I’m still receiving submissions of political art even though
the deadline for the exhibition has passed. One in particular, however, I want
to share with you – not because it is political, but because it addresses some
of the questions I’m grappling with about art in the real world vs. art in the digital world. How legitimate is an online exhibition of digital images
(JPEGs) of work that is physical and meant to be hung on a wall or shown in a
gallery? (As usual, I would love to hear your thoughts on this.)
Skip Snow, an LA-based artist who I used to represent and
whose physical work I have shown at Offramp Gallery (Skip Snow’s Pity Party), submitted
a digital work that intrigued me. The submission was sent to me via text as an
Instagram one-minute video, a 3D animation that was obviously intended to be
viewed digitally -- and in fact, can only be viewed digitally.
As you'll see, Snow used his own paintings as a jumping off point to create "Virtual Reality Trump at Rally," shown here in the Instagram format.
“There is no border
between the real and virtual world. A
piece of paper on the wall covered the information I needed. I moused over a
piece of paper pushing at the paper on the wall with my mouse to no
effect. My paintings try to convey this
split in perception. Adding the dimension of augmented reality to them seems to
drive towards a reconciliation of the physical with the virtual. Using my work as a painter, I work with 3D
modeler Oscar Alvarez. We use tools such as Maya, Unity, Photoshop, AVS audio
editor to create 1-minute movie loops and animations targeting Instagram and publishing on a YouTube channel devoted only to my output as a 3D digital producer. The goal of the
project is to create a full augmented reality environment using these 3D movies
as objects in the real ‘augmented world.’ Adding time and sound to my paintings
is thrilling.
“My path to my practice is widely varied: I have been
a busboy, a cook, a waiter, an art mover, a studio assistant, a gangster, a
professional artist, computer programmer and architect, a business executive,
and an industry pundit. I was trained at NYU’s Experimental Theatre wing and
have a need to express my voice politically given our current dire situation.” -- Skip Snow
Below is an image of one of the paintings used in the animation.
Skip Snow, Naked Man, 2017, oil on linen, 48" x 50"
Snow told me that he intends to eventually show "Virtual Reality Trump at Rally" and/or others in a gallery space using 3D technology (goggles) that immerses
viewers in the work. I for one, can’t wait!
That brings me to my next call for entries:
Call For Entries for Digital Art Exhibition
Work must have been created for digital consumption and can
include digital images (not of physical work), video and animation. (If I’ve
left out any other digital formats email me.)
Send entries to janechafinsblog@gmail.com,
with the subject line “digital art exhibition submission.”
Limit one image per artist.
Format must be a link to the work (on YouTube, Instagram,
etc.) or attached to email as a jpeg, 72dpi, 10mgs or less. Larger files will
be deleted.
Thanks to everyone who submitted work for Politically Inspired Art: Part 2. I received three times the number of submissions as I did for Part 1! Topics ranged from homelessness to guns, immigration, women’s rights, the environment, and of course, the increasingly weird goings-on in DC.
I have seen none of this work in person and am selecting it based solely on its digital representation and its relevance to the theme. If I were choosing work for a bricks-and-mortar gallery exhibition, I would follow up with a studio visit. The images here are all presented at 600 pixels wide, even though the actual works vary considerably in size. Digital images look different on every device, varying in size, color, contrast, brightness, resolution, etc.
That having been said, here are the works I’ve chosen. The artists are: Nurit Avesar, Mark Bryan, Michael Chomick , Melanie Maria Ciccone, Mike Diehl, Jeanne Dunn, Christina Franco-Long, Martin Gantman, Moira Hahn, Reineke Hollander, Deborah Kennedy, Laura Larson, Kara Maria, Andres Montoya, Thinh Nguyen, Ave Pildas, John Rosewall, Kenny Schneider and Regina Silvers.
I welcome your feedback on the exhibition and on digital exhibitions in general.
Jeanne Dunn
Jeanne Dunn, Women Must Vote!, 2016, photocopy and collage on paper, 16” x 22”
I created this piece as part of a feminist show, Feminism Now, in 2016.
It was before the US Presidential election, and I was anticipating having our first woman President.
I continue to feel that had Hilary Clinton been elected the rights of women and children as well as men would be given the focus they desperately need for our country to thrive.
There is a world need for citizens’ rights-minded women to hold public office and have power to enact laws that protect the safety, well being, and education of women and children and minorities everywhere.
Michael Chomick
Michael Chomick, Cipher, mixed media, 96" x 65" x 24"
Cipher addresses the perpetual war that the American Government and the war profiteers have been engaged in, costing many lives to be destroyed all the while making massive profits.
Regina Silvers
Regina Silvers, At The Woman's March: Dag Plaza #2 , 2017, acrylic on paper, 36 x 24”
Dag Plaza 2 is part of my new series, which is based on my experience at the Woman’s March. I attended the March in New York, with friends and my buddies in the Granny Peace Brigade.
Kara Maria
Kara Maria, Enrique (Fear No Art), 2016, acrylic on canvas, 8” x 8”
This is a portrait of my husband, Enrique Chagoya. He was born in Mexico City and moved to the US in 1979, and became a citizen in 2000. He is an artist and a professor at Stanford University. I painted this for a group exhibition called With Liberty and Justice for Some that includes portraits of US immigrants by over 100 artists configured in the form of an American flag, in response to the current US administration's immigration policies.
Moira Hahn
Moira Hahn, Wild Ride, watercolor, 15” x 22”
I was invited to create a work involving a Meiji-period steam locomotive train, in Japan, controlled by a cat engineer, for an exhibition at the Pasadena Museum of History. The exhibition, "The Art of Getting There; Railroad Inspired Artistry." will open soon. My painting will be shown with Japanese woodblock prints (ukiyo-e) from the1880s that depict locomotives in Japan.
In order to draw attention to the cat, photos of Walt Disney riding atop the engine of a model train, years before Disneyland, informed its scale and my composition. The cat began to resemble our president, including its wild, pale forelock.
Nurit Avesar
Nurit Avesar, Migration Thrust, 2017, mixed media, 12" x 12"
This installation invites viewers to contemplate our current ecological crises. The fourteen books in this artwork, now rendered inaccessible, contain images of a thriving natural world now either gone or damaged, and important scientific information concerning our declining environment. Ecological challenges explored in these books include rising rates of species extinctions, ocean acidification, the death of coral reefs, forest mortality, pollution of our air and water, as well as an increasingly unstable climate. Climate change, our most pressing problem, is accelerating many of these environmental challenges, and may soon threaten the stability of our societies as food and water become more expensive and scarce.
Mark Bryan
Mark Bryan, The Nightmare, oil on canvas, 2017, 30” x 40”
The Nightmare is inspired by editorial cartoonists of the early 1900's such as Thomas Nast and especially Udo Keppler's cartoon about the Standard Oil Monopoly in 1904.
Thinh Nguyen
Thinh Nguyen, Grab Nastay, 2016, digital poster print, 24” x 36”
The Grab Nastay poster and mantra-song is in response to the president’s comment "Grab them by the pussy!" Long Long (Nguyen’s alter-ego) embraces the comment as a form of empowerment. In the Grab Nasty mantra-song Long Long rebels, singing provocatively: “I am a nasty! You know you wanna make my pussy wet. Grab My Pussy!"
Andres Montoya
Andres Montoya, fuga, 2013, mixed media on paper, 16” x 22”
Ave Pildas
Ave Pildas, We Are Not Ok, photos by Ave Pildas, edited by Waleska Santiago, 2016, digital photography, video
For one hour on July 4th, 2016 I celebrated the birthday of United States of America on Skid Row with homeless in Los Angeles, where over 41,000 people are homeless. Laura Larson
Laura Larson, Roll Call, 2016, archival pigment print, 16" x 20"
We all know that animals are going extinct at an alarming rate. Our current political climate is, I fear, going to speed up the process. This image was inspired by the poem by William Stafford called “Roll Call” in which a Black Footed Ferret stands with hands folded encircled by other animals who are nearing or already on the endangered species list as he begins his eulogy “Dearly Beloved.” Melanie Maria Ciccone
Melanie Maria Ciccone, James Baldwin, 2017, blind contour drawing vellum and marker, 11” x 14”
Inspired by his writings and the current Raoul Peck film: “I Am Not Your Negro.” Incredible civics lesson for all Americans and human beings, besides being great film making. Can't say enough about his writings and this project against the backdrop of now March 2017. Christina Franco-Long
Christina Franco-Long, Orphan Rock Project : Image 2, 2017, color photograph on archival paper, 18” x 36”
This work was made at The Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens during the midst of the Donald Trump inaugural days. I found solace from all that was keeping me awake at night. I have become so invested in the daily hysteria of what was going on in our government that I began protesting and reading watching listening voraciously to the news. Going to the gardens let me breathe and think. Each visit I brought a different friend with me to talk, take in the earth and of course talk about politics. The "orphan rock" represents feelings of loneliness and isolation. Martin Gantman
Martin Gantman, 25 Migrant Journeys, 2011, archival digital print, 33” x 46”
Empire was a project about economic globalization, and this piece, 25 Migrant Journeys, is from a segment that shows how people around the world have been affected by changes that have occurred and over which they have little control. In this particular piece, which displays the destabilization that is one of the results of globalization, 25 images taken from the Internet show different ways that people try to escape from an onerous environment toward a hopefully better one; sometimes successfully; sometimes not. Kenny Schneider
Kenny Schneider, Tomorrow is not another day, 2016, plywood, enamel, pistol replicas, 15" x 25"
John Rosewall
John Rosewall, March, 2016, acrylic on canvas, 42" x 58"
Mike Diehl
Mike Diehl, BORDC Poster, 2003, manipulated photo, 11" x 17"
This is a poster/postcard I designed for the Pasadena Bill of Rights Defense Committee, formed in 2003 in response to the USA Patriot Act -- so it is overtly and specifically political. Reineke Hollander
Reineke Hollander, Wedding Album: The Marriage between Fear and Hate, 2017, textiles, vintage photographs, beads, sewing; 13.5" x 32" x ca 11"
In my current body of work ('books' and collages of textiles and vintage photographs), I abstract ad absurdum our tendency to stereotype groups of people both in the smaller context of our daily lives and the larger political one.
By eliminating the individual faces in the photographs and adding colored beads or small pieces of painted canvas, I create smaller or bigger groups of ‘Other People’ that can only be identified by their characteristic of, say, having a blue bead or a canvas triangle for a head.
Last week’s online political art exhibition
was a hit! (Click here to see the exhibition.) However, I failed to put a
deadline on the call for entries and I’m still getting submissions. So we’re
going to do Part 2 next week. Here’s the info, this time with a deadline:
Call for entries for political art, i.e., art you are making
as a direct result of how politics is affecting you. The work doesn’t have to
be overtly political. Here are the requirements:
Send entries to janechafinsblog@gmail.com.
Limit one image per artist.
Format must be jpeg, 72dpi, 10mgs or less. Larger files will
be deleted.
Artist’s name, title, year, medium, size.
(optional) A brief statement (100 words or less) about how
making the work was affected by politics.
By submitting, you grant permission for the work to be
posted on Jane Chafin: Offramp if chosen.
Welcome to the blog’s first curated online exhibition! The
call for entries was for work that had been inspired by recent politics. I’ve
selected 12 from the many responses I received. They represent a variety of
media and include work that was meant to be overtly political, work that was
interpreted by viewers to be political whether or not that was the artist’s
intent, and work that was meant to be therapeutic in these chaotic times. The
works express passion, fear, humor, confusion, serenity and anger.
I have seen none of this work in person, which brings me to
another question I would like to get your feedback on. Since we are living more
and more in a digital world, how does that affect the work you make and/or how
you view art work? Email me at janechafinsblog@gmail.com.
Here’s the exhibition. Enjoy!
Dwora Fried
Dwora Fried, Resist, 2017, mixed media assemblage, 15" x 14.5" x 5"
Beatriz E Ledesma
Beatriz E Ledesma, Immigrant Dreams, 2016, oil on canvas, 23" x 28"
For the past year or two I began reflecting on the amount of relocated people from around the world -mostly war refugees or economic refugees and questioning the impact of relocation on the person's emotional and spiritual life- the dreams they had and need to leave behind (like pieces of paper flying in the air); the memories, dreams and hopes they bring into the host country (like spiritual luggage floating in the waters of the unconscious emotional life), and the constant push and pull of social & cultural dissonances that feels like walking on bard wire or just standings still on it to listen to the sound of a freedom that appears to be such but it is not. -- Beatriz Ledesma
Joan Weinzettle
Joan Weinzettle, Who Gets to be Angry?, 2017, NYTimes Opinion page, thread, 31" x 22"
I have been sewing and washing paper for a while now but usually not newsprint. Not until this election took away any sense that I had about knowing where the floor was. What is true anymore? I don't know where the horizon line is. It feels like we have lost something vitally important that I took for granted. For right now, I am sewing and washing the news--as if it were that easy--to wash it all away. -- Joan Weinzettle
Marilyn Cvitanic
Marilyn Cvitanic, Over Geometric Farms, 2017, acrylic on canvas, 18" x 22"
“Over Geometric Farms” is a reference from Joni Mitchell’s
song Amelia and the album Hejira which I was listening to while painting. I posted
the piece on Facebook and a friend commented "I name this The Red White
and Blue in Pieces or Flag of the Disunited States." That works for me! It
is a subconsciously (or inadvertently?) political painting. -- Marilyn Cvitanic
Mardi Alexis
Mardi Alexis, Expressions of Change, 2016, acrylic, mixed media and collage on canvas, 48" x 48" x 2"
I created this painting intuitively with passion inspired by
the recent U.S. election and the acrimony, fear and hatred that characterized
the presidential campaign. Subtle images of women and symbolism that
suggests strangulation of rights and freedom are depicted. An image of Barack
Obama's birth certificate is incorporated into the composition. Given the angst
and heated demonstrations that continue in the wake of the election, the
color story is purposely calm to draw in the viewer. -- Mardi Alexis
Shelley Powsner
Shelley Powsner, The Invitation, 2016, oil on canvas, 52" x 64"
Andrew K. Currey
Andrew K. Currey, Trump (or, 23 depictions of Julius Caesar), 2016, pencil on paper over gold, 22" x 30"
In Shakespeare’s story, Roman politicians fear the people's
desire for Caesar to become Emperor and do away with the Republic – resulting
in a treasonous conspiracy of politicians stabbing him 23 times. As I watched
the 2016 election play out, I realized the eerie similarities between Trump and
Julius Caesar. This piece is meant to showcase that anachronistic, political
parallel. And as a result, the process of creating this piece became filled
with subtle political ironies. Like, cutting out the emoticons over Caesar's face,
I found myself literally stabbing Caesar over and over with my exacto knife on
my studio floor. -- Andrew K. Currey
These paper sculptures are inspired by Pablo
Picasso's period of distorted depictions. Using paper like clay, the
artist delicately crumbles paper to form a desired 3D shape. By using the
portrait of the famous, these paper sculptures silently questions our
"ways of seeing". It requires us to view the same familiar faces
in a whole new way. Are we seeing the whole picture or are we seeing what
the artist want us to see? -- Anita Wong
Cory Sewelson
Cory Sewelson, Giant Liberty Swing, 2016, acrylic, oil on panel, 8" x 10"
I had been working on a separate series called Fun
House. In it I had been exploring what happens when architectural
boundaries are dropped and our usually separate uses and activities get mashed
up. In this case, residential homes and amusement parks and how they all
relate to nature.
A trip to Washington D.C. right before the election prompted me to consider
combining amusement park imagery with national monument icons. That’s the
high and low of it. Our revered and sacred history and institutions insulted
and debased. This piece, “Giant Liberty Swing,” is the first of the series
- Monumental Works. -- Corey Sewelson
Midge Lynn
Midge Lynn, Under the Influence, 2016, oil and graphite on panel, 11" x 14"
This was a response to all the lies coming from the
Republicans and Trump and the influence they had on voters. The big lie! -- Midge Lynn
Karen Fitzgerald
Karen Fitzgerald, Wind Visits the Aetherium, 2016, oil with gilded aluminum on patterned, prepared paper, 34" x 23"
I do not consider myself to be very political, but that has
all changed dramatically over the past few months. The Aetherium is a
spiritual realm. It surrounds and supports us. We can visit it in
meditative practice. Wind visits it at will. In this troubled
political time, it is essential that I retain a strong tie to work that does
not inhabit the political realm per-se. This work does not insist on
anything. It simply is what it is. -- Karen Fitzgerald
Mary Sherwood Brock
Mary Sherwood Brock, Invisible Cities, 2016-17, mixed printmaking media on paper, 8" x 8" each of 6
These are images of work for an artist book titled
“Invisible Cities”, inspired by the book of that name by Italo Calvino. The
book is a poetic interpretation of the travels of Marco Polo and includes a
structure of prose and poetry to describe his travels through 55 cities, each
named after a woman. I am working on 55 images of these imagined women/cities
to represent similar concepts as the book does in that there are allusions to
memory, desire and creativity as powerful forces. There are references to
female jugglers that I have used in the past to represent MtDNA (Mitochondrial
DNA) because of the strong connection of female inheritance to building
civilizations, perhaps even in creating it.
Since
the last election, I am concerned with images that define women as strong
figures and creators of the world. -- Mary Sherwood Brock
Thanks to everyone who responded to last week’s survey about
how politics is affecting you. According to the survey, a whole lot of us --
84% -- are running around with our hair on fire! SurveyMonkey generates a word cloud based on text
responses -- the more often a word or phrase appears, the larger the type font.
Here’s what we got based on your comments:
Click here to see the results. What you can’t see are the actual comments you made. I found
them quite illuminating. I’ll try to summarize and quote a few here. There were several
themes that jumped out at me:
All art is political
“There is no apolitical art: even art that examines
intrinsic themes reflects a political climate that supports it. (You don’t see
much navel-gazing critical theory coming out of Somalia.) I expect the rising
political regime(s) will make many artists less comfortable, and I hope they
will discomfit the politicians in return.”
“Art doesn’t have to be political to be political. We can
nurture alternate priorities, shift the dominant view of things. Sometimes
confrontational statements are valuable, sometimes better to be the continuous dripping
of water on rock.”
It is important to keep making art in times of chaos
“The arts, humanities, science (and humor!) along with unity
and resistance are critical to preserving our democratic society and way of
life in this deeply turbulent time-the worst in my lifetime.”
“We have to keep thinking for ourselves – NOT according to
how Trump and his henchmen tell us to think. Making and viewing art are forms
of thinking.”
I would like to throw the covers over my head and make it
all go away
“I barely read the newspaper any more, barely log on to FB,
and find it hard to listen to news on the radio. I can’t stand his voice, much
less what he says!”
“I have tried to limit any news viewing, since I know a
narcissist need [sic] people to LOOK at them. But it’s NOT working. How are we
going to stop the unmaking of America?”
Ways of coping (or not)
“My life and peace of mind has been hijacked by the current
political situation. I am grieving.”
“I’m experiencing PSTD if that’s possible.”
“In Cochella, we are forming an art collective: Artists with
a Cause . . . if I don’t act, I will go crazy! I will invite you to the
Facebook page, when it is done.”
“. . . I go for walks and try not to binge on chocolate. I
am trying to find the balance of active and engaged, but not succumbing to rage
and despair.”
“. . . I’ve taken to smoking a lot of dope.”
Conservatives who I’m surprised are still reading my blog
“I’m pretty weary of SJW [I had to look that one up. It
stands for Social Justice Warrior – like that’s a bad thing?] who think thay
[sic] have the right to tell conservatives who they can listen to and what to
believe. I’m tired of all the violence and lies coming from ‘tolerant’
liberals. Really grow up and produce something inspiring and beautiful.”
“I will assume you are a ‘feminist’ [again, that’s a bad
thing?] do you support the latest feminist icon Palestinian terrorist and
Sharia apologist Linda Sarsour? Are you ok with the Cal Berkley [sic] rioters
attacking and beating to unconsciousness Milo supporters? . . . I suggest that
it is YOU who is not paying attention to what is really going on. Conservatives
are being attacked both physically and by other means across the country.”
There were many other comments but I felt these were representative. The last two by conservatives were the only two by conservatives, but in the interest of freedom of speech, I felt I should include them, however aggressive the second one is. Which brings me to my call for entries. I would love for those of you who are artists to send me art that
you are making as a direct result of how politics is affecting you. I will
post some of them in upcoming blogs. The work doesn’t have to be overtly
political. Here are the requirements:
Send entries to janechafinsblog@gmail.com.
Limit one image per artist.
Format must be jpeg, 72dpi, 10mgs or less. Larger files
will be deleted.
Artist’s name, title, year, medium, size.
(optional) A brief statement (100 words or less) about how making
the work was affected by politics.
By submitting, you grant permission for the work to be
posted on Jane Chafin: Offramp if chosen.
I want to thank everyone who wrote supporting my political
tirade after the inauguration (if you missed it, click here). There were also a
few who weren’t so supportive and demanded to be removed from my mailing list. If
you’ve been wondering where I’ve been, don't worry, I wasn't abducted by government agents, I was down with a bout of flu. No doubt stress made me an easy target for that pesky bug.
I’m still having a difficult time focusing on anything
except politics. I know I’m not alone, so I’ve devised a simple survey to find out how you are coping (or not). It doesn’t take long and I’ve tried to
make it fun. The survey is anonymous (no IP addresses will be collected) and you can instantly see the
results. Click here to take the survey.
Moving on . . . I want to talk about a beautiful book, El Anatsui: Art and Lifeby Susan Mullin Vogel. As I mentioned before I was so rudely
interrupted by the transition of power in Washington and that flu bug, I visited the Broad in Los Angeles for the first time. While I was underwhelmed by
much of the collection, there were a couple of notable exceptions, one of them
being El Anatsui’s Red Block.
The huge malleable fabric of woven aluminum red liquor bottle
labels is wall hung, subtly folded, draped and ruched at the discretion of the
curator. The effect is alchemical: humble, discarded material transformed into shimmering
splendor.
El Anatsui was born the youngest of his father's 32 children by several wives in Ghana in 1944 and has spent most of his working life in Nigeria. He enjoys international acclaim and has work in major museums around the world. Author Susan Vogel brings together more than 150 images covering the span of Anatsui's career and offers insight gleaned from time spent with him while directing a documentary film about the artist.
El Anatsui, Susasa II, 2007. Aluminum bottle tops, plastic liners from
tops, and copper wire, 215x258in. (546.1 x 655.3 cm). The Metropolitan Museum
of Art, New York. From El Anatsui: Art and Life by Susan Mullin Vogel, 2012, Prestel.
Click here to purchase El Anatsui: Art and Life from Amazon.com
I finally made my first visit to LA’s Broad museum this
week. Even though it opened in September, I waited until I could easily get free
tickets online rather than standing in a long line in front of the museum. Who
are you trying to kid? You only went because you were on your way to a
political rally nearby #swampcabinetI was impressed by the soaring upstairs
galleries and the beautiful natural light, but underwhelmed by much of the
collection. OMG, he’s tweeting about launching an investigation into voter
fraud. Thin-skinned, delusional, self-aggrandizing, con-man. What have we done
America?Did I say that out loud? Focus, you’re writing about art.There were a
couple of notable exceptions that made the trip worthwhile: El Anatsui’s why
didn’t the Electoral College do their fucking job and stop him? The women’s protest
on Saturday was amazing. AMAZING! We have to keep up the pressure. KEEP
MARCHING! He’ll crack soon amazingRed Block curtain of found aluminum and
copper wire; where’s the sex tape? What does Russia have on him? It’s only a
matter of time until journalists uncover it. Right? Fingers crossed. What’s in
the tax returns? SOMEONE PLEASE LEAK THE FUCKING TAX RETURNS! Concentrate. El
Anatsui. Ghanaian sculptor, born in 1944, active for much of his career in
Nigeria.YES! GreenPeace is hanging a huge RESIST banner from a construction
crane in DC and the installation #resist #ResistTrump #ResistTrumpTuesdays of
two of Kara Walker’s pieces, Burning
African Village Play Set with what
about the 25th Amendment? We don’t have to wait for impeachment. Stop it! Focus!Section 4 states “that if the vice president and the majority of the cabinet
believe the president is unable to serve his position for any reason (other
than a political one),Big HouseandLynching and African’t.the vice president
will become president until the president can prove his own competency, and
when this occurs, the congress will decide who is more fit to lead the nation.”WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? This is an art blog, not a political blog.but then we’ll
have to deal with Pence.Jane!what happened to separation of church and state?
Executive orders flying out of the Oval Office at lightning speed.Jane?!build
that stupid wall? Repeal Obamacare? Gag order on the EPA? Alternative facts? WHAT BIZZARO ALTERNATE UNIVERSE ARE WE LIVING
IN?
