VISUAL ART - 37440140

COMMENTARY

"ART SHOULD COMFORT THE DISTURBED AND DISTURB THE COMFORTABLE." BANKSY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

4/5 6/7 10/11

8/9 12/13

KHALIDALI

BARBARAKRUGER

MARINAABRAMOVIC

MARTHAROSLER

AIWEIWEI

14 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Art as Social Commentator essentially embodies pieces that aim to mirror, critique, and provoke discussion regarding the complexities of contemporary society Underscoring the conceptuality, art as social commentator is tailored towards the artist's relationship with the world and audience. Through means of promoting informing people of social, cultural and political grievances Adhering with the conceptual framework, these artists similarly encompass this namely connection between world, audience and artist Alike due to their common theme of social commentary, artists, Khaled Akil, Ai Wei Wei, Barbara Kruger, Martha Rosler and Marina Abramovic all utilise their artmaking to preach issues relevant within their individual sphere

Adhering to Art as Social Commentator, politically avid artist, Khaled Akil utilises his artistic presence to assert the mass impacts faced regarding the Syrian Civil War Employing his Syrian heritage and presently living in Damascus, Akil depicts this humanitarian crisis through his lens by compelling viewers with scenes of destruction and suffering to essentially advocate for peace Having been internationally exhibited throughout Western Asia, Akil’s work has been attributed to his distinctive style which combines vivid imagery and poignant symbolism

unmentioned 4 THE UNMENTIONED

Unmentioned, comprising six pieces depicts a scene that embodies Art as Social Commentator

Akils 2010 Unmentioned 4 specifically is a giclee print choreographed through Syrian Women dressed in traditional Muslim attire, reaching towards the audience seeking help Akil establishes his viewpoint by sharing, "The Unmentioned is a blatant 'NO' to the war in Syria, and the dictatorship in the region "

Further, he forges a connection between his world and audience conceptually by magnifying the Syrian Civil War backdrop through symbols and language The Syrian Civil War is a multi-sided conflict that's ongoing, sparking in 2011 when protests against unfavourable leadership initiated a large-scale-civil-war

Ali articulates “I felt there’re three factors behind the fragile society we ’ re living in and would eventually result in turmoil: Religion, Sex, and Politics.” All 3 factors are integrated into this composition

Through utilising giclee printing, Ali provides audiences with high visual clarity and depth, ensuring longevity and integrity visually. This allows for observers to study the distinctive features of Unmentioned 4 such as the apartment building to the left. Depicted as almost jail-like’ the building is very stale and daunting.

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Further, the building’s two-dimensionality creates an illusion of it being both in front of, behind and the side of the central figure replicating a ‘trapped’ or ‘confined’ atmosphere. Structurally, the Arabic script adorning the surface acts once more as a barrier Moreover, culturally, the female in the piece is dressed in traditional attire including the Hijab (some would say ‘silencing her’) and maximising the cultural relevance of the context. Akils selection of a female presence is noteworthy as, in Syrian society, women ' s voices are frequently disregarded and deemed "not relevant " Furthermore, the greyscale tones employed creates a melancholy and somewhat macabre atmosphere Subjectively-speaking, this atmosphere mirrors the expression her eyes are projecting, an expression of fear as if she is asking for the audience’s help.

Additionally, the title Unmentioned asserts the lives that are left ‘Unmentioned’ He informs the audience of the masses of civilian lives lost and captured Specifically, the individual pieces of the Unmentioned exhibition only being numbers and not individually named is powerful in that it reaffirms the many voices, marginalised and overlooked during the conflict

“ awareness among Syrians, by focusing on the real problems they should be aware of, so that the revolution wouldn’t take on a religious aspect, and more specifically, an extremist one ” in regards to the Unmentioned 4.

“Women having 100% control over their body was just not my experience of the world Every single person I have ever met has been an “expert” in telling women what to do ”

BARBARA KRUGER

American artist Barbara Kruger explores conceptuality through commentating on various societal stigmas through her direct messages portrayed through choreographed black-and-white collages Her thought provoking messages challenge the audience to question their understanding regarding peoples function and co-existence within a hierarchical society, more specifically, gender and autonomy. Evident in Kruger's Untitled (Your body is a battleground), she critiques the political and social manipulation over women ' s bodies, specifically reproductive rights

yourbodyisa BATTLEGROUND

Your body is a battleground, highlights womens right to abortions, bodily autonomy, and the ongoing fight for gender equality, challenging the viewer to think about the ways in which women ' s bodies are frequently utilised as ‘battlegrounds’ for political objectives. Even after the Supreme Court's historic decision in 1973 to legalise abortion on a national scale, women ' s access to reproductive healthcare was still disproportionately limited in roughly 87% of US regions in 1989 Further, utilising postmodern ties about intergenerational beliefs regarding womens rights, by depicting the female body as a contested 'location' Holistically, her work emphasises the continuous fight for gender equality and emphasises the pressing need for social and political reform initiated through social commentary

Your body is a battleground is made more intense and urgent through the stark contrast between black and white and conspicuous, bold writing. The striking juxtaposition of a regular photograph and the x-ray-like photo positions her to look almost inhumane which is essentially how Kruger feels society portrays women This compels viewers to understand the intricacies and inequities associated with controlling women ' s bodies. Structurally, this visual fragmentation symbolises the division and conflict inherent in societal attitudes towards women ' s bodies. Moreover the black-andwhite imagery emphasises the binary nature of autonomybased struggles The bold red then alludes to ‘alarm’ and ‘stress’ giving this issue the disturbance it deserves Further, Kruger employs ‘Your’ in her work to initiate the relationship between audience and the work. In saying ‘ your ’ forces observers to reflect on their experiences with or about reproductive rights. With similar textural reference, Kruger emphasises the idea that women ' s bodies are contested territories that are susceptible to outside influence and control rather than just being personal domains through the unequivocal and definite tone Finally, the holistic metaphor between the women ’ s body and battleground embodies the underlying message of the piece

MARINA ABRAMOVIC

Serbian conceptual and performance artist, Marina Abramovic explores the relationship between performer and audience through our bodies limitations and our mind’s possibilities Coining herself “the grandmother of performance art” Abramovic is attributed for connecting and involving the audience She exposes new notions of identity and power dynamics, offering social commentary on individual behaviours and distinctions evident in Rhythm 0

RHYTHM 0 RHYTHM 0

Six-hour performance work in Naples 1974, Rhythm 0 fulfils social commentary by challenging identity. Abramovic effectively staged the piece by standing, motionless, with her audience surrounding her provided with 72 objects on a table to manipulate and place anyway they pleased.

Rhythm 0 specifically ‘comments on the social elements of humanity through qualities of trust and vulnerability Evident through her allowance to allow people autonomy to do whatever they wish with the chosen objects namely, roses, feather, bread, honey, scissors, scalpels, guns, bullets etc. It sought to explore how different people perceive objects and how they resonate with them Additionally, the spectrum of objects from vastly familiar to daunting and unfamiliar extends to explore the confines of humanity’s choices, moral decisions and capacity Conceptually, Abramović challenges conventional ideas about art and audience participation. She in theory objectifies herself to confront themes of power, exposure and the ramifications of unchecked authority Structurally, there were no separate stages to the performance This is significant as through standing in the same room as the visitors, Abramović made it obvious that she was a part of the piece She clarified that the piece's goal was to ascertain the people's willingness to take action by asking, "What is the public about, and what are they going to do in this kind of situation?" The duration of the performance being six-hours of her standing stagnant further alludes to how at times humans are just consumed by everything happening everyone around them

Structurally, there were no separate stages to the performance

This is significant as through standing in the same room as the visitors, Abramović made it obvious that she was a part of the piece She clarified that the piece's goal was to ascertain the people's willingness to take action by asking, "What is the public about, and what are they going to do in this kind of situation?" The duration of the performance being six-hours of her standing stagnant further alludes to how at times humans are just consumed by everything happening everyone around them. Moreover, the period allows the audience to interact and evolve across their span of being present and emphasises physical and emotional challenges Additionally, Abramović opposes objectification by portraying herself, the artist as opposed to a mannequin In the context of art and human interaction, this decision highlights the fragility of the human body and challenges spectators to consider their individual capacity for empathy and responsibility. Furthermore, Abramovic's title choice, Rhythm 0, implies a notion of neutrality or a baseline state. As well, the structure of Marina Abramović' s performance piece might allude to the disintegration of conventional roles or constraints, as well as unfiltered interactions between the artist and the audience devoid of preconceived notions or expected outcomes In performing this work rather than just depicting it for people to observe, Abramovic engaged with the audience and called them to literally connect with other people and the subjectivity of some people's motivations and feelings towards certain objects. Finally, the postmodernism of humanity and reality is examined in Rhythm 0 in addition to the reasons why people are drawn to particular objects and why some people have particular ties to them due to previous or future experiences Moreover, the recording of the performance not being filmed but being photographed and written about maximised the opportunity for those who didn’t experience Rhythm 0 first-hand, to imagine and reflect on what they would have potentially done This alludes again to the limits of the body and the possibilities of the mind.

American artist Martha Rosler is well-known for her incisive commentary on politics and culture, typically conveyed through installations, film, and photography Rosler addresses feminism, consumerism, and the complex nature of power dynamics in contemporary society. Moreover, whilst challenging society's inclination towards overconsumption, Rosler also touches on the waste and disregard of the lower classes by the middle-to higher classes She further preaches the importance of initiating discourse and provoking change through art, essentially underscoring art as social commentator She articulates this through, “How useful are documentary photographs if there is no follow up, no way of knowing what happened next in the story?”. Such discourse was inaugurated through Rosler’s Cargo Cult

MARTHA ROSLER

CARGO CULT

Conceptually, Rosler's work demonstrates a strong belief in the power of art to effect social reform Rosler forces the viewer to look beyond what’s immediately apparent by fusing her values with her artwork The title Cargo Cult pertains to the phenomenon of " cargo cults," which arose from WWII in Melanesia Namely cults thought they could draw tangible wealth from Westerners via ceremonies and activities Rosler critiques modern consumer culture and its ramifications on non-Western and Western societies by employing this notion symbolically

Moreover, the implementation of different yet similar faces all exercising the same activity of applying makeup alludes to the hundreds of thousands of wasted clothes that over consumerism claims. Essentially articulating that there are so many clothes yet they’re all just variations. Further, the name of the whole exhibition, Body Beautiful, or auty Knows No Pain, captures the persistent fascination that society has with appearance, emphasising the pressure that people, especially women, face to adhere to idealised standards of beauty regardless of the discomforts associated Sitting at 38 3/4 x 29 ½, Cargo Cult is quite small and in turn through its structural framework invites the audience to study the various features of the piece and engage with what resonates with them individually.

Further, Cargo Cult additionally comprises video material that delves deeper into the notions of globalisation and consumerism in addition to e images

The movies may include scenes of travel, shopping, or other mer culture expressions, presented in a fragmented or jumbled way to olise the overpowering and chaotic nature of contemporary consumer society Holistically, Rosler’s artmaking practise employs pop culture lements like television and magazine ads, Rosler constructs a series of ontages In these, she collages magazine photography with images of eal homes, creating an odd frame that highlights the false disconnect between power dynamics and excessive consumption in society.

1972’s, Cargo Cult mirrored her feminist collages from the 1960s and additionally her current expositions on Brooklyn gentrification.

“I was concerned with something like the notion of ‘language speaking the subject and with the transformation of women herself into a sign in a system of signs that represent a system of food production, system of harnessed subjectivity” Rosler’

DROPPING A HAN

DYNASTY URN

“Art

is necessary for the human mind. Art is about our dreams, fears and imagination. Art is about everything outside of the system. It is a death sentence for art when it is within the system”

WEI WEI

Chinese conceptual artist Ai Wei Wei is acclaimed for his work that pushes the boundaries of traditional art forms and functions as both theoretical and social commentary Born in 1957 Beijing, Wei Wei’s work became closely affiliated amongst the political and social upheaval he experienced during childhood in China Through social commentary, he frequently advocates for social justice and freedom of expression through his work, critic Prevalent in 1995's Dropping a Ha notions of cultural heritage throug

DROPPING A HAN DYNASTY URN

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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