Transcript Introduction to Artists

Traditional Western ideas about the
visual arts can be found throughout
the world; including areas such as
Japan, India and Africa which typically
have had a Non-Western approach to
art. Due to technology and social
media, the exchange of information
has greatly impacted the art world.
This blending of cultural influences
can be found in the work of many
artists today.
We will discuss how these artists’
cultural heritage reflects the work
they create.
This Unit will introduce students to
contemporary artists from around the
globe whose work melds Eastern and
Western philosophies of art.

El Anatsui was born in
the Volta region of
Ghana in 1944.
He studied art at the
Kwame Nkrumah
University of Science
and Technology.
He went on to create
and teach in Ghana and
was head of sculpture at
University of NigeriaNsukka, until he retired
from teaching in 2010.
“Drawing on the aesthetic
traditions of his native Ghana
and adopted Nigeria, as well as
contemporary Western forms of
expression, Anatsui's works
engage the cultural, social and
economic histories of West
Africa. Through their
associations, his humble metal
fragments provide a commentary
on globalization, consumerism,
waste and the transience of
people's lives in West Africa and
beyond. Their re-creation as
powerful and transcendent works
of art--many of which recall
traditional practices and art
forms--suggests as well the
power of human agency to alter
such harmful patterns.” (African
Museum of Art, 2008)
Many Moons, 2007
Aluminum and copper wire.

In this image you can
see how bottle caps
are transformed into a
type of tapestry.
All of these items
have been gathered
from Nsukka, Nigeria
where the artist lives
and works.


Peak Project, 1999
Tin and copper wire.
This installation was
created using milk tins.
Fresh milk is imported
into West Africa from
America and Europe.
They do not have the
means to recycle and
these tins are just
discarded.

Lines That Link
Humanity, 2008
Aluminum and copper
wire.
This piece was
commissioned for the
North Carolina Museum
of Art.
Anatsui uses bottle caps
and other parts of
packaging from different
types of liquor.
This references the liquor
that Europeans brought to
Africa as items for trade.

His woven metal
tapestries simulate
traditional kente cloth.
Kente cloth was woven
by the Asante people of
Ghana and the Ewe
people of Ghana and
Togo.
It is used for special
occasions, the colors
and patterns are very
symbolic.

Emily Jacir is a PalestinianAmerican. She was born in
Bethlehem.
She grew up in Saudi Arabia
and attended high school in
Roma, Italy.
She received her B.F.A. at the
University of Dallas in Texas
and M.F.A. from Memphis
College of Art in Tennessee.
Jacir then spent several years
living in Texas, Palestine,
Colorado, France, and New
York.
She currently lives and
works in both Ramallah and
New York City.

Jacir works in a variety of
media including
photography, film and
performance art.
In her series
“Ramallah/New York”
2004-2005
Jacir depicts Palestinian
Businesses in both
Ramallah and New York
side by side.
Her images reflect how
immigrants remain true to
their culture regardless of
place.
When you view the images
it is hard to decipher the
location of the two
businesses.

In her series
“Where We Come From''
(2001-03)
Jacir asked Palestinians
in exile “''If I could do
anything for you, anywhere
in Palestine, what would it
be?'' She then acted on their
requests and documented
her actions” (Johnston 2009)
Since Jacir has an American
passport she was able to
carry out this requests.
As you view her work you
can see it reflects both
Eastern and Western
elements.

Subodh Gupta was
born in Khagaul,
Bihar, India in 1964.
He studied Painting at
the College of Arts &
Crafts, Patna, India
and received a B.F.A.
degree.

In his artist statement provided to the
Museum of Art and Design in New
York for an exhibition of his work
Gupta states “My work is about where
I come from. But at the same time,
the expansion of the art world means
that, to a certain extent, everything is
shrinking together, and you have to
be aware of international discourse in
your work. The objects I work with
"refer to the current state of India's
shifting society, migration, a sense of
home and place, and the effects and
frictions caused by a rapidly
globalizing society."[1] The transition
in my work "from organic . . . to
manufactured . . . has traced [my]
own migration to the mainstream of
art culture of urban India."[2] Art
language is the same all over the
world, which allows me to be
anywhere.[3]
[1] Manchester International Festival, "Subodh Gupta"
http://manchesterinternationalfestival. com/ festival- events/ subodhgupta.aspx.
[2] Gallery Chemould, "Subodh Gupta" .
[3] Christopher Mooney, "Subodh Gupta, The Idol Thief," Artreview, issue 17
(December, 2007), 57
Cheap Rice, 2005
MARCEL DUCHAMP IS ONE OF THE MOST WELL
KNOWN DADA ARTISTS.
HE CREATED A SERIES OF “READYMADE” OBJECTS.
ONE OF HIS MOST FAMOUS IS THE IMAGE BELOW.
HE TOOK A REPRODUCTION OF DA VINCI’S MONA
LISA AND DREW A MUSTACHE AND GOATEE ON
HER FACE.
HE THEN TOOK A WHITE PIECE OF PAPER AND
WROTE THE INITIALS L.H.O.O.Q.
GUPTA HAS CREATED WORKS OF ART THAT
REFLECT THE WORK OF POPULAR WESTERN
ARTISTS (WHICH ALSO SPEAKS OF HIS THOUGHTS
ON THE CAPITALISTIC WESTERN ART MARKET).
YOU CAN SEE IN HIS SCULPTURE ET TU,
DUCHAMP?, THE ARTIST REFERENCES THE PIECE
BY DUCHAMP.

Yinka Shonibare was born in
London to Nigerian parents and
moved to Lagos, Nigeria as a
very young child.
He then returned to London to
attend Byam Shaw College
(which is now Central Saint
Martins College of Art and
Design). Shonibare received an
MFA from Goldsmiths College.
He currently lives in East
London.
When he was nineteen years old
he contracted a virus that left
him paralyzed.
After three years of physical
therapy he regained movement,
but is still partially disabled.

Shonibare’s work
focuses on his duel
identities being both
African and British.
He work also
discusses cultural
ethnististity, global
issues, as well as
personal issues like
psychical disability.

In the installation,
Mr. and Mrs. Andrews
without their heads,
1998 Shonibare based
this piece on a
painting by Thomas
Gainsboro.
THE PAINTING ON THE LEFT MR. AND MRS.
ANDREWS, ABOUT 1750, IS BY GAINSBOROUGH.
THEY ARE A WEALTHY , NEWLY MARRIED
COUPLE. THE PASTORAL SETTING ELUDES TO
THEIR STATUS AS WEALTHY LAND OWNERS,
DURING THIS TIME PERIOD.
IN SHONIBARE’S VERSION, MR. AND MRS.
ANDREWS WITHOUT THEIR HEADS, WE CAN SEE
THE SIMILARITIES IN POSE, BUT THE WORK’S
MEANING IS VERY DIFFERENT.
SHONIBARE DEPICTS A BROWN SKINNED COUPLE
WITHOUT HEADS. THEY ARE DRESSED IN 18TH
CENTURY FASHION, BUT IN WEST AFRICAN
BATIKED FABRIC.

“These colorful fabrics
originated in Indonesia and
were later reproduced by
Dutch traders.
Today the cloth is designed
and manufactured in
Manchester, England
exported to Africa, then sent
back to Great Britain where it
sells as an original African
product. With satirerical
humor Shonibare addresses
issues of ethnic authenticity
and colonialist practices in his
work.” (National Gallery of
Canada, 2012)
REVEREND ON ICE, 2005, YINKA SHONIBARE
FIBERGLASS, COTTON,(DUTCH WAX),
LEATHER , WOOD AND STEEL
NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA
PORTRAIT OF THE REVEREND ROBERT WALKER
SKATING, 1784,
SIR HENRY RAEBURN, OIL ON CANVAS,
NATIONAL GALLERY OF SCOTLAND

Hung Liu was born in
Changchun, China in
1948.
She immigrated to the
United States in 1984.
She received her MFA
degree from University
of California at San
Diego.
She currently lives in
Oakland, California and
is a professor at Mills
College.


Relic 12, 2005
Liu’s unusual biography infuses her
work with a unique richness; her
paintings are steeped in Chinese
culture, contemporary and ancient.
While she has a foot in both
cultures—China and the United
States—her art is born of a
traditional Chinese art education.”
She fuses images from 7th Century
Tang tomb mural paintings of
princes and princesses with Western
imagery such as St. Christopher
carrying a baby across the river,
surrounded by her signature circles
of color, an abstract pattern which
dances energetically across the
surface.” (Nancy Hoffman Gallery,
2012)

In this painting Liu
explores the
Chinese history of
immigration in
America.

Shahzia Sikander was born in 1969
in Lahore, Pakistan. She received
her undergraduate degree at the
National College of Arts in Lahore.
Sikander received her MFA from
the Rhode Island School of Design.
The main focus of her work is the
traditional style of Indian and
Persian miniature painting.
This style of painting is requires
great discipline and is seeped in
tradition. “While becoming an
expert in this technique-driven,
often impersonal art form, she
imbued it with a personal context
and history, blending the Eastern
focus on precision and methodology
with a Western emphasis on
creative, subjective expression.” (Art
in the 21st Century, Season 1, 2001)
It is interesting how she
combines elements
from Hindu
mythology, Persian
tales, and personal
experience.
This painting is a
wonderful example.
Pleasure Pillars, 2001.


Nemesis, 2003-2007
Watercolor and Video
“Sikander experimented
with wearing a veil in public,
something she never did
before moving to the United
States. Utilizing performance
and various media and
formats to investigate issues
of border crossing, she seeks
to subvert stereotypes of the
East and, in particular, the
Eastern Pakistani woman.”
(Art21,2001).

Takashi Murakami
was born in 1963 in
Tokyo, Japan.
He received his BFA,
MFA and PhD from
the Tokyo National
University of Fine
Arts and Music.



“Murakami uses his deep
understanding of Western art to
integrate his work into its
structure; working from the
inside to portray “Japaneseness” as a tool to bring about
revolution in the world of art.
As an artist, Murakami
questions the lines drawn
between East and West, past
and present, high art and
popular culture.” (Kaikai Kiki,
2012 )
Tan Tan Bo Puking, a.k.a. Gero
Tan. 2002
Acrylic on canvas

“ He was trained in the school of
traditional Japanese painting known
as Nihonga, a nineteenth-century
mixture of Western and Eastern
styles. However, the prevailing
popularity of anime (animation) and
manga (comic books) directed his
interest toward the art of animation
because, as he has said, “it was more
representative of modern day
Japanese life.” American popular
culture in the form of animation,
comics, and fashion are among the
influences on his work, which
includes painting, sculpture,
installation, and animation, as well
as a wide range of collectibles,
multiples, and commercial
products”. (Brooklyn Museum of
Art, 2008)
Yinka Shonibare
Globe Children, 2008
Art in the Twenty-first Century. (September 21st, 2001) Spirituality: Shahzia-Sikander. Art21, Inc. PBS.
New York, New York.
Brooklyn Museum of Art, & Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.(2008).
© MURAKAMI. Retrieved from http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/murakami/
Fowler Museum at UCLA and Oriel Mostyn Gallery. (2008). El Anatsui: Gawu.
Retreived from http://africa.si.edu/exhibits/gawu/about.html#SlideFrame_1
Johnson, K. (2009, Feb. 9). Material for a Palestinian’s Life and Death. The New York Times. Retrieved from:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/arts/design/13jaci.html
Kaikai Kiki Co . (2012). Takashi Murakami. Retrieved from http://english.kaikaikiki.co.jp/artists/list/C4/
Museum of Modern Arts and Design. (2012). Subodh Gupta. Retrieved from
http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/crossingborders/curriculum/vce_studio_ib/yinka_vce.html
Nancy Hoffman Gallery. (2012). Hung Liu. Retrieved from http://www.nancyhoffmangallery.com/liu/2003.html

National Gallery of Canada. (2012). Yinka Shonibare. Retrieved from
http://www.gallery.ca/en/see/collections/artwork.php?mkey=52528
National Gallery of Victoria. (2004). Crossing Borders. Retrieved from
http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/crossingborders/curriculum/vce_studio_ib/yinka_vce.html