WANG YUXUAN
Identity Discovery Though Social Interaction An autobiographical reflection on Evita 2017
Project Proposal: Exhibition Curation By Wang Yuxuan
PROJECT PROPOSAL: EXHIBITION CURATION
!1
WANG YUXUAN
INTRODUCTION James Green Somerville once said: “Even more important than what we do, then, is who we are.” That very same question has followed our kind since early human civilization, though thousands of years until today. From the first sight, when we saw our reflections by the side of a river; when the first artistic progenitor carved a story onto the walls of a cave; when social class is differentiated and division of labor happens; when literature and art, flowering, luminous and splendid shine. Jackson Pollock once said: “Painting is self-discovery. Every good artist paints what he is.” From time to time, many artists, in various ways have discovered themselves: not only through brush and paper, but also though music and instrument, stage and performance, casting and sculpture, eulogy and literature. The world has been made a different place since the internet was invented, it has changed the way we carry on with our lives and interact with people. The changes witnessed in social communication are significant, as the Millennial Generation grows up with such an influential change of lifestyle, I decide to present my identity as Evita in virtue of the power of internet and technology. This proposal is for my first online exhibition, which focused on a journey of selfdiscovery though social interaction, a defining process of recognizing my own social identity as Evita. As the curator and the artist of this exhibition, the showing artworks will be a cocreation between myself and the selected audience of the exhibition.
CONCEPT The concept for this proposal is to be understood in following aspects, first, identity discovery though social environment in time. I am a part of the first generation of Chinese that experienced globalization at a young age, since the Chinese reform and opening-up policy. We mostly lived a childhood with ample food and clothing, and have never been though major wars or coup d’état. The impact of new technology and foreign cultural influence is a significant factor in formatting my generation’s personality and life path. Some of the most common characteristics that summarize the post-80/90s generation is that they exhibit significant lifestyle changes compare with the post-70s generation and before. As the primary benefactors of the information era in China, the post-80/90s generation are generally more receptive and skillful in recognizing and dealing with changes. We have therefore, transformed Chinese society from a homogenous society with a conforming
PROJECT PROPOSAL: EXHIBITION CURATION
!2
WANG YUXUAN
personality to a heterogeneous society with self-determined personalities, which brings a rich mixture of different aesthetics and values. Second, identity discovery though a close social environment in an interpersonal exchange. The human nature of herd instincts have been formed and spread though centuries, as Sandrine Bonnaire said: “Our family makes us who we are, and our friends define who we become.”. Based and living in a relatively certain social environment makes other people’s response to one’s own identity an influential constitution. According to Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter’s book “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There”, no one is fully self-aware in understanding how their behaviors are impacting their relationships. This is important to not only our personal relationships, but crucial for the form of an individual’s social character and status, which serves as an important factor in personality forming and obtaining resources. Finally, identity discovery though the wider social environment in an interpersonal exchange. By presenting this exhibition though internet, one of the great advantages is easy access to a large audience pool. The last page of this online exhibition will be for visiting guests from a wider social circle to leave key words of their own opinion on Evita. This allows myself to reach into a much more diverse environment to obtain opinions on Evita’s identity though a continued long-range interaction.
PURPOSE The idea of organizing an online exhibition is exploring Evita from within by reaching out. Thales once said: “The most difficult thing in life is to know yourself.”. By curating and carrying out this exhibition, I want to discover more about Evita’s characteristics, status and functions in certain social circles, the influence which Evita gives and takes from the surroundings. Therefore, the purposes of this socially interactive identity discovery exhibition are as follows: (1) To establish an objective image of a particular person (in this case, myself, Evita), by reaching out to its ‘near at hand’ social circles - immediate friends and families; (2) To establish an objective image of a particular person (in this case, myself, Evita), by reaching out to a wilder sense of social environment - collecting key words from visitors who looked though my online exhibition website;
PROJECT PROPOSAL: EXHIBITION CURATION
!3
WANG YUXUAN
(3) To discover the diversity, complexity and contradictory elements connected by one individual within its own social network; (4) To trace the source of one individual’s from of personality, to dissect its life into the tiniest pieces, then put back together as a comprehensive whole; (5) To demonstrate the significant influences of the information era by honoring the concept of social media: the principal subject - Evita, the interviewees and the visitors to this exhibition will all become a part of art creation.
CURATING AN ONLINE EXHIBITION AS THE KEY PRACTICE METHOD This project-based practice will be structured through interviews, field trips and writing communications. I will work on this exhibition as the artist and curator. As my generation grows up together with the prevalence of smart phones and social media, as Joseph Beuys once said: “Everyone’s an Artist.”. Millions of photos are posted online with countless comments attached everyday, portraits and selfies posting are already one of the main modern approaches to social communication. The behavior of posting online, in a way is like creating art. In a similar context, interviews with close characters in Evita’s social life will be conducted, which is restricted to immediate friends and family. Though a five minute conversation, I will collect as many key words as possible from each of them, which are used to describe Evita. Photos of Evita, taken by each of the interviewees will be attached with their key words together. On the exhibition website, after the first page of introduction, will follow an overview mapping based on social relationships in Evita’s life. By clicking though each character, a new page will be displayed with the interview key words and the matching photos together by this particular person in Evita’s life. By clicking the large bubble in the middle with a question mark, visitors will be taken to the final page starting with the only the large bubble in the middle. With every click on “Define Me”, a new bubble will appear, which visitors can put one word into each bubble to describe Evita in their impression. With more visitors and comments, there will be more bubbles appearing on the last page. After the establishment of this online exhibition, I will put the link and related advertising posters and materials on every one of my social media
PROJECT PROPOSAL: EXHIBITION CURATION
!4
WANG YUXUAN
profiles, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WeChat and Weibo to gain visitors in order to obtain opinions on Evita’s identity though a continued long-range interaction. Though this practice, I expect to discover the social influence on a particular individual’s personal identity, in this case, myself as Evita. Though the three month length of this online exhibition, by collecting as many key words from close and further social circles, I will generate a final diagram on the words and its frequency people use to comment, and establish a relatively comprehensive objective social image of Evita.
HISTORICAL CONTEMPORARY CONTEXT As Julianne Moore once said: “Art is an expression of who we are, what we believe, and what we dream about.” Many artists have discovered themselves in their artistic career, by getting to know their own character. Many of them continuously develop this topic into their own artistic creative methods. Here I would like to reference three of them, whom I respect, admire and am inspired by their works.
David Hammons In the past 50 years of David’s path of creation, a large amount of his work came from his physical body. Starting around late 1960s, he uses his own body to make Body Prints, with greasing, imprinting on paper, and sprinkling the result with pigment and graphite. In 1974, after he relocated in New York, he extended his own identity to a broader level. Inspired by his own origin and history, he made sculptures from the highly charged detritus of urban African American life.
Zhang Huan 張洹 Although Zhang Huan began his career as a painter, shortly after he grouped up with friends from art school, he pioneered a very particular brand of performance and became the very first peer of performance artist in China His works involve his body in one way or another, usually naked, occasionally involving masochistic actions. Zhang also involves the body and religion in his sculpture works, as another way to enhance his own image combined with his spiritual endorsement.
PROJECT PROPOSAL: EXHIBITION CURATION
!5
WANG YUXUAN
Susan Hiller With a multimedia practice extending over 40 years, Susan Hiller is one of the most influential artists of her generation. Since first making innovative use of audio and visual technology in the early 1980s, her groundbreaking installations, multi-screen videos and audio works have achieved international recognition. Hiller was influenced by the visual language of Minimalism and Conceptual art and now cites Minimalism, Fluxus, Surrealism and her study of anthropology as major influences on her work. Each of Hiller’s works is based on specific cultural artifacts from our society, which she uses as basic materials.
ABRIDGED GENERAL VIEW OF EXHIBITION WEBSITE DISPLAY
PROJECT PROPOSAL: EXHIBITION CURATION
!6
WANG YUXUAN
PROJECT PROPOSAL: EXHIBITION CURATION
!7
WANG YUXUAN
PROJECT PROPOSAL: EXHIBITION CURATION
!8
WANG YUXUAN
PROJECT PROPOSAL: EXHIBITION CURATION
!9
WANG YUXUAN
PROJECT PROPOSAL: EXHIBITION CURATION
!10
WANG YUXUAN
READING LIST / REFERENCES Effron, D., & Monin, B. (2010) Letting People Off the Hook: When Do Good Deeds Excuse Transgressions? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36 (12), 1618-1634 Uziel, L. (2010). Look at Me, I'm Happy and Creative: The Effect of Impression Management on Behavior in Social Presence Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36 (12), 1591-1602 RMcLeod, S. A. (2008). Social identity theory. Retrieved from http:// www.simplypsychology.org/social-identity-theory.html Personal Identity (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) By Eric T. Olson. What Are We? : A Study in Personal Ontology: A Study in Personal Ontology. Philosophy University of Sheffield David Hume. A Treatise of Human Nature. VII., Of contiguity and distance in space and time. Lawrence A. Pervin, Cary L. Cooper. Personality: Critical Concepts. José B. Ashford, Craig Winston LeCroy, Kathy L. Lortie. Human Behavior in the Social Environment: A Multidimensional Perspective. James Giles, No Self to be Found: The Search for Personal Identity, University Press of America, 1997, p. 10 Wrasman, Andy (2014-01-13). Contradict: They Can't All Be True. WestBowPress. ISBN 9781490829814. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2017. Nimbalkar, N (2011). "John locke on personal identity". Mens Sana Monogr. 9 (1): 268–75. doi: 10.4103/0973-1229.77443. PMC 3115296. PMID 21694978. Horovitz, Bruce (4 May 2012). "After Gen X, Millennials, what should next generation be?". USA Today. Retrieved 24 November 2012. Strauss, William; Howe, Neil (2000). Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation. Cartoons by R.J. Matson. New York: Vintage Original. p. 370. ISBN 0375707190. Retrieved 17 October 2013. Burstein, David (2013). Fast Future: How the Millennial Generation is Shaping Our World. Boston: Beacon Press. p. 3 "Millennials in Adulthood – Detached from Institutions, Networked with Friends”. Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends Project. 7 March 2014. Deresiewicz, William (11 December 2011). "The Entrepreneurial Generation". The New York Times. pp. 1–4. Retrieved 8 June 2012. "Millennials Are Social Liberals, Fiscal Centrists". Reason.com.
PROJECT PROPOSAL: EXHIBITION CURATION
!11
WANG YUXUAN
Prensky, Marc. "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants" (PDF). MCB University Press. Retrieved 6 November 2013. Garvey, Ana (5 May 2015). "The Biggest (And Best) Difference Between Millennial and My Generation". Huffington Post. Retrieved 28 March 2016. Singal, Jesse (24 April 2017). "Don't Call Me a Millennial – I'm an Old Millennial". NYMAG.com. Retrieved 3 May 2017. Samantha Raphelson (6 October 2014). "From GIs To Gen Z (Or Is It iGen?): How Generations Get Nicknames". NPR. Retrieved 7 October2014. David Hammons. Artist Profile. Retrieved from http: //www.moma.org/artists/2486 Zhang Huan 張洹. Artist Profile. Retrieved from https://theartling.com/en/artists/zhang-huan/ Susan Hiller. Artist Profile. Retrieved from http://www.susanhiller.org/
PROJECT PROPOSAL: EXHIBITION CURATION
!12