are what make them beautiful in my eyes. To another person, they are what make them the opposite. I wanted to distort the image in a way that made it almost barely legible; like as if the distorted image was presented alone, one would not be able to tell what it was of.

 

FIRST PROJECT – TOPICS IN 3D STUDIO

I decided to make a Venus figurine, reminiscent of the Venus of Willendorf figure. The Venus is supposed to be a universal image for beauty; being the standard basically of early western civilization. Men worshipped artworks made in her name, and there are countless renditions of her in galleries internationally.

 

Additionally, the Hottentot Venus, formally known as Saartjie Bartman, was another famous Venus image which inspired me to create this piece. She was placed in a museum for the fact that her butt was so large and she had an extended labia; white people could not believe the way her body looked.

 

My Venus was composed of recycled bottles of tequila, acid washed jean shorts, bottle caps, discarded buttons, old stick on nails and old eyelashes. She reminds me, personally, of the voodoo dolls traditional to many different Caribbean cultures, such as Trinidad or Haiti (which is where both sides of my family are from). I named her the Venus of SoWa, which is the nickname for the Trinidadian town of San Juan–where I created her and found the materials to do so. She also makes a noise similar to the Shak-Shak: a Trinidadian musical device similar to a maraca or rainmaker. I filled her with rocks I found on the beach. My Venus also features an original pattern by me, which is feathers since the traditional Trinidad has just occurred and I participated in it. There are feathers and gems littering the streets after the colorful festival.

I then put the rocks inside of the tequila bottle.

I then superglued one smaller bottle to a bigger one, and placed the bottle caps to make her breasts.

After that, I dressed her in the fabric I printed, again using superglue.

Here are a couple of details I added.

Then finished off her face and gave her a photoshoot!

 

PROJECT 3 – RESEARCH & PLANNING, 2D STUDIO

To start, I interviewed two really good friends of mine about an image I am very fond of. It is a painting by Kerry James Marshall titled School of Beauty, School of Culture (2012). I also had a plan I brainstormed really quickly. Sometimes I just really want to get my thoughts on paper.

This is the image. I love this image so much because it is so familiar to me; in the interview notes I wrote that one of the people I interviewed said they could smell hair products among other sensory alerts. It was so dope to hear that–to be an artist that can do that is the ultimate goal. Moving people past emotion and into an almost 4th-dimensional-enviroment is a skill I think I have yet to add to my tool belt, but I hope to acquire soon in the future.

 

STUDIO ASSIGNMENT 2 – RESEARCH, SIGN & SYSTEM SEMINAR

 

My research for this project consisted of steady sketching and analysis of personal experiences, like that in the notes above. I spend a lot of time alone, though surrounded by people, which relates directly back to Freud’s ideas about the conscious and unconscious. A lot of my thoughts are suppressed due to the fact that I have no where to put them; I have no one to feed them to, most of my friends are as busy as me. Sometimes it truthfully feels like I have no time to think. I explore this and a couple of other ideas without a filter in the notes I took.

http://www.jackshainman.com/files/5214/4010/0458/KM12.019-School-of-Beauty-sized-for-web.jpg

I drew a lot of inspiration from Kerry James Marshall. He is one of my favorite artists and his work, to me, evokes a lot of nostalgia and familiarity. I want my artwork to do the same, but also include the importance of Lacan’s dialogue about the mirror stage and the child recognizing themselves for the first time. I tried to make the pieces recall each other–to make them related, but also to have differentiating representations of myself in each image, the way a child might recognize him or herself before they realize what they actually look like. I tried to call upon ways I may have seen myself before; like in an object I find myself with often (like my coat which is featured in one of the pieces) or a birthmark or defect (what the dynamite stick has become since it is a tattoo I actually have on my body) and drew it into each piece.

My own artwork inspired me a lot too, as I started to feel really comfortable letting myself create how I want to instead of how I feel I should.

I’m in a Nude: History and Theory class and I definitely drew inspiration from that as well (which is apparent in the nude figures in my piece). I just found it extremely interesting how we studied barely any bodies of color and there are so many artworks focused on the nude black body as well as the white one.

I watch a lot of cartoons. These have a huge impact on my artwork, because the shows aren’t necessarily child safe but they look like children should be watching them. I wanted my work to look childlike while having a deeper, more mature message to back it.

I spend most of my time at work, so I obviously drew inspiration from there as well. I would say that everything in my store has a place; an architect creates the layout for each A.P.C. store in the company, and he took a lot of time on our store. He was patient and made sure that it would have a lasting impression on everyone who entered it. That’s how I wanted my artwork to be.

My Best friends had a baby recently, her name is A’maya. She’s so beautiful, and she’s constantly on camera. While thinking about the Mirror Stage, I thought of A’maya a lot because I wonder if she knows that these images of her are being viewed by thousands of people (her parents have a large social media following) or even if she cares. I wonder what it does for the baby’s mind to know that they are being filmed or photographed; I wonder how that consequently effects their outlook of the world. I thought of this during the conception of the final pieces.

Lastly, I always draw inspiration from the streets of New York since I am constantly walking. I love looking at all of the things around me and going home and creating an image based on what I had seen. This, I believe, is also apparent in the pieces.

The final products.

STUDIO ASSIGNMENT 2 – SEMINAR: SIGN & SYSTEM 2017

I thought it was so interesting how Freud discussed the conscious and the unconscious, and decided I wanted to explore this idea. When you are younger, you are living more in the unconscious because you are learning the ways of the world and the difference between right and wrong. As you grow older, you begin to live in the conscious by inheriting routine; wake up for school, go to practice after, go home and do homework – I feel like there is less and less time for the unconscious because you become so busy with everyday tasks. That is my take on the conscious and unconscious. I also wish to create a dialogue with this piece that speaks about the unconscious and conscious mind in relation to people who are seen as mentally unstable vs. completely able because this is somewhat like the adult/child comparison as well. The minds of those seen as crazy usually have a lot in common with the child’s mind, and function in extremely similar ways. I think it would be interesting to do more research about this topic and implement that knowledge into my second studio assignment.