Urban Hike: 1A Visual Literacy Final Projects

Migrating Identities

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Migrating Identities
Jun 28 – Sep 29, 2013

Migrating Identities features the work of eight artists—Michelle Dizon, Ala Ebtekar,Naeem Mohaiemen, Meleko Mokgosi, Wangechi Mutu, Yamini Nayar, Ishmael Randall Weeks, and Saya Woolfalk. Currently based in the United States, they collectively have connections to such diverse countries as Bangladesh, Botswana, India, Iran, Japan, Kenya, Peru, and the Philippines. Born between 1969 and 1981, their work is profoundly informed by their deep relationships with multiple cultures, which were forged by their shared experience of travelling frequently between disparate home sites. Guided by their ability to move fluidly between cultures, and drawing from the uniqueness of their individual journeys, these artists reveal the ways in which their identities have been transformed by the confluence of mobility, cultural retention, and personal history. Their art is evidence of the ever-changing experience of immigration, which eschews conventional narratives focused on socio-economic status, cultural negotiation, and assimilation.

 http://www.ybca.org/migrating-identities

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

The Naked and the Nude: Representations of the Body

August 17, 2013—February 16, 2014

The words "naked" and "nude" are defined as synonyms by the American Heritage Dictionary. "Naked" entered the English language from the German nakt, while "nude" derives from the French nu. Through centuries of use, however, the words have taken on subtle distinctions. The ideal nude, often inspired by the poses of classical sculpture, has been viewed as the noblest subject in Western art since antiquity as it takes the perfected human body as its subject. The tradition remained strong in the 19th century in spite of the rise of Realism, which depicted the naked body with a new veracity. The Modern tendency toward abstracted and expressive form means that depictions of the body diverge from classical, academic and realist ideals. Yet, the notion that to be naked is to be exposed and vulnerable, while to be nude is to be comfortable and at ease, remains valid in 20th–century art.

http://www.nelson-atkins.org/art/Exhibitions.cfm?id=25&title=The%20Naked%20and%20the%20Nude

Some more Mona Lisa...

So I decided to add this picture of the actual Mona Lisa since we talked about it a lot in class in the beginning of the session. I've been meaning to post it for a long time now, just so everyone who hasn't actually seen it in person can see how small it really is. And it's behind some bulletproof glass of some sort. I took this when I was there in the Spring of 2011. I'm standing as close as you can possibly get to the painting without zooming in, too. 

I thought this was funny and relevant to our class as well because we had seen different variations of the Mona Lisa, some humorous. This is a picture from a social network called Instagram, for those less familiar with it. It's Megan Fox is portrayed as the Mona Lisa. 

-Kimberly Rodriguez

The World of Disney

This weekend I went to Disneyland for several hours analyzing the components of what makes an environment "real." Disneyland is a very unique atmosphere that can closely relate to class discussion. When in Disneyland the previous conception of a myth becomes to be known as a reality. No matter your age, Disneyland becomes a reality from every child hood story. Disneyland markets many different products from Frontier Land to Tomorrowland. Being in Disneyland allows one to become any they've wished for. In the Bibby Bobbity Boutique you can spend several hundred dollars in order to transform into one of the Disney princesses. Theres a cult culture of wearing Disney clothing and become uniform within the community, which would rarely happen outside the boundaries of Disneyland. When in Disneyland, the outside world ceases to exist. The synopsis: Disneyland is able to create a society within our society.

-Brandon In

P.S. I go to Disneyland a lot.

Control

This weekend I watched the biographical film Control, made by Anton Corbijn in 2007 and posted on the blog in conjunction with our Queer studies presentations, this one particularly in relation to the Punk community. I have posted earlier about the Punk community, I find it very interesting and under noticed.

This film illustrates Ian Curtis, a young singer of Joy Division. His band was revolutionizing music and entering a movement to promote two new emerging genres into the music scene (a combination of New Wave and Goth). As a result, he suffered personal, professional and romantic troubles and died at age 23 of suicide.

The film originally portrays Ian Curtis as a mundane, sad man working for an employment agency. It is not until he meets the films heartthrob, Debbie, that he falls in love and begins to take risks and follow his dreams. As his band gains success, Ian's relationship with his young wife begins to distance itself and he begins an affair. I thought that the showing of Deborah, his confused wife trying to understand her husbands depressed soul, was particularly moving.   It is a commutation of this new success, family problems, and the emotional difficulty of being an artist which lead to his mental collapse.

The key to Control is understanding Ian's depression. He is constantly fighting epilepsy internally, and he lives in constant fear that his next seizure may be his last. He is driven to no other option than to swallow a daily cocktail of prescribed drugs with horrible effect, causing him to lose control over his own life.

This beautifully made film gives the viewer an intuitive perspective into the spirits of one of the most influential alternative bands in history. We are given exposure into the punk rock scene of the 1970's as well as a view into the troubled mind of a revolutionary artist during this time.

I recommend it to all interested in the Punk Movement as well as anyone curious about the life of a struggling artist. It creates a much more relatable reality of what a man like Ian Curtis would experience.

---Mary Lempres

Le Purgatoire (a Davidson Library find!)

Something I discovered during my Intro to Library Studies class was that we have a whole section of the library (Third Floor) dedicated to artifacts and historical items. During a presentation on this section, the librarian brought out first edition, original Salvador Dali artwork. In the collection she brought, there was authentic works from both "Le Paradis" as well as "Le Purgatoire". These are just some of the many pieces of art contained within these books. If anyone ever has time, come check it out on the third floor library. I heard there are many other works from other artists as well.

- Joseph Din