Fred Wilson and the Conceptual Art - Essay Example

The Integrated Arts 0 Introduction Andre' Masson's mannequin had her head dressed as a birdcage and her mouth covered with a black velvet hand: Man Ray showed his mannequin with large tears running down her face and soap bubbles foaming out of the hair. The project of questioning art object's in relationship to the gallery centers around several assumptions: There is something worth displaying There is a specific context for display 'Installations' disorientate expectations of display; that displays can also be an act of concealment The seventeenth century cabinet of curiosities (Wunderkammern) is a collection of disparate objects, from art to fossils to its antecedents; the shrine and saintly reliquaries (Bann 1995: 529), testify to a desire to collect, display and pay homage to objects. Collections are often secretive, sometimes fetishistic, and can consist of the mundane and disposable, fragments of nature or urban waste (Meecham and Sheldon, 2000, p. 190-192). Art through the eyes of an artist represents the different moods, features, and aesthetics of the contemporary world. The same cannot be said of the spectator, who like many before and after him, see art as a piece of sexuality and provocation. Any discussion on art brings one noting the Greeks. The Greeks during the high classical age (470-430 BC), created standing sculptures of human figures, carved out of limestone and marbles, adapting seventh century Egyptian models. These sculptures were stiff, rigid, decorative, subordinate elements of tombs and temples rather than true sculpture. The range of depictions on heroic nude male (often in athletic contests) and draped female figures were prominent1. Each figure of the period reflected the artistic marvel and importance to this form of art. The sculptures were true living representations of the lifestyle and culture enjoyed by the prominent people of that age. In continuation on the subject of art and artists, this paper focuses on two distinct artists and their way of presenting contemporary world to their audience. First, the paper looks at the works of Fred Wilson and Conceptual Art, and then it's the turn of Judy Chicago and Feminist Art. 2.0 Fred Wilson and the Conceptual Art Fred Wilson is a conceptual artist; he doesn't paint, sculpt ortake photographs as he used to, but works with museums, culling through their collections and selecting objects to make his point. He arranges these exhibits against the backdrop of selective wall colors, display cases, lighting and wall labels to communicate with his audience. At an exhibit for the Maryland Historical Society, he juxtaposed fine silver service with slave shackles, and four period chairs lined up to observe a whipping post. He was more than convincing in conveying the message of white oppression over the black; the refined products of white society such as the silver service and chairs against slave shackles and whipping post. Wilson uses the objects to great effect, and this particular exhibit strongly reflected the white society's oppression of the black community. Most of his exhibitions harbor on racism. As a conceptual artist, Wilson takes pain to gather as much relevant material as possible from different places, and then using his artistic excellence, recreates images that has a longstanding impression on the viewer. In the 'Colonial Collection,' Wilson mocks a museum display, using a row of street-bought African masks with their eyes covered with pieces of the British flag. In a display case in front of the masks are insects and lithographs showing the British infantry fighting native Africans. Wilson has been quite critical of museums and the way they projected artifacts. In many cases, museums have kept materials of historical relevance from public viewing or importance. In 'Old Salem: A Family of Strangers,' 20 or so color photographs of cloth dolls made by blacks during the 19th and 20th centuries were left undisclosed from public viewing from the collection of a southern museum. Wilson has left no stone unturned to bring to prominence the atrocities committed by the whites on blacks. South Africa under the white minority was known for its apartheid policies. The major cities and establishments were run by the whites, with the blacks to do the cleaning. Though this has changed for the better, racism still exists in many parts of the country and elsewhere. Among Wilson's collections are a large number of kitschy 'collectibles.' Among them is, 'Atlas,' in 1995, a ceramic figure of a black waiter with a tray. Resting on the tray is a large globe with black pushpins massed to show density of black populations around the world; highly racist. Then, there is the display of a row of brown, headless mannequins dressed in museum guard uniforms. 'The Guarded View' in 1991, seems to suggest that the headless figures represented the unknown or inconsequential guards on duty at museums. Such measly paid jobs were offered to the colored, while the curators and administrators at the museums, presumably white-dominated, had high pay jobs. The exhibit is highly communicative and drives home the point of view of the artist. Wilson needs to be appreciated for bringing such messages across to a broad spectrum of viewers. What museums have been reluctant to show, Wilson has been a forerunner in fighting for a cause. His exhibits are heart-rending, and come across the viewer with a sense of sadness and pity. An installation called 'H RR R and H PE' was on the subject of the Jewish Diaspora, and the Holocaust. Wilson edited tiny parts of photos to put together the message of the carnage the Jews underwent during the World War and after. Wilson also added other photos to his installation, of which, two full photos stood out. In one photograph, a group of students were seen holding American flags, and on the other, a group of camp prisoners in striped uniforms. What was fascinating was that Wilson selected the two photos to send a message to the viewer. In both the photos, stripes were a common feature. Was it a message of American dominance, or was it American justice Wilson says that through this work, he is addressing the subjective and selective observation and memory of the viewer. The point remains that the work itself offers no evidence whatever to support such a thesis. Wilson remains a source of inspiration for the colored people of the world. Through his exhibits, Wilson stressed on equality and justice. Be it through installations or photographs, Wilson brought to fore what museums were reluctant to. His works remain conceptual and contemporary. His works are thus representational and figurative of the world we live in. His works are socio-political in nature, as can be seen from the two major works shown above. In one, the artist deals with racism, while in the other, Wilson analogizes America with justice and right (Lazare, 2003)2. 3.0 Judy Chicago and Feminist Art 'The Dinner Party,' an important work by Judy Chicago, was representational of the 1970s feminist art and a milestone in twentieth-century art. It comprises a massive ceremonial banquet on a triangular table with thirty-nine place settings, each commemorating an important woman from history. The settings consist of embroidered runners, gold chalices and utensils, and china-painted porcelain plates with raised central motifs based on vulva and butterfly forms and rendered in styles appropriate to the individual women being honored. Judy tries to glorify the role of women in society, and brings through her art, the achievements and sacrifice of women from all ages. 'The Dinner Party,' is a permanent installation that is enhanced by a rotating biographical gallery showing some 1,038 women. Judy, through her installations, instigates viewers to visualize and infer the historical background in which these women succeeded (. 'The Holocaust Project' in 1993, was quite a becoming for a Jewish woman. This project evolved from eight years of inquiry, travel, study, and artistic creation. This exhibit included, paintings, glass work, photographs taken by Donald Woodman, and other works of Judy Chicago. The exhibit is such that, it immediately takes the viewer back in time to the holocaust during and after the World War, when millions of Jews were done in by brutality of invading armies. Chicago and Woodman saw the Holocaust as a point of entry into 'the universal experience of victimization' that saw the attempted destruction of European Jewry by the Germans in the 1930's. Through her installations, Judy strives to elucidate to her viewers the gory reality of humans to barbarous acts of child abuse, homophobia, genocide, slavery and environmental destruction. Birth Project was another of her exhibits. Judy has been a staunch supporter of the women's movement and brings to bear through her art the sacrifices and struggle of women through time for recognition (JWA, 2007). Judy's art is contemporary and delve into issues that are a part of society today. The installation containing photos and art work in the holocaust brings to memory the torture and killing of millions of Jews at concentration camps by Nazi soldiers during the World War. The photos are horrific and show the pain and injustice met out to innocent civilians at the hand of the dictator. Through these photos and those of contemporary issues, such as child abuse, genocide and slavery, Judy portrays the insecurity that women face in today's society. She is representational of issues concerning women. 4.0 Conclusion Fred Wilson and Judy Chicago are both representational artists. While Wilson stood for equality and was anti-racist, Judy stood for women and patriotism. Wilson was not afraid to show his concern for the downtrodden colored people and was willing to portray the evil of today's society. Judy through her art represented the violence against women and children and the holocaust during the war, when millions of Jews were sent to the gas chamber because of their religion. Through their art, both the artists were able to send strong messages to their viewers. 5.0 Bibliography Fred Wilson: Objects & Installations (1979-2000), culturevulture.net, http://www.culturevulture.net/ArtAndArch/FredWilson.htm Meecham and Sheldon, 2000 Jewish Women's Archive, JWA, Judy Chicago: The Holocaust Project: 1993, http://www.jwa.org/discover/today/news/chicago/holocaust.html 2007 Brooklyn Museum, Exhibitions: The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago, http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/dinner_party/ Judy Chicago, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/jchicago.html Read More