Will Z Art as Lens FIA1

Art as Lens – Will Z (FIA1 Presentation)

o Inquiry Question: ‘How do artists use and manipulate found objects in artworks to express personal viewpoints’

Key artists explored: 1) Daniel McKewen 2) Douglas Gordan 3) Candice Breitz

From this, I created my own series of experimental artworks, paying homage to the same styles of the three artists discussed.

Daniel McKewen •

Australian born artist (located in Brisbane)

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Explores contemporary art and pop culture using the screen as a way to do this

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Artist inquiry question: “How does the screen as a lens mediate how I understand my place in the world?”

Figure 1: (John Fries Award Web site, n.d.)

Figure 2: (Biennale of Sydney, n.d.)

Running Men – McKewen (2008-14)

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The video installation is of five film characters (the found object) running towards the viewer via a tracking shot, however they are stuck in a timeless loop

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Draws upon the viewer’s understanding of the situation the characters are in

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The characters are filled with anxiety, which is what McKewen wants to show – even fictional people can share universal experiences with the common people.

Douglas Gordan

Figure 3: (Gagosian, n.d.)

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Scotland born artist

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Presents challenging artworks in different mediums that alter time

Figure 4: (Der Greif , 2016)

24 Hour Psycho – Gordan (1993)

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A video installation that slows down the film Psycho to 24 hours in runtime

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The artwork is a representation of Gordan’s mind breaking down film piece by piece

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The found object is the film itself

Candice Breitz •

South African multi-media artist born in 1972

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Recognised for her popular video work

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Analyses the culture of celebrities and fictional characters

Figure 5: (KOW, 2017)

Figure 6:(Candice Breitz – The King (A Portrait of Michael Jackson), n.d.)

King (A Portrait of Michael Jackson) – Breitz (2005)

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16 fans pay tribute to entertainment icon Michael Jackson through singing the entirety of the album Thriller (1982)

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The voices of the people are synchronized together

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Shows the impact that Jackson’s music has had on these people’s lives

Link between the three artists •

Each artist has used the screen media in a particular way to communicate a message

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These messages are mainly connected through the themes of time and media.

Experimental artwork in response to Daneil McKewen: All Together

Zerner, Will, All Together, 2020, Video

Experimental artwork in response to Douglas Gordan: 5 Minute Selfie

Zerner, Will, 5 Minute Selfie, 2020, Video

Experimental artwork in response to Candice Breitz: Family Affair

Zerner, Will, Family Affair, 2020, Video

Conclusion/Reflective Statement •

All objects can be transformed by artists into complex ideas through different contents

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Each artist analysed has sucesfully manipulated their found object to express a viewpoint

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I now can build and develop upon my own knowledge of how to express my viewpoints, creatively and proactively

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