component 2 Inayah Munir

Component 2 Inayah Munir

Mental Health in Complexity

The artwork titled ‘Give Those Feelings Ceilings’ was made by George Hardingin the year 2019. The work portrays a reflection on mental health. This piece represents the celebration of havingmental health. Having mental health is difficult because it makes you different. Hardingtries to imply this aspect of experiences in artwork. He expresses feelings as complex in abstract work that looks unusual. I think the artist is trying to communicate a message about becomingbrave and acceptingany mental illness you must have a strongpersonality so you can fight it. The artist was inspired in 2012 when he studied at UALwhen he made a solo exhibitionabouthow he struggled with his studies with mental health. The artwork relates to social events. The work makes me think about how the colours and structure come together to create a story of how the mind of a mental health person feels. This is because it creates an uncertain atmosphere. The artwork is made up of unbalanced distorted lines that drag across the artwork. The artist's use of vibrant cool and warm-toned colours suggests positivity and freedom of the mind. Harding has used oil paints on board as a medium and is also textured. The artist's style is abstract. I can tell this because it looks like a hand-free paintingwhich has no structure to where any colours or lines are meant to go. I've been drawn to this work of art because I'm also interested in usingabstract as a technique which I've only experimented with a few times before. In my opinion, I feel like the work is complex and has an important meaningbehind the work. This artwork links to my theme because it communicates mental health. I am particularly inspiredby the choice of colour tones and how it's modern. Therefore, I am takinginspiration from this by illustratingmy own abstract.

Artist research George Harding

Give those feelings

ceilings, oil on board, 30x40cm, 2019

The Boundless Self, Digital print, 50cmx75

Sources and forces, oil on board, 30x45cm, 2019

Light and time. What is sublime?, oil on canvas, 40x50, 2020

Practical work in response to the environment

Practical response to work by George Harding

From the inspiration of George Harding, I have created a simple to complex artwork. I've worked over 3 boards with fabric folds getting simple to complex. The boards have distinctive textures which look like obstacles getting harder. These textures are imperfect and unsymmetrical. The colour of these boards also gets darker as it becomes more complex starting from white and ending in black. The white connotes the relaxing feel of a normal person whereas the black connotates the confusion and depression of someone with mental health. This represents how the mind of a person with mental health could change from happy but become tighter and feel more suffocated. The mediums I used were plaster, fabric and acrylic paint.

My intention when planning this piece was to show the complexity of this disorder by using artwork. This artwork shows us whatmental health looks like mentally and how different their mind work compared to someone who doesn’t have it. I believe I have successfully achieved what I set out to do. I expected the outcome to look how I imagined. The element of my piece which I think is most effective is the black board. This is because I feel it’s a meaningful problematic piece. I took inspiration from Harding's by using abstract. However, it contrasts with his work because I've used dull shades without any colour whereas his work is vibrant. This piece describes to me how many individuals would feel in their mind which is hard to tell, therefore I've communicated it in artwork.

Developing on this work I created a piece using wool and threads onto a black fabric sheet. I created knots in this wool and treads developing onto my practical because it links in the sense of abstract showing the complexity of mental health. Individuals with mental health describe it as a feeling of a knot in their chest. This helps have an effect and personal connection with the viewer if they experience this. Therefore, I've taken this idea to create it into an artwork. My works connection to the artist is the use of abstraction. However, instead of painting in the style of Harding I've created a sculpture.

Further development response to George Harding

Contextual information relating to theme

Mental health refers to a person's overall psychological and emotional well-being. It surrounds a wide range of factors that influence our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, including our ability to cope with stress, build and maintain relationships, and make important life decisions.

In relation to my theme complex, there is a good relationship between mental health and complexity. This is because the work ‘complex’ describes a cluster of thoughts and feelings relating to mental health. Complex is a whole made up of many complicated parts making situations or people more confusing to understand. Therefore, the relationship between the two has persuaded me to choose ‘complex’.

Abstract in a complex form

Hidden meanings hard to understand

Ideas relating to theme

colours and dull colours visually separated

vibrant

Different marks and lines that are Scrambled together confusingly

of 'complex' Compound Multiplex Composite Knotty Problematical Complicated Combination

Synonyms

Artist research

Darren MacPherson

The artwork titled “Aurora” was made by Darren McPherson in the year 2018. The work recognises the relationship between art and mental health. The artist is trying to reflect an understanding of mental health through the technique and style of his artwork which helps communicate a message. McPherson suggests he is inspired by “everywhere and anywhere”. He enjoys using acrylic paint on his canvas because it allows him to travel the paint in any direction he wants. “I use every technique that I can achieve; and if I can't achieve it, I’ll keep trying until I do. I used to paint much more traditional pieces, I wanted to break out of that boring and stressful way of working and go for something much more powerful, emotional and expressionistic” says MacPherson. This is because the acrylic's saturated tones and thick texture give Darren's work an unrivalled sense of expressive energy. The artwork relates to social and cultural contexts. The work makes me think of confusion inside the body. The artwork has very detailed marks and there's a lot going on within the scale of her body which suggests to me she has tension regarding her mental health. The artwork is made up of unsymmetrical bold colours which clash together which create an impact on mental health. Darren McPherson uses mediums such as layering acrylics and spray paints which cause thick 3D textures within the artwork. He also uses handmade stencils to create the shape of the body which is evident in the shape of the head structure. The artist's style is clearly shown as abstract and uses vibrant colours which helps grab attention to exploring a human's condition. In my opinion, I feel like the work is very complex and shows the power of women which is seen through the colours.

Shroud, painting,30x30cm, 2021 Apsara, painting, 60x60cm, 2021 Redusa, painting, 40x30cm, 2020 Aurora, painting, 100x100, 2018

practical response to work by

Darren McPherson

Here I have created a series of complex abstract pieces in response to Darren McPherson. My intention when planningthis piece was to create an unclear portrait of an anonymousperson with ragged swipes of paintto make an understandingof an uncertain atmosphere. I believeI have achieved in my outcome what I intended to do. This piece relates to complex because I have used a variety of colours ranging from dull to bright and used them together to make a hard-edged abstract. The colours communicate mixed emotions which explain the use of different colours which represent different types of emotions and moods. The marks used are irregular and imperfect which links to mental health. I took inspiration from McPherson by taking using the idea of the portraits. However, my work contrasts with the artist's work because I've worked on a smaller scale and haven't used spray paint which is commonly used in Mcpherson's work. This suggests feelings of mental health to me.

This suggests feelings of mental health to me. The way I have constructed my work I have tried to show the impact of mental health on individuals.I think the most effective element of my work is the way I have destructed the head to show how complex a person with mental health's mind could be.

Further development response to the work by Darren McPherson

I have developed my artist practical work for Darren McPherson as a further development. I have made technical considerations to this development. I developed my work by taking photographs and working on them in the style of McPherson. This included working on materials such as acetate and white card. I used a quick process and created a series of different pieces on a small scale. Using mediums such as acrylic paint, I have used a palette knife in the style of abstract. I have used the paint to cover parts of the face such as the eyes to show mental illness can be blinding. In some of my work, I used dull colours such as black and dark blue whereas in others I used more vibrant colours.

Date: 17th March 2023

By NBC news, YouTube documentary.

"teens under pressure: mental health and social media"

• NBC news examines the cause of mental health and what role social media plays within this.

•

Non- artist research

Date: 25th February 2016

By Claudia Hammond, BBC FUTURE website.

"does mental illnesses enhance creativity?"

• This website suggests that metal health causes people to become creative. For example, people with bipolardisorders can express their positive mood creatively.

• Evidence suggest that there is a relationship between mental illnesses and creativity.

• Vincent Van Gogh was exceptionally creative and experienced mental health problems.

"youth mental health is a fullblown crisis in our country right now".

• "what can be done to help young people?"

• Teens are experiencing high level record of sadness and depression.

• 57% of teen girls have persistent feelings of sadness or hopeless.

The artwork titled ‘Infinity Mirror Room’ was made by yayoi Kusama in the year of 2012. The work portrays a reflection on mental health. Infinity Mirror Rooms is a sculpture that makes me think about endless hours of life situations. The visual hallucination has mirrors on each side of the cube and the space goes on forever. The work is described as ‘unlimited freedom, and a wider world’. Kusama had experienced mental health problems where she started to hallucinate. Therefore, this work relates to her life. The title helps represent what the work is about. Kusama is trying to communicate a message about endless freedom by using her mental illness as inspiration creatively. She uses lively colours such as purple and black.

The artwork titled ‘Endless Life of People’ in the year 2010 is recognised for its dots. Yayoi Kusama used her hallucinations as an inspiration for this piece of work.

I believe the artist is trying to communicate a message about mental health and express in art how hallucinations make a person feel and what they could be experiencing. Therefore, the artist's work relates to her own life experiences. The work makes me feel curious towards the shapes used and what they mean. The artwork uses a variety of different sizes and colours of shapes. And suggests the reason for this is “My life is a dot lost among thousands of other dots”. The artist's style is abstract, and I can tell this because communication is made through the dots and lines. In my opinion, I am drawn to Kusama's work because I like how the complexity differentiates her work from others and how her work is symbolic of mental health. Kusama's work links to my theme and therefore I am going to use ‘Endless Life of People’

Artist research

Yayoi Kusama Infinity Mirror Rooms, 2012 Yellow Pumpkin, sculpture, 2.5M, 1994 Endless Life Of People, print, 40.6 × 40.6 cm, 2010 Blue Sky in the Midnight, acrylic on canvas, 129.5 × 129.5 cm, 2015

Practical work in response to infinity mirrors by Yayoi Kusama

For my practicalresponse to Yayoi Kusama, I used inspiration from ‘Infinity Mirror Rooms’ and created my own visual hallucination in her style of work. My intention when planning this piece was to create a mirror box and use 3D spheres to create an illusion of ‘endlessness’. I used LED lights which lit up the box. This was to help communicatea message about hope and a bright future because the mirror hallucination is endless therefore, suggeststime and situations can be changed further. This relates to complex because the sculpturecreates confusion. However, my work contrastswith the artist's because she has worked with darker lighting on a larger scale. Whereas mine used natural lighting on a small scale. I used the 3D sphere balls because Kusama suggest “My life is a dot lost among thousands of other dots”. Which suggestsan idea about how other individuals feel different things and experience different things. Therefore, the reason I've used pink and purple spheres in relation to Kusama's work is to represent different individuals' emotions.

Further development response to Yayoi Kusama

For my practical response to Yayoi Kusama, I have made a further development.I havedone this by working on paper and making a 3D sculpture using the mirrors as a frame. I've kept the concept of the circles and developed this in a different way. By working on paper, I have created two pieces one of which has a range of bright colours ranging from warm to cool colours and the other has black and white colours. For my medium, I've also included gold and silver foil for each piece. I have done this to create a contrast between two moods which are cheerful and sorrowful. The circles represent each individual that could be experiencing these emotions and how they are all different. This explains why the circles are different sizes.

Artist research

Fiona Rae

Maybe you can Live On The Moon, oil and acrylic paint,1833 × 1500 mm, 2009

Snow White Changes into Something Rich and Strange, oil painton canvas, 1833 × 1297 mm, 1963

The artwork titled 'Maybe you can Live on the Moon' was made by Fiona Rae in the year 2009. The work portrays abstract art linked too humour and playfulness. I think the artist is trying to communicate a message about something close to her heart. ‘They’re quite personal and have something to do with finding a way to live with authority. They puncture the authority of the gestural brush marks and the grand tradition of modernist painting.’ the artwork makes me feel interested in what the meaning behind the work is. This is because the artwork has many lines and marks with different things going on which makes people wonder different questions. The artwork is made up of black, hard-edged brushstrokes as a base, and a skilled array of mostly peppermint, lilac, pink, and yellow-brown gestural marks are applied. With different scales, the colours are mixed with the strokes of each stroke. She also uses thin acrylic drips of paint which travel freely across the canvas. She uses a stencil to paint hearts, pandas and stars. This is particularly evident in the top half section of the work where I can vividly see these shapes and the panda. The artist's use of cool and cold colours such as the dark grey background and the light blue suggests the painting has a dull feeling and tells a story within the strokes. Fiona Rae's style is abstract, I can tell this by the description of the work which has information about what the work means. Overall, I am drawn to this work because it excites me, and I enjoy the structure of the painting. Therefore, I am going to link this artist's work to my theme which is ‘mental health’. I plan to take inspiration from this work and use it for my exam.

Figure 1G, oil and acrylic paint, 1833 × 1297 mm, 1963 Untitled (Yellow), oil paint on canvas, 2133 × 1981 mm, 1963

Practical response to work by Fiona Rae

Top left:Today Looks Grey

Top right: Reliability

Bottom left: Warmth and Passion

Bottm right: Hope

Above is my colour chart with the names of each colours. Each colour name has its own representation to mental health.

In response to Fiona Raes abstract pieces such as “Maybe you can Live on The Moon and Snow” and “White Changes into Something Rich and Strange” I have made my own abstract pieces. My intention when planningthese pieces was to create a meaningful piece which has a hidden meaning. The swirls and drips move in different directions which signifies how people feel. This is a unique freestyle piece which allowed me to move my brush where I wanted it too. This links to the idea of mental health because every individual isdifferent and has confusions which is what my pieces have. My work relates to complex because the marks and different elements making it confusing. I took inspiration from Raes work by using her technique of swirls and drips and used it within my own structure. However, I've used different colours compared to her. I think the most effective part of my work is the rose gold and gold leaf because it stands out catching viewers eyes. I used Fiona Raes work as inspiration for my exam by doing the same techniqueand using the same colours but on a larger scale.