Discovering Contemporary Art

  (30min) This video features Mary Lynn Buchanan walking us through parts of the 2022 Venice Biennale. The Venice Biennale is held once a year in Venice, Italy and features cultural exhibits from artists all over the world. Mary Lynn Buchanan starts off by walking us through the Central Pavilion, which features artwork from over 200 artists from 58 countries. The Central Pavilion has a different theme every year and the theme for 2022 was titled "Milk of Dreams." It is inspired by the book by Leonara Carrington "in which the surrealist artist describes a magical world where life is consistently re-envisioned through the prism of the imagination.” The curator of the exhibit, Cecilia Alemani, chose three themes of focus for the exhibits: “representation of bodies and their metamorphosis,” “relationship between individuals and technologies,” and “connection between bodies and the earth.”  The Milk of Dreams, Curated by Cecilia Alemani, The 59th Venice Biennale, Venice, ...

  Angie Eng with her exhibit, "Magnetizing Mandala" (courtesy of https://photos.prairiemountainmedia.com) Right before spring break at Sacramento State, I was able to attend an artist lecture given by Angie Eng. Angie Eng is an artist that creates what she calls "socially engaged art." She defines socially engaged art as a "creative system to engage the community in a dialogue." It is an artform that is often collaborative or participatory, and the participants themselves are considered the artistic medium. According to her website, https://angieeng.com, she also works with conceptual art and time-based media. She has over 20 years of artistic experience and is dedicated to making work about social justice.  Angie Eng, "This Land is My Land," "Touch" exhibition at the Dairy Arts Center, 2019 One of Angie Eng's works that she presented is "This Land is My Land." It was exhibited at the Dairy Arts Center in 2019 and revolves...

  Rey Jeong (courtesy of reyjeong.com) Today I had the opportunity to hear artist Rey Jeong present a talk about her work. Rey Jeong is an artist working in social practice who's work is focused on race and gender. As a social practice artist, much of her work involves participation with people and involvement with different communities. The mediums she works with include film, audio, choreography, poetry, installation, and sculpture. She was raised in South Korea and is currently teaching at Alfred University in New York.  Rey Jeong, Cascade Voices, participatory practice One of the works Rey Jeong presented is her short film titled Cascade Voices. For this work, Rey created a space where people who are marginalized in society can come together to have a conversation. As explained on Rey Jeong's website, reyjeong.com,  Cascade Voices featured 18 people from different cultural backgrounds having a discussion about their experiences. Four to five people at a time sit in a ...

  Eva Hesse with “Metronomic Irregularity” at the opening reception for “Eccentric Abstraction,” Fischbach Gallery, NY 1966. (Credit: Norman Goldman) (pbs.org) (1hr 48 mins) The documentary "Eva Hesse" focuses on the life and work of Jewish German-American artist Eva Hesse. She was born in Germany in 1936 and came to America in 1939 where she began to pursue art. Her work explores a large variety of mediums including paintings, drawings, latex, resins, wire, and many more unconventional materials. She drew inspiration from abstract expressionism and minimalism, but in her own unique style that expresses themes of play, exploration, and absurdity. Eva Hesse, Hang Up,  Acrylic on cloth over wood; acrylic on cord over steel tube, 1966 What I find fascinating and inspiring about Eva Hesse is her ability to create and explore relentlessly, even through times of struggle and despair. As a child, Eva's family fled their home to escape Nazi Germany. She was displaced from her hom...