I posted previously about Mary Lynn Buchanan's video tour through the Venice Biennale, and in the video posted above, she continues to share more art from the 2022 Venice Biennale with us. The video features many different artists from many different backgrounds, but today I will be focusing on Simone Leigh. We discussed some of Simone Leigh's work in our art history class and I found it to be really interesting, and this video lets us see a little bit more of her work.
Simone Leigh is an American artist that was chosen to represent the our country at the United States Pavilion. Simone Leigh primarily makes work out of clay and is often associated with African art. The picture featured above, titled Facade, shows the transformation Simone Leigh created for the United States Pavilion. Prior to this transformation, the building followed a neoclassical style. Simone Leigh has transformed it by adding thatched roof, steel, and wood, common elements found in African culture. Simone Leigh's exhibition is titled Sovereignty, and revolves around self-determination and independence from the authority of another. The transformation shown above I think demonstrates that well; as many cultural traditions and groups of people have been forgotten through colonization in the United States. Other histories have been ignored, and Facade reintroduces these cultural styles and traditions.
I couldn't find the name for this sculpture pictured above, but I found it to be a really intriguing piece. For one, the scale is impressive and it is modeled very beautifully. The way the braids of the figure fall to the sides of her face is really pleasing to look at and relates to African art style. What I find interesting is that the figure has no eyes. I like to think about the meaning behind the lack of eyes, and I wonder if it is meant to represent a lack of identity through their cultural and artistic traditions being forgotten about in our society. I also wonder if the lack of eyes may signify some kind of unity, or togetherness, in the sense that community and culture outlasts a single individual. I think these are really interesting themes to think about, and makes me enjoy this piece.
I'm happy Mary Lynn Buchanan has made the work of these artists accessible for those who were unable to visit the Venice Biennale. It's nice to be able to learn about these works by watching her videos. Hopefully one day I can travel to see it myself, in person!
Hi Madison, I remember Simone Leigh from class as well. She transformed the American Pavilion with raffia and female body parts to express colonialization and a sense of identity and belonging. Simone presents contemporary values by visiting the past and bringing it to the present. I think is a way to rewrite history because if there's no past, one is valid.
Amanda Leigh Evans (https://amandaleighevans.com/) Today I had the opportunity to attend an artist talk given by Amanda Leigh Evans. Amanda is an artist working at the intersection of ceramics and social practice. I was curious what this intersection would look like, as I had not heard the term "social practice" before. Ceramics, as many of us may know, involves working with ceramic materials such as clay and often involves creating pottery, tiles, figurines, sculptures, and more. Social practice is a form of art that involves social engagement and is participated in by a group or community. The work done by Amanda Leigh Evans combines these two art forms in a unique and engaging way. Much of Amanda's work deals with raw materials, gardens, agriculture, ceramics, and collaborative practices, and is focused on our social and ecological interdependence. As human beings, we are deeply connected and reliant on not only each other, but on the environment as well. Amanda'...
Artists Seeking Social Change - KQED Arts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocCsQpnjNrw (8min) A video named "Artists Seeking Social Change" by KQED Arts follows the work of two artists involved in social practice art in Oakland. As I wrote about in my last post, I had not heard of social practice art until recently, so it was exciting to learn more about artists involved in this art form and what more work of this kind could look like. Chris Treggiari Chris Treggiari is an American artist working in social practice art. Chris Treggiari went into the streets of Oakland to ask the community questions about what is happening in their city. He built an interactive news van and interviewed the public on their opinions about the changes occurring in Oakland. Stephen Nienu after talking to Chris Treggiari (Andrew Stelzer/KQED) Chris quizzed individuals about the Domain Awareness Center, a project that was recently launched in Oakland to collect...
!Women Art Revolution - Lynn Hershman Leeson (1hr 22min) Lynn Hershman Leeson's film "!Women Art Revolution" examines the feminist art movement from the 1960's through the twenty first century. With countless videos, photographs, and interviews from artists, the film highlights the struggles and successes of women artists of the feminist art movement. The feminist art movement was formed as a response to the belief that women artists did not have a place in the art world. Lynn Hershman Leeson discusses being rejected by museums on the account that her work "wasn't art" and that she had no place there. Buyers rescinded offers on her art after learning the art was created by a woman. Today, she has sold her art for 9,000x the original price. The feminist art movement created change that allows women to exist and succeed in the industry today. The Woman's Building, Los Angelos Artists in the movement created performances, artwork, and institutions ...
Hi Madison, I remember Simone Leigh from class as well. She transformed the American Pavilion with raffia and female body parts to express colonialization and a sense of identity and belonging. Simone presents contemporary values by visiting the past and bringing it to the present. I think is a way to rewrite history because if there's no past, one is valid.
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