1. Define the term 'pluralism' using APA referencing.

Pluralism in art refers to the nature of artforms and artists as diverse. The cultural context of art is all encompassing in its respect for the art of the world’s cultures. Inclusion of individuals of differing ethnicities, genders, ideologies, abilities, ages, religion, economic status and educational levels is valued. Pluralism honours differences within and between equitable groups while seeing their commonalities.

Reference: Caldwell, B. (1999) Cultural Context. Retrieved 28 Aug, 2011 from Academic Literacies in Visual Communication 2: Resource Book (2011), Lyceum Press for AUT University, Auckland, New Zealand.

2. How would you describe New Zealand's current dominant culture?

Multi-cultural

3. Before 1840, what was New Zealand's dominant culture?

The dominant culture before 1840 was the Maori culture. As this was before the treaty was signed. And before the treaty was signed, the Maori’s were the natives.

4. How does the Treaty of Waitangi relate to us all as artists and designers working
in New Zealand?
It gives us more thought on the heritage that we live in. It makes us, designers, combine

5. How can globalization be seen as having a negative effect on regional diversity in New Zealand in particular?

6. Shane Cotton's paintings are said to examine the cultural landscape. Research Cotton's work 'Welcome'(2004) and 'Forked Tongue' (2011) to analyze what he is saying about colonialization and the Treaty of Waitangi.

Week 4 - Kehinde Wiley and inter-textuality

1. Find a clear definition of Intertextuality and quote it accurately on your blog using the APA referencing system. Use your own words to explain the definition more thoroughly.

Intertextuality refers to the way that any one text (written or visual) is influenced, or made up of a variety of other earlier texts. As a result, the notion of intertexuality suggests that whenever we try to make sense of a text (written or visual) we are constantly referring back to our understanding of its influences to help us understand it. - ALVC resource book (2011). intertextuality, p.36

2. Research Wiley's work and write a paragraph that analyses how we might make sense of his work. Identify intertextuality in Wiley's work.

Wiley produced work mainly of African American people. My thought on his work is that it is based on racism. He represents equality in race by purposely composing African American men in his work by painting them in heroic/posh poses that were “mainly” used by white people in the old days. Intertextuality is demonstrated through the use of African American men posing in heroic/posh poses. Meaning Wiley thought about the history between black and white people and his work emphasizes the fact that black people can be at the same posh/high level as the rich white people.

3. Wiley's work relates to next week’s Postmodern theme "PLURALISM" . Read page 46 and discuss how the work relates to this theme.

Pluralism is when every belief is valid, everything is equal. And in Wiley’s work, he continuously emphasises the fact that everything is even. Blacks and whites are even.

4. Comment on how Wiley's work raises questions around social/cultural hierarchies , colonisation, globalisation, stereotypes and the politics which govern a western worldview.

Firstly, Wiley paints African American males in his portraits with sophisticated looking backgrounds, something of royalty and elegance that were present in portraits from the past, or when commissioned paintings were at large. He toys with social hierarchies just by placing stereotypical ‘white’ person who are usually present in these positions. With the world changing and new technology and machinery coming in from the European culture, he paints the black males in their normal social apparel, going against the stereotype of black men being thugs by placing in posh poses.

5. Add some reflective comments of your own, which may add more information that
you have read during your research.

Week 6 - Anish Kapoor Sculpture

1.Research Kapoor's work in order to discuss whether it is conceptual art or not. Explain your answer, using a definition of conceptual art.
Conceptual art is art in which the concept(s) or idea(s) involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conceptual_art) In other words, conceptual art is when ideas and concepts is what motivates the production work, rather than the aesthetic. Which I think Kapoor describes in his work. He uses his own ideas to create designs and structures which not only does it perform visual pleasure, it becomes its own genre of art.

“In conceptual art the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work. When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair. The idea becomes a machine that makes the art.” (S.LeWitt)

2. Research 3 quite different works by Kapoor from countries outside New Zealand to discuss the ideas behind the work. Include images of each work on your blog.

Shooting into the Corner, 2008/09, was a piece from Kapoor. This piece consisted of a cannon a group of engineers helped develop. Shooting out 11 kg’s of wax across the room, this piece is for sure to draw attention. Whereas normally, a bright or big painting would draw your attention in a quiet gallery, Kapoor has manipulated the thought of aggression and noise to draw attention to his work.

Yellow, 1999, a large piece of fibre glass which lies on the wall. A piece that challenges viewers to consider the possibility of flat surface yet with the 3-dimensional vortex. Kapoor uses the bright yellow to draw attention to his work. 

“I am interested in sculpture that manipulates the viewer into a specific relationship with both space and time.” –Anish Kapoor, Tate Magazine, July 2007 (http://fabricarchitecturemag.com/articles/0110_sk_sculpture.html)

Leviathan, 2011, is one of Kapoor’s most recent pieces. It is a 38m tall, 100m long and 70m wide “The sci-fi looking monster, which seems to appear from round the corner to fill the cavernous expanse”(http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1385590/Anish-Kapoor-Leviathan-sculpture-unveiled-Grand-Palais-Paris.html). My thoughts are that Kapoor used the large scale so that it’ll draw attention. Also allowing the light to shine onto this piece suggests to me, the use of lighting in a museum display cabinet.

“it is a building of extraordinary scale. The difficulty of the space is its scale - when you are inside and enclosed, it’s almost bigger
than being outside! Somehow one has to deal with this volume, which is both horizontal and vertical. The verticality is the problem,
and the light is what makes the verticality a challenge”
Anish Kapoor

3.Discuss the large-scale 'site specific' work that has been installed on a private site in New Zealand.

4. Where is the Kapoor's work in New Zealand? What are its form and materials? What are the ideas behind the work?

The Farm, 2004, is a 15m long tube, which sits quietly between the windy hills in the Gibbs farm sculpture park in Kaipara Bay. This long tunnel is fitted with ellipses, where one is orientated vertical and the other horizontal. The clean crisp red-PVC coated tunnel-like piece stands out from the green hills and the clear blue sky. Which I think is an attention seeker, visual pleasurable site. When viewing “The Farm”, it suggested two worlds. In sequence with the “Leviathan”, the sci-fi genetic-look, it was as if the two were a series of pieces, which is/was probably design for teleportation. Looking through the tunnel from one end would be a different view from what you’d see when viewing from the opposite end. Which completes the vision of “two worlds”

“I am concerned with the way in which the language of engineering can be turned into the language of the body,”

(http://fabricarchitecturemag.com/articles/0110_sk_sculpture.html)

5. Comment on which work by Kapoor is your favourite, and explain why. Are you personally attracted more by the ideas or the aesthetics of the work?

When researching on Kapoor, “The Farm” was the first piece I saw of his. After looking through a series of his pieces, I have grown to find visual pleasure every time I look at this piece. The big scale and the opposite orientated ellipses draws me into looking through the tunnel. And when looking through the tunnel from one end, you wouldn’t get the same view as you would when looking from the opposite end. I think this piece was ideologically driven. As looking through his pass pieces similar to this, you get the feeling/instinct that he has 3-dimensional, sci-fi, bloody rage genre. When looking at a painting, you could only experience ‘visual pleasure’, but when in the midst of Kapoor’s “Farm”, you also get the interactive playfulness feeling from his work. 

http://www.e-flux.com/shows/view/6532

http://www.monumenta.com/en/2011/medias/view/19/yellow-1999

http://fabricarchitecturemag.com/articles/0110_sk_sculpture.html

http://www.robgarrettcfa.com/thefarm.htm

http://bickersteth.blogspot.com/2009/11/anish-kapoor.html

http://www.nzcpr.co.nz/great-day-out/artworks.html

http://www.gibbsfarm.org.nz/kapoor.php