David Yang

First-Year Seminar

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AMERIKA by Jorge Méndez Blake

What do you see?

A large brick wall that spans across dividing the room into two individual suggested spaces.

The wall appears to be uplifted from the central bottom by a book causing the bricks in the wall to be slightly out of order holding an outward caving shape. 

The book under the weight of the bricks is Franz Kafka’s novel, Amerika

What does this work represent?

The work physically and literally represents a wall or a divider of space. 

Metaphorically, the wall is representing and alluding to many things: one being the wall that Trump plans to build with the goals of bordering and separating the United States from Mexico. 

What is the title of the piece?

Amerika

Is there any other text description provided?

The other text description describes what the project is and puts into context letting viewers at least think of the artwork as a wall definition.

How does the title and additional texts affect the meaning of the work?

The title of the piece Amerika is also the title of the book by Franz Kafka which is the very same one under the pile of bricks. The artist explicitly describes that he wants to establish an obvious reference or connection to the story in the book of a boy fleeing from his country with bright hopes of the future. In the story, once he leaves and settles which is a hard but ultimate mission, life will be seemingly perfect but that is only his thought before actually crossing the path to see what is on the other side. This reference though text, title, and the placement of the book essentially provide the backstory and makes the work seem to act more so like a visual representation of fleeing the country. 

What is the genre or medium of this artwork? What materials were used to create the artwork?

The medium of this artwork is primarily bricks with an actual paper novel. 

How does this medium affect the meaning of the artwork? What associations do we have with those materials?

The use of bricks is associated with sturdiness as is the nature of clay and concrete based materials. The stacking of a brick wall allows the artwork to be associated with a very solid and strong definition. However, a personal interpretation is that while bricks are very hard, they do crack very easily with the right type of force applied and thus is the same with this artwork where the wall is only made to appear very indestructible but in reality is more fragile if an attempt is given.  

How large or small is this artwork in relation to the human body?

The artwork is fairly large in scale relative to the human body standing at 33ft x 6 ft which is generally taller than the average audience and long enough to cover a large width of the room. The length of the wall is enough to create a walking distance from one end to the other end of the project which adds to the suspense as the viewer approaches the turn to finally see what is on the other side. 

What meanings or uses can we associate with an object of this scale?

Artworks of this scale are usually connected to having a purpose in creating an experience. Rather than appreciating by looking, works of this scale allow the audience to appreciate from within the artwork. 

How long will the artwork last?

The artwork is in a temporary exhibition “ How the Light Gets In” in the Johnson Museum at Cornell university. Thus meaning the artwork will be taken down intentionally and if not, just the structures will last for many years in. 

Is it especially ephemeral or durable?

The project has the appearance of a seemingly durable build. The construct of stacking of bricks gives off generally durable feeling but the disturbed arrangement of the bricks create a slightly unstable aspect making the appearance of the wall holding itself up temporarily. In a way, my personal interpretation is that the wall feels like a sturdy piece that is eventually going to collapse and is meant to collapse.

How does its duration contribute to the meaning of the piece?

The duration of this piece is very flexible, if it were only built and kept for the exhibition, it would be only a brief few months. However, if it were simply left outside to degrade, the project would actually last a very long period of years if not decades. The material usage gives it this flexibility so the duration is very dependent on human decisions. My interpretation of this is to reflect the concept of borders. Much like this artwork wall, borders are a very artificial blockage of immigration or crossing between countries and the difficulty to crossing this imaginary line is very much due to the government’s human decisions. This reminds me of Cian Dayrit’s works on borders claiming how maps and borders are very much impacted by the government and a select group of people. In this way, the blockage of Mexico into the USA is very much impacted by the US government’s personal opinion on Mexico. Overall, the duration of the piece provides a sense of flexibility in the time it can withstand which connects to the flexibility in a seemingly harsh law/rule at the border.

What is the setting and surrounding context of the artwork? How does the context contribute to its meaning?

In the exhibition, the artwork is placed in a unique room that enters from a passage parallel along the wall of the artwork. The remaining of the room is fairly empty with only a few artworks hanging on the wall and one sculpture on the other side of the wall. The amount of empty space on the grounds of the surrounding is a very important aspect since it really brings out an emphasis on the wall’s isolation in the room. 

Does the work provide clues about the time period and culture it was created?

While the wall can technically be from any time period as the design is a simple stacking, there are hints within. The novel Amerika refers to an immigration story and the background of the artist being Mexican will make people really connect to modern day and the immigration process at the US/ Mexico border. In a way, it is almost obvious that this piece of work hints that it is a reference to the Trump Wall and the process of coming from Mexico into the US which are both modern day and ongoing issues. Thus, the time period is very obvious to be recent.

How does an understanding of the artwork’s place in history or art history affect its meaning?

Understanding this artwork’s place in art history mainly comes from knowing the context of the book referred to and used in this project. The book was unfinished but generally covered how Karl had to go to NYC and the hardships he faced. The overall topic covered here can be placed along a large part of the history timeline as the escaping to America ideal is definitely nothing new. Another way to look at this artwork’s place in art history is that since we know the piece was created only recently, we should really think of how the piece is depicting at the so called wall that would stand at the Mexico border while the political powers who support this are still in power. Whether the artist would get in trouble if he makes a critique is something to consider in terms of a historical standpoint. I think of this because of Ksenia’s presentation on how only certain groups have access to or are somehow able to use their powers to alter how artists make their decisions.

What are the strongest visual elements?

The strongest visual element in this work is definitely the size. While it is definitely a shrunken down version of a supposed wall that would physically hold at a border, the scale is still fairly impressive for an indoor exhibition. I especially like the size because it literally allows the viewer to walk into the piece and experience the suspense, fear, and surprise. I also found that because the size is so big and the eye level of a human is so high up, the book was actually not something I recognized immediately which I found interesting.

How do the formal properties of the artwork embody meaning?

The main properties at use here that are visible are the texture and composition. The texture is a very obvious brick that can be determined from a distance away but also, the roughness of the brick can really create a meaningful representation of the roughness of the journey of someone who settles on the other side of the wall. In addition, the composition is very interesting in that the uplifted bricks can also hint at a glimpse of the other side allowing select information which kind of displays the idea that what you know about another country such as America would be different than what you experience.

Does the artist’s attitude come through in a way that shows wit or irony?

One ironic fact is the background of the piece. The work being one created to show the unexpected and hard life of settling to a new place was created by a Mexican artist. However, he created this very piece in the United States.

How does this gesture affect the meaning of the artwork?

I think this gesture of the artist creating the work in the USA is definitely bringing it to a more personal level and putting what he experienced first hand into context. The work shows that he also succeeded in doing so which also in a way shows that there should be the opportunity for more people like him to be able to come out.

Does the artwork create any immediate physiological response?

The immediate psychological response to the artwork is an intimidated feeling or a sense of fear. The large size of the project scaling over the viewer’s eye level and height creates an overwhelming dominance over the audience. Then upon realization that the project is a brick wall, the sense of fear and isolation occurs because the wall covers a large length of the room leaving the audience uncertain of what is behind and on the other side but also the material usage of red bricks which seems to be a very raw material but really looks out of place in a perfectly cemented room that it is almost skeptical. The psychological sense of uncertainty and worry is much due to the mysterious nature of the appearance of the project. 

How does it make you feel?

Reiterating the fearful feeling mentioned above, when I walked into the room in parallel direction to the wall to see it blocking off my vision of the other side, I was reminded of the risky feeling when taking a blind angle turn around a corner into a skeptical alleyway. In a way, I felt that I was almost anticipating something on the other side of the wall to be different from my expectation whether it be positive or negative. 

Does it capture a mood, feeling or emotion which you have experienced?

In a way, this piece also reminds me of the feeling I experience every time I’m in an airport passing through the final gate and into the unknown. The feeling of not knowing what is beyond the next door and whether the customs will hold me back is both terrifying, confusing, and a little bit exciting. 

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Staged Photography

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Ksenia Pavlenko

Ksenia Pavlenko gave a presentation the history of early photography and her research into it. She had studied history of art and English literature for undergraduate at the City University of New York and later continued her studies in History of Art and Cambridge University. Currently, she is on her path to a Ph.D. at Cornell University. Ksenia shares her research on the history of photography and examines the daguerrotypes or in other words “mistakes” in photography concepts and subjects. She discusses that in the history of photography, some styles carried over to today, there lies a major emphasis on the contrast between the powerful aristocracy and the peasants/ minority.

I found it really thought provoking that only the aristocrats were able to afford the practice of photography. While it may seem obvious that commoners would not have access to these expensive technology, I was surprised that even the small circle of people who appreciated these images are the same people who could afford it. This really made me realize that the history of photography must have been skewed as with many other fields where only the elites partake in. The small circle of photography generally had its narrative and theme guided by the western Europe wealthy ideals. One really odd occurrence at the time was the connection between biological feature and character. This really connected to the podcast for our class Seeing White, Part 8: Skulls and Skin. While there are no legit scientific evidence proving racial superiority, there were biased scientists who tried to gather data that would agree with their hypothesis. The case of the biased scientist in the podcast is really an evidence or a small representation of society that Ksenia was talking about. In both cases, there was a common thought that scull or body proportions and other physical features can predict how one behaves in society. Then these so-called scientists would use their version of the “scientific method” to prove so. I really found this fact irritating as it’s essentially making a very opinion based claim and using information bias to create a seemingly supportive study. This also reminds me of the rap lab which talks about one’s bias in the selection of information. The major difference being that here the people are knowingly and intentionally selectively choosing information to fit their needs while in the rap lab, it talks about how people now select to remove some information for possibly unrelated reasons and thus distorting the final result.

Ksenia explains that the emphasis on daguerrotypes in photography also lies in the major field of staged photography. I found this really interesting too because usually when I think of staged photography, we make the effort to essentially beautify one and try to look more appealing. However, Ksenia explains that many photos were taken to falsely advertise or even intentionally degrade people. The power of photography was a major driving force in society as it can show one’s power or one’s weakness. It also brought out the difference between people. The photography of the artists Ivan Raoult and Andrei Osipovich Karelin for example brought out very different feels for the minority. One collection that really left an impression on me though was the group dressed in 17th century large clothing and sitting very stiffly outside. I felt that just the photo gave me a very nervous feeling and even without understanding the context, I know that the photo for a fact was the opposite of glorifying them. There lies a natural tendency to pity the subjects almost as if imagining society and the photographer was bullying them.

On the bright side, there were positive photographers. Already mentioned before, Andrei Osipovich Karelin was someone who used his skills in photography to make those from rural areas of Russia and less wealthy as knowledgable and successful human beings. I really respect this artist’s practice because not only did he reveal the truth but during the time, I believe that this was probably seen as going against the norm and like the reading we did last week where black artist feared the label of going against the norm, Karelin in this case did not. He stood up for a group of people that was suppressed by the dominant aristocrats.

Overall, Ksenia’s practice and big message through the presentation was the falseness in the history of photography. She really explained how certain groups of people on one end would glorify themselves through absurd evidence such as anatomy while on the other end oppress others through the staged photography that would often oversimplify them. I learned a lot through this presentation and to be honest while at first I found it hard to understand, and the pace a bit fast, I soon caught on to learn a lot about the history of this art form during that time. On the bigger picture, it really made me realize that art history is a crucial aspect because I would suppose look a a photo a learn of the medium, the subject, and the reason or intent. However, I would not be able to distinguish the falseness in the photo from an actual capture of the real society. It made me realize to be more aware of how society at the time would suppress or even guide the artists when creating works.

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David Antonio Cruz

David Antonio Cruz is a multidisciplinary artist and a professor. Cruz was born in Philadelphia, where his family moved to from Puerto Rico. He then moved to Brooklyn, New York to study painting at Pratt Institute followed by a masters study in painting and printmaking at Yale University. Currently, the artist also has the role of a professor in painting and drawing at Tufts University. The artist is influenced by many factors in his art including his background, family, and identity. Coming out of a family which moved from Puerto Rico to the United States, Cruz had a background and identity of being brown which he represented a lot in his works. Another major influence or even driving force behind almost all his works is his queer identity. Cruz grew up in a very religious family and due to the religion conflict and the fear of not being accepted, the artist found it uncomfortable to speak about queerness. Not only within the household but even in the community, the artist frequently found it hard to understand his placement within the community. Using his artworks, Cruz studies, represents, and explores the interconnected nature of black, brown, and queer bodies. I really find Cruz’s artistic practice interesting because while most artists like to focus on one factor such as their racial identity, he decides to mix and take elements of both the racial aspect of black and brown and gender aspect from people of queer. In his own words, “ the purpose is to complicate heteronormative perceptions of racial and queer identity and highlight intersectional identities not often discussed or represented in history and society.” I think that this is a unique approach because personally, if a work’s sole purpose suppose is to promote queer identity, it may be a lot clearer to understand and easier to make but once the concept of intersectionality comes into play, I would think that the difficulty of creating the work definitely greater. I think that his artworks really feel like something that makes up for his own uncomfortable environment growing up creating a space where people can actually feel that they are able to talk about and explore their own background and identify. His works give the community a sense of pride or almost as if creating an atmosphere where queer people of color can feel perfectly normal and protected. Another unique practice of Cruz is that some of his works feature himself but there are also some works that feature historic people who were attacked or even worse, murdered. I really like the series the “blackpaintings” because the extensive research really brings up historic events that can speak strongly for itself and convey the point without a further explanation. In painting these people, the artist creates a spotlight to show the history to the world and make a statement but at the sometime he literally paints the people at a brighter tone. I found it both alluring and amusing because while it does create the effect of almost letting the people in the painting really pop out and be seen almost as if fighting for their rights when being attacked but at the same time I think that it may be much due to how the artist learned painting. Cruz explained that he had started painting from photographs and fashion magazine photoshoots which both tended to have this type of brighter tone to it. I think that such a small aspect as what you learned painting from can make such a major impact on your style for the rest of your life is a challenging thought. It really made me reflect on a lot of minor details and how I developed to the artistic practice that I’m in today. In fact, after learning and realizing this point, every small detail of action I do when creating artwork now makes me think too much about how it will affect me. I also really liked this series because I found the people in it very captivating where the eyes immediately draws my attraction. It really feels like I am looking at a person and the unsettling feeling of wanting to avoid eye contact but also wanting to glance over is immediately felt. This really reminded me of the reading “Theory and Play of the Duende” by Garcia Lorca. The literal definition of the duende being a moment so fine that the performer can send a force of feeling into the audience is exactly what I felt when looking at the blackpainting. The eyes immediately caught me and the strong will and suffer was empathized almost exactly and while I don’t even know the historic events, I can feel the emotions translated. While duende should be used for a performer, I was still able to feel this through a painting shows just how strong it is. That is not to say the performance “How to Order a Chocolate Cake” was not impressive because that performance was an even more shocking view. From looking at that work where the artist sings and covers himself in chocolate, the struggle and pain I sympathize really connects to the concept of devoting to art and the possibility of death in Lorca’s writing about duende. While I really found this piece impressive, it was slightly disturbing to me. Overall, the artist tried to address the core issue of how to accept his queer identity and other background. He uses his works to highlight the mistreatment but also to set the atmosphere that this identity is in fact ok and created a safe space for the viewers and others. I found his way of addressing his journey as a queer person really similar to Amrou Al-Khad and his description on transgender. I think that in both cases, they found a perfectly rational definition for the identity and made the identity easy to understand to society. On the bigger picture, the artist really made me reflect on the idea of family because the artist did not have the support and comfort he needed to talk about his queerness within his family which transitioned into using paintings as a self expression. My family is also religious and I really reflected on if I were in the artist’s shoes, how would this one difference completely change my interaction with my family and my artistic practice. I think that it is definitely not only the queerness that shaped his background because the reaction and support from your surrounding will also shape your views or feelings.

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Heather Hart

Heather Hart is an artist currently based in Brooklyn. She received her BFA from Cornish College of the Arts concentrating in painting and video. Hart also studied at the Center of African American Studies in Princeton and later received her MFA from Rutgers University practicing in interdisciplinary art. While in undergrad, society at the time was much more leaning towards traditional art forms like painting and the artist who was undecided at the time went along. However, now Hart ended up mainly focusing on sculpture and installation art.

Hart is a very research based artist in which she uniquely differs from many other artists. I found it really enlightening when she said that while most people would be experimenting with materials and thinking of reasons, she does readings and research about other kinds of life things that influence her. I really connected to this point because at many stages of creating art, I feel that it is really easy for me to fall into this trap of experimenting and just blindly thinking of reasons so I really admire the artist for being able to find her unique definition and process. Once of the factors that influences Hart’s practice is her father, a carpenter, who trained her in carpentry from a young age but also led her to be interested in the history of her own family tree. I found the level of detail that she examined her ancestry to to be truly fascinating and can lead to a very subtle but one of a kind artwork. An example she gave was how there was a member called Minnie in her ancestry who wasn’t found for the longest time and later came to be realized as being documented wrong as Winnie. As such, most of her artistic practice revolves around finding a middle ground between the general study of genealogy and her own ancestry. I found her artistic practice really similar to the practice in the video we watched called “Rap Research Lab” because it is both taking statistical research and studies to create art individualized to one. In Rap Research Lab, I thought that it was very odd to study such plain topics like the occurrence of certain type of words in lyrics and so but after hearing the artists talk, I realized that in both cases, the main goal is to study something in society whether its a person or a phenomenon and display it in front of the world through art. I think that this is potentially a more accurate and precise style of reflecting a fact through art rather than the supposed more common types such as creating art to represent feminism, or racism which are more abstract ideas in comparison. One of the core issue addressed through Hart’s talk and works is that “fiction becomes more stable for me when truth or fact seem dubious.” When the artist first said this, I was very confused and found it hard to understand. However, I came to understand that like mentioned before, the artist aims to teach about self understanding in a way much like the Rap Research Lab teaches the students to learn about their own bias when putting together data. I really like this concept of exploring between what was and what comes next. Personally, I used to feel that such work is often studied only vaguely as a fact to someone studying history but now this new method of taking history and interpreting and finally translating it into art is truly fascinating to me.

One of the works that was talked about is “The Numinous Negro.” With the interaction of people, when they place a piece of gold on the oracle to receive the piece of truth, the character becomes more 3-dimensional he becomes. The same process is shown in another one of her project which is an installation sculpture of only a roof where people would place a piece of gold on the mirror and face themselves in making a wish to realize it themself. This project was really interesting because I saw it as an in-between of architecture and art where the sculpture is a very architectural piece but the meaning behind it is very abstract and not realistic which is a key difference to fully architecture. The idea of how the roof fell from the sky but also intending for interaction such as climbing onto the roof greatly differs from what is usually expected out of a house.

Another project that I found really important is “The Black Lunch Table Project.” I found the whole idea behind black artists feeling a holdback of wanting to stand up for themselves but also fearing the label of a black artist and not being viewed as fitting in to the “common” a very problematic occurrence. I find this really relatable in many cases such as hoping to stand up for a point of view and knowing that I will not be shut down right in front of my face but fearing that people will view me with a label in the future as if I were different. I think that the artists projects all capture very real world issues and important ideas in a very accurate and precise manner. I really liked her descriptions of her works and found them to be understandable as factual pieces almost like the evidence aspect of a scientific theory. On the bigger picture, the artist really made me think about identity and how it affects our standing in society. One being of two we interpret our own identity and the biases or “fiction” we have within but two being how that identity will place us within society of whether I actually want to show the fact to everyone. This is very challenging much like how the black artists feel that their factual identity could potentially danger them into being categorized disadvantageously compared to where they stand now. I strongly feel that this type of bias and fear should not exist and that people should become more confident of their identity as society also should rid of these bias.

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In naa (to see or look) the arrangement of light tubes create a mapping of the star trails of Sydney’s south-eastern night sky

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