Difficult Arts & Crafts

DIF FC U LT A RT S & CRAF TS

D I Y D i f f i c u lt art M onthly a n ony m o u s e ss ay s o n d i f fe r e n t D if f ic u l t A r t Fe atur e d int e rv i e w s W / : C i ndy S h e r ma n & Jo hn B a ld e ssa ri D ecem b e r 2 012

TABLE OF IDEAS 1 In the Nude 4 Fresh Hybrid 5 Difficulty Factor 6 Difficulty of Sculpture 7 Stereotypes 8 Cindy Sherman

Word Search 9 John Baldessari 10 DIY Difficult Art 11 Coloring Page 12 Will Pergl Instillation 13 Difficulty of Memory 14

in the nude Nudity can be tough!

Seeing naked people in art is a weird experience and can be very difficult to process sometimes. It makes you question everything youʼve ever learned, going all the way back to first time your mom yelled at you for taking off your pants in public. Letʼs face it: people have always been taught that being naked is bad.

But when it comes to art, it’s just not true. Like a lot of great moments in art, it gives you something to think about.

Why is this person naked? How does their nudity inform the piece? Are they trying to shock me? How does this relate to my own body?

There exists an endless world of readings which can only be opened up by removing clothes from the picture.

In some cases, the uniform we put on each day can be very blinding and inhibitive. Clothing is often what makes a person who they are, so taking taking that away makes them every person. They can stand in for anybody, because when you remove the clothes, you are left with the purest form of human being. You have a human in its most natural state, the state in which it was born into this world.

So, don’t let history tell you that nudity is bad. You were born naked, and you’ll surely be naked again sometime soon.

What’s so wrong about a person spending some of their naked time in a piece of art?

- D.A.C.

FRESH

HYB

BRID

FRESH

HYBRID

Sandy Skoglund’s Fresh Hybrid is an art piece that is considered both installation and photography.

This installation consists of fabricated figures and human beings interacting in a man made space.

The sculptures and atmosphere have all been made out of colored pipe cleaners and wool fibers.

The thing that i find most difficult about this piece is that they’re are so many juxtapositions being created all in one that it is hard to be able to form a distinctive concept quickly. Several of these comparisons include the materials being used and the real world, fake figures to real humans,

from plant form to human form and bright color to natural color. Fresh hybrid has difficult subject matter but the piece feels inviting and I’m able to invest myself in it because I am able to relate to the actual living humans that i see in the picture. I’im left questioning what exactly is going on with interactions and why everything is placed the way it is, but it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I want to keep coming back to this image and keep investing more time because it is so visually interesting. Overall difficulty i would give 3.5.

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- D.A.C.

DIFFICULTY FACTOR! WALL OF LETTERS: NECESSARY REMINDERS FROM THE PAST FOR A FUTURE OF CHOICE Andrea Bowers, 2006 In this installation, a series of letters from mothers-(who-don’twant)-to-be to a small group of female abortion doctors are hung on the wall. These letters are full of very deep and personal stories, giving the viewer a feeling similar to the one you get looking into your sister’s diary: one of intrusion and violation. The names may be crossed out, but you still feel that you’re looking at something that no one wanted you to see.

This piece brings up a lot of political debate, being a strongly prochoice (in favor of keeping abortion a legal option for pregnant women) work, and as such creates a great deal of tension between the two sides of this argument. When you bring politics, religion, and the body into one piece, you’ve certainly got a pretty difficult work on your hands!

- D.A.C.

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we’ve recognized all of the information immediately

Difficulty of Sculpture

available to us, its time to start digging in deeper into what the artwork is all about. What is the subject matter? (or lack thereof ?). What meaning comes from

- D.A.C.

objects

used/the

material itself/ the overall sculpture as a whole?

How is it presented?

Clean cut? missing pieces?

New? Old? Take into

Difficulty in sculpture

consideration everything

and other 3d art is that it

that is obvious about the

breaks the barrier of the

piece. It may seem like its

canvas and essentially

too easy to be true but this

has no frame. Without

notion is important for

this frame, we have much

deciphering sculpture. It

more to consider other

is important to take these

then all the elements of

into consideration when

a 2-d work. One thing

looking at the conceptual

that’s first and foremost

aspect of the piece. The

important in deciphering

artist is well aware of the

sculpture is the space.

piece they created, why

Both the space it takes up

they created it and why

and the negative space it does not need to be considered. Take notice at all the aspects that are obvious, such as what is given on the plaque, tor tag identifying the piece and artist. Where is it located? When and where was it made? Next we look at the technical aspects of the piece such as how big or small is the sculpture what is it made out of? How was it created? Carved away? Built upon? How is it displayed? Now that

they utilized the space the way they did. If you are looking at sculpture digitally in the form of a photograph/video, it is also important to keep in mind of the format and if it affects the viewing of the art at all. Does it negatively or positively affect the viewing, Is this digital format merely a form of documentation or does it have a greater purpose than that?

-D.A.C

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Today this generations extremely obsessed with being recognized for beauty or trying to become beautiful when one no longer what it means to be beautiful, this same attempt to failure is through a generic point of vie in seeing art. When one does not have an open mind it becomes difficult to accept the lack of morality in religions, as well as tradition. This is what creates difficult art. The art itself isn’t difficult, not is the artists intentional concept, it is the

Stereoptypes. viewer’s opinion, the one the artists chose to produce it for. The viewers of art eyes are the stage where a brush stroke, photograph, drawing, dance and perform. Society is usually afraid of old things being brought to light. There just new locations with different performers and old subject matter.

-D.A.C

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Cindy Sherman [inside look]

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I met with Cindy in

cheetah print on them. You

her studio on a Sunday

just never know what you are

afternoon. She made me

going to find.

tea and then proceeded

DAC: How long does it

to give me a tour of her

usually take you to develop a

extensive

character?

collection

of

props that includes a wide

CS: Hmmm, well, it varies for

variety of teeth, glasses,

each individual character. I

and lips just to name a few.

may come across the perfect

The nature of Shermanʼs

outfit in one trip to the thrift

work portrays her ability to

store, but then I could spend

transform an individualʼs

a week debating on what the

identity over and over

eyebrows are going to look

again. After the tour was

like! It is kind of ridiculous.

complete, we sat down

I suppose I make up for it

across from each other at a

in my transformations that

table with the sunshine coming through the leaves on the trees

manifest much quicker.

outside of the window, moving the shadows around the table

JK: Your art work is continually transforming identity through

and studio.

change of outfit, make up, and persona. Would you say you are

DAC: Thank you so much for having me, Cindy.

just an adult playing dress-up?

CS: It is my pleasure, thanks for taking the time to come and visit

CS: [Laughs] I suppose you could say that.

my studio. I always realize how extensive my collection of “stuff”

DAC: There are other elements to your practice other than just

is when I show guests around.

playing “dress-up” that takes you away from being like a child.

DAC: Are you always collecting and looking for new “stuff”?

Your work feels like you are trying to distinguish different cultural

CS: Yes, I go out to thrift stores weekly. I’m interested in going to

roles that happen in our society both currently and historically.

thrift stores, because there is such a wide variety to choose from,

CS: Yes, amongst all of my having fun and playing around, I am

all in one store. I don’t always know what I am looking for, and

interested in bringing attention to the vast variety of the way we

sometimes I am pleasantly surprised by a pair of pants that have

perceive people, especially through a photograph.

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FAILURE FAMILY LOVE MACHINES NATURE NUDITY PAIN POLITICS SEXUALITY SOCIETY

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John Baldessari the interview I got a chance to sit down with

my camera in a perfect triangle.

John over coffee

It was only through that effort

in his Los Angeles studio

that the failure was able to

recently to talk about

become beautiful. How you

a few of his action photographs.

fail is just as important as the

These pictures document his

notion that you did, in fact, fail.

attempts to perform seemingly

DAC: A much better moral,

impossible

many

indeed. Your attempts really

revolving around attempting

were oddly noble at heart,

to throw balls into the air and

you knowing how seemingly

capture them while in a perfect

impossible the task at hand was

shape.

yet continuing anyway.

DAC: So, John, I guess I have to

JB: I’m glad you think so. I think

ask: why?

that nobility you speak of lends

JB: [laughing] Well, isn’t there

a greater sense of awe to the

something wonderful about

action itself. I mean, let’s face

trying something you know

it: there’s nothing impressive

you can’t do? It’s a very freeing

about throwing three balls in

experience, and one which

the air. It’s something anyone

showcases the beauty of failure.

can do from a very young age.

DAC: The beauty?

It’s how kids pass the time when

tasks,

JB: Yes, of course! The beauty! Perfection is never fun. Itʼs fussy and

there’s nothing else to do. But when you add that layer of impossibility,

self-conscious and, honestly, rarely worth the effort.

it becomes something much more.

DAC: I’m not sure how parents will feel about their kids hearing that.

DAC: That it does. Thanks for taking the time to chat with me, today.

JB: [laughing] Fair point. I suppose I should clarify for the youngʼns:

JB: It was my pleasure. [laughing] I hope to see your readers out there

failure has a time and a place. Don’t use the power of my art as an

failing away very soon.

excuse to not do things to the best of your abilities. Every time I threw those balls in the air, I really hoped I would freeze them with

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- D.A.C.

DIY: DIFFICULT ART ST E P BY ST EP I N ST RU CTION S FOR CREATIN G D IF F ICULT A RT

ST EP O N E: P U RCHAS E A T WO P ERS O N T EN T

STE P TWO: M A KE A L I ST O F EVERYO N E YO U ’ VE S L E PT W I T H

STE P THR EE: S EW T HE NA M ES TO T HE T EN T

CON G R AT U L AT I O N S !

E VE RYO N E I HAVE S L EP T W I T H, TRACEY EM M I N S ( 1 9 9 5 )

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Review: Will Pergl Recur, 2006 Olive Tjaden Gallery Installation

Recur is an installation piece consisting of a projected video, a sculptural finger in front of a small television screen, and 2 object assemblages with a strong focus on lighting. There is also loud audio playing, a recording of a saw buzzing, along with the audio from the video, marble rocking repeatedly on a wood floor.

This piece creates a sense of panic, discomfort and psychological stress for the viewer. The sound of a blade ensues danger, and at such a high volume it is impossible to ignore. The finger sculpture pointing at itself on the television also seems to be making a statement, “Look here, I’m impossible to ignore, there’s nothing you can do to make this go away”. The orange object assemblages and video also have a sense of the inevitable, the impending. The plumb bob hanging, is at the mercy of chance. Above the water, above a saw blade, or deteriorating dripping down pieces of itself. The audible and animated elements also speak about time. In the midst of a moment our perception of time can be skewed, especially a traumatic one. The slowed saw and slow video demonstrate this disjunct from reality. The installation makes comment on the fragility of each moment, how the unexpected is always here, waiting to take us by surprise, and the experience of being present within a traumatic moment. Overall difficulty factor: 4 out of 5.

- D.A.C.

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Difficulty of Memory One element that often crops up in art is the concept of memory. A lot of art is based heavily within if not solely on experiences/ events of the past. Translating a personal moment from the past into a physical piece now is a point of difficulty both for the viewer and the artist. The piece is successful if it is able to recreate the essence of that moment.

It is difficult to recreate the tangibility of the moment in a different space and time with different elements, however, the audience should be able to pick up on the feeling of experience of the moment and make associations based in their own life. In two dimensional works this is especially difficult because of the limits within materiality and

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static nature of those materials. With an image, an artist can definitely create a sense of dynamic movement, passing time, and other sensory elements such as sound and even perhaps taste and smell.

- D.A.C.