May 18
if anyone wants free oc art feel free to send in my asks ^_^ I need to practice so id love to draw some chars
seen from Ukraine
seen from Oman
seen from Dominican Republic
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from United Kingdom
seen from China
seen from China
seen from Philippines
seen from Pakistan
seen from France
seen from Netherlands
seen from Kazakhstan
seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Malaysia
seen from Ukraine
seen from United States
if anyone wants free oc art feel free to send in my asks ^_^ I need to practice so id love to draw some chars
As a disclaimer this post is about art and the language of art. Focusing on exclusively the political aspect is understood because I am discussing a politically charged piece of art, but not the true point of the post. So I ask you to try and see alongside the overt political discussion that I am using this to actually discuss the use of shorthand and symbolism in art and how it can fail if used in ways that muddy the message. Moving on.
Just saw the most politically incoherent piece of art I've seen in a while.
The central thesis of the art object in question is that white liberals are more dangerous than conservatives. I can tell this by the fact that they wrote the words 'White liberals are more dangerous than conservatives' in the art piece.
Ok. People can absolutely make that argument if they personally choose to to. I cannot control people and do not care to.
I don't even necessarily disagree that white neoliberals deserve significantly more criticism than they often receive. As a BIPOC person I've had plenty of experiences where someone who thinks of themselves as "one of the good ones" ends up perpetuating racism in ways they refuse to interrogate because they already decided they're beyond criticism.
That isn't the part that I'm actually hung up on, or even care about. If you're reading this let me be clear the critique of white liberalism isn't something I take issue with, I do it consistently myself.
The part that struck me is that the artwork then communicated this idea almost entirely through imagery associated with the KKK and the Confederate flag.
And that is where, artistically, the whole thing completely fell apart. Because symbols carry meaning beyond what you want them to mean.
You cannot invoke the visual language of white supremacy, the Klan, the Confederacy, fascism, and explicit racial terror, then ask your audience to emotionally understand that the thing you are actually talking about is white liberalism.
Those symbols already have jobs. They already communicate something. And unless your entire point is that liberals are literally equivalent to the KKK, which I don't think was what the artist intended, your symbolism has started arguing against your thesis.
Artists, good artists, people who want to be good artists, need to spend more time thinking about semiotics.
A symbol, symbolism, is not just decoration.
The moment your audience sees a Confederate flag, they are no longer just looking at red, white, and blue shapes. They are thinking about slavery. White supremacy. Lynchings. Terrorism. Generations of violence. Much similar, the moment someone sees a Klan hood, the conversation has already changed.
Those symbols are so culturally loaded that they become the loudest voice in the piece.
If your thesis is "white liberals are uniquely dangerous, moreso than conservatives" but every visual decision you make screams "literal conservative fascists," you've accidentally trained your audience to compare the two in their heads.
And once you've done that, you've also accidentally asked them a question.
"Do you (also) agree liberals are more dangerous than the KKK?"
Because those are the people you chose to put in front of them.
As an artist, you don't get to choose which comparisons your audience makes. You only get to choose which comparisons you invite. And this piece invited one that immediately undermined itself.
If your critique is about white liberalism, then show me white liberalism.
Show me rainbow corporate branding over exploitative labor.
Show me "In This House We Believe..." signs planted in neighborhoods actively pushing out poor families through gentrification.
Show me land acknowledgements followed by the destruction of Indigenous land.
Show me diversity initiatives that somehow never result in actual redistribution of power.
Show me performative allyship.
Show me selective outrage.
Show me respectability politics.
Show me the gap between self-image and action.
Those are images and concepts that actually belong to the critique being made.
Because one of the most fascinating things about art is that the audience does not only read your message, they are also reading the assumptions hidden underneath your message.
I think my fellow artists sometimes underestimate how much symbolism can overpower intention.
A symbol is not infinitely flexible just because you decide to use it in a piece.
Some symbols arrive already carrying heaps of emotional baggage, and once you place them into your work, they begin to say something whether you wanted them to or not.
Which is exactly why I found this piece so fascinating, because the visual language chosen to make that argument spent the entire piece contradicting it.
So here is my valentine animation hope you all like it. And oh yeah, happy birthday Rody
i will love you over and over
[Bilingual post] Podcast Ep.3 Artists' Mental Health and Social Media /ポッドキャストEp3.アーティストのメンタルヘルスとソーシャルメディア
I uploaded the third episode of my bilingual podcast. This time, I talked a theme that’s very close to my heart: artists’ mental health and social media. The definition of ‘artist’ here is anyone who expresses themselves through any art forms, no matter whether financial profit is involved. I’m not a believer that you’re only an artist only if you make money of your art. I analysed the reasons why social media could be toxic for artists' mental health and suggested three tips for softening the emotional toll.
I hope you will enjoy the episode. The podcast is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts as well.
Art is Life
日英でポッドキャスト3回目およびブログ更新いたしました今日は、私にとってとても大切なテーマ「アーティストのメンタルヘルスとソーシャルメディア」についてお話したいと思います。ここでいう「アーティスト」とは、金銭的な利益の有無にかかわらず、何等かのアート（絵、ダンス、音楽等何でも）を通して自己表現する人のことです。なぜソーシャルメディアはアーティストのメンタルヘルスに悪影響になりうるのかの理由。精神的な負担を減らすための３つの鍵を分析しました。共感していただけたり、何かヒントになれば嬉しいです。Apple PodcastsとSpotifyリンクもコメント欄に残します。
Artfight 2023 Collection
This year’s Artfight has come and gone, and it was a pretty active year all things considered. Sent out a lot of attacks, and even got a lot of defenses, especially for Kilua this year. Since a lot of work went into the pieces I did this month, here’s each of the pieces I did for people.
Keep in mind that I was on Team Vampire, so next to the title of the piece, i’ll have a number that corresponds to the person it was for, attributed to near the bottom of the post, and in parentheses, a indicator on which type of piece it was, friendly fire, attack, revenge, etc. Without further ado... here’s what I did this year!
#Piece 1 - 20th Century Boys (Attack) Ft. Clarenze and Liam Signhson
#Piece 2 - Sweeping Blade of Grass (Attack) Ft. Parsley
#Piece 3 - Ballin’ (Attack) Ft. Slim Ridland (Ft. Daily Pyoro)
#Piece 4 - An Unlikely Trio (Attack) Ft. Ivy, Josie, and Wynne
#Piece 5 - Reaper in the Rain (Revenge) Ft. Drizzle
#Piece 6 - Salty Vaporwave (Revenge) Ft. Jewel
#Piece 7 - Hat Trick (Friendly Fire) Ft. Ferris and Mochi
#Piece 8 - Flower-Tailed Forest Dweller (Attack) Ft. Matcha
#Piece 9 - Sunflower Chu (Attack) Ft. Poppet (PMD ver.)
#Final Piece - Fluffy Aeromancer Dragon (With a Battleax) Ft. Aero
Credits:
1 - @clarenzesinghson 2 - @honeycrud 3 - @rachaelpyofren 4 - @madadrawing 5 - @dibblesdoodles 6 - SaltedGlaceons on Artfight 7 - @startistdoodles 8 - sweirde (Kira/Kemoki) on Twitter 9 - @snoofins Final - @noodlebean
Last Thoughts of the Event:
This year’s artfight I think was one of my favorites i’ve had so far (and i’ve only been around since 2021), but not without some added anxiety.
Some of that anxiety was expected stuff from artfight, like not being able to hit a couple people because I ran out of time and energy, and also dealing with artist burnout a couple time. But some other stuff was personal life stuff, and well... twitter becoming more and more of a trashfire.
That all being said, this year was also really fun. One of my favorite things to do over an artfight is find some way to improve on or just experiment with my art since I don’t really do “big colored pieces” very often, and this year certainly helped push that a little further. I experiment a lot with shading and backgrounds, and I think in hindsight, things like Pieces 2, 5, 6, 8, and Final ended up being my favorites to look at just because the colors and background all just work.
Some of them also allowed me to think up a couple ideas of scenarios to put the characters in that added to how I went about the piece. Pictures 4 and 7 especially clarify that, considering they depict a scenario or even a potential group dynamic that’s pretty fun to think on.
Though what also was crazy was that I got attacked a lot more than I was expecting to going into this year. Like I expected at least a couple if I was actively participating, but I got hit with... well 7 technically, but one was a mass attack Volt was included in, not directed at me, so 6 officially. It was a neat surprise to keep waking up to a few of them, and a lot of them focused on Kilua, she got a lot of love this year. (dw, Volt got a couple too actually). I’m really happy about that, and I love all the drawings people did, they all capture something about the original designs that I love, while translated into their own styles. Dibnibs in specific went and even added backgrounds to them after the event passed, and they (not just mine but a couple of the others I saw) look awesome.
Whatever the case though, the event went really well. I got quite a few pieces sent my way, and I was able to put out a lot of pieces, and a lot of those pieces I really like how they came out. I was on Team Vampire this year, but I think I can say i’ll win either way because I only was on there because a lot of my mutuals were going werewolf, and I wanted to have opposition. That and, I just like Werewolves more.
If anyone has questions for me about anything related to their art, my dms are open. And with that, thanks for a really fun year to everyone who participated.
ART TALK: Overcoming Toxic Media with Art & Self Love
For more ART TALKS join my Patreon.
2022 March Everett Art Walk So happy to be back out and about. Even in the cold, dark, rain. That's how much I missed my peeps. I was so busy mingling and celebrating St. Paddy's Day, I forgot to snap pictures. Places journeyed: @zamarama_gallery @jagartworks @luckydime.wa @artspaceeverettartists @portgardnerbaywinery Places to hit next time: @schackartcenter @snoislefoodcoop @blacklabgallery Sisters Cafe (Poetry Reading with @duanekirbyjensen) Goldilofts @everettimprov #artwalk #everettwaartist #everettartwalk #gallery #artist #artistlifestyle #artsighting #coolspaces #arteverywhere #notenoughart #drinkingart #arttalk #collaborativeartist #awesomeart #pnw #snohomishcounty #thingstodo #comesayhi #newartists #poets #writers #mixed-media #hangover #artintherain (at Everett, Washington) https://www.instagram.com/p/CbP-higrOPh/?utm_medium=tumblr
Kai ArtTalk - The Hyundai Seoul ALT.1/Andy Warhol
In conjunction with The Hyundai Seoul ALT.1's Andy Warhol exhibition, "Andy Warhol: Beginning," EXO Kai presents an audio guide explaining the works on exhibit as well as the behind-the-scenes stories of the artist.
ArtTalk Audioclips
Kai ArtTalk - First Greeting [ Listen ] [ M4A ] [ MP3 ]
Kai ArtTalk - Andy Warhola to Andy Warhol [ Listen ] [ M4A ] [ MP3 ]
Kai ArtTalk - Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup [ Listen ] [ M4A ] [ MP3 ]
Kai ArtTalk - Silver Factory, 231 East 47th Street, New York [ Listen ] [ M4A ] [ MP3 ]
Kai ArtTalk - Andy Warhol's Art Spectrum [ Listen ] [ M4A ] [ MP3 ]
Kai ArtTalk - Andy Warhol, Everlasting Fame [ Listen ] [ M4A ] [ MP3 ]
Related Media
Andy Warhol: Beginning Seoul - The Midnight Sneak-In LIVE Interview with Kai [ Download ] *NEW*
Updated: March 23, 2021
Previously: EXO-SC's ArtTalk on Jean-Michel Basquiat