#reginahuang

[thenextartmovement]

I ❤️ Museums

Minnesota is a nice place that has wonderful natural landscapes and fantastic museums!  You can experience little annoying bugs flying around you when you are hiking, or you can choose to space out when sitting on the shore of Lake Superior. You actually also have another option -- spending your whole afternoon at the Minneapolis Institute of Art! The museum has many Asian collections that cover ancient to contemporary. Recently they are displaying many Japanese contemporary artworks, as well as a temporary exhibition Power and Beauty in China’s Last Dynasty. I spent my whole afternoon in the museum, and selected these three artworks to share with you guys~

Kowtowing Official, China Tang Dynasty

This piece of art is from the late 7th and early 8th century. Kowtowing is an official action in a court when someone meets the emperor and high officials. Although I’ve known this and have seen it on TV shows multiple times, this was my first time to see a real statue that carved the action! It was actually a serious behavior which showed respect, but I feel like this piece of art in this gesture is so lovely. Maybe it is because the facial expressions on the men looked very cute?

The Hen Who Conceived a Child, 2009, Yoshino Takamasa

Different people with different interpretations!! According to the artist, it is a pregnant hen, and was inspired by a cage of chickens and a pregnant woman during his trip. However, my friend, a creative and imaginary person, thinks it is an official who is wearing a long-sleeved robe, crossing his hands in front of his belly (just like the standing man in the last picture). I totally did not relate it to this image! It was so interesting to exchange our thoughts of the artifact. I always find out how different we are even if we have so many common interests.

Eleven-headed Avalokiteshvara Bodhisttva, 2012, Yuji Honbori

This piece is super special and eye-catching! It is made by cardboard boxes and is depicting one of the gods in Buddhism. Check out the short video I took. The piece looks differently at different angles. Isn’t it super cool? The corrugation of cardboard boxes created a cool view and the artist suggests that this could indicate the Buddhist notions of impermanence and ephemerality. I never thought that the sacred image could be reproduced in this way. This makes the sacred statue more lively and not that inaccessible.

-Regina Huang

[thenextartmovement]

Welcome Regina!

Hello, my name is Regina Huang, I’m from Taiwan and currently based in Denver, CO. I am a museum lover and just received my master’s degree in anthropology from the University of Denver, with a concentration in museums and heritage studies. I love to work in the arts and have been interning with Inez and Rodrigo for a year. I am really excited to join the IS team!

[thenextartmovement]

Native 🖼

Gregg Deal is a contemporary artist who was born in Park City, Utah and is now living in Colorado Springs, Colorado. His father is a Caucasian and mother is a Native American, and himself is an enrolled member of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.

I learned about this artist at the symposium “Appropriation & Appreciation in the Global Art World” held by the Denver Art Museum. Gregg Deal shared his experience of creating artworks, and I was dragged into his performance art project which presents the issue of stereotype.

The Last American Indian On Earth

Photo by Dakota Fine Photo from Gregg Deal

The Last American Indian On Earth is a performance art project started in 2013. The concept of this project is to dress up in the outfit that embodied the indigenous stereotype. The whole outfit is fake and was made in China. Gregg Deal was wearing this outfit and walked on the streets, shopped at the mall, and lined up for buying a cup of coffee at a Starbucks. His wife and friend documented these scene through photographs and videos. He also partnered with a graduate student - Dakota Fine, who was pursuing his master degree. Deal agreed to become his thesis’s subject in exchange for being able to access the photographs he took on him.

Photo by Dakota Fine Photo from Gregg Deal

“The use of art, more specifically performance art, is another step in the dialogue of asserting that identity. In an effort to power ourselves and even more importantly, our children”  -- Gregg Deal

The video is about 21 minutes long and composed of video footages, photographs, and Gregg Deal’s narratives about his thoughts of this project and what he felt when interacting with people. The video documents people’s reactions of seeing him wearing the costume and includes two conversations with two women. The conversations are impressive and embodied many messages correlated with indigenous stereotypes. Another impressive part of the video is his thoughts. As a Native American and an artist, Gregg Deal shared his thoughts about his experiences during this project and addressed what Native Americans are striving for in modern society.

Leave your comments and share your thoughts with us! If you are interested in other contemporary indigenous artists, please don’t miss InezSuen’s blog.

-Regina Huang

Work Cited

Gragg Deal. http://greggdeal.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregg_Deal

[thenextartmovement]

Native 🖼

“Hand-made artworks will reach the level of the mind, and it will follow the eternal nature of human beings.”  「 手作或手創，會進到心靈層次，是跟著人的永恆性在前進的。」 - Etan Pavavalung

The artist for this week is a Taiwanese indigenous artist - Etan Pavavalung. Etan was born in Davalan Tribe, Sandimen, Pingtung County and has created various types of artworks, including poetry, prose, reportage, painting, print, carving, advertisement design, installation, and documentation. Like many contemporary indigenous artists, Etan hopes their traditional cultures can be seen, and he also concerns about how to make their culture visible to connect with contemporary society.

Etan Pavavalung 伊誕．巴瓦瓦隆 The Feathers are floating 羽毛在飄 2017 200x55x5cm Woods, Print Pigment, Acrylic Paint

“Trace, Layer, Carve, Paint” is an art style created by Etan. This art style integrates the Paiwan culture into the contemporary context. In Paiwan language, “vecik” is their term similar to the meaning of “writing.” It refers to symbols, embroidery, and engraving, and it traditionally would be used on the daily-used ornaments, utensils, and clothing. Etan created this style after witnessing the reconstruction of many indigenous communities after a natural disaster by Typhoon Morakot in 2009. He felt that these communities would need to create a form of “modern writing” to rebuild everyday tribal aesthetics. Since then, Etan has been integrating his Paiwan background into the visual art form of “trace, layer, carve, paint.”

2017 the opening of XXIX Summer Universiade in Taipei Etan’s artworks were projected on the floor and people dancing on them

The following shows the creative process when Etan is carving on wood. I felt pretty relaxed by seeing him carving and coloring the wood. After experiencing the natural disaster, Etan has delivered his awareness of reconstructing the broken connection between the environment and human beings through his artworks.

Maybe it is because I’m an anthropology student and am always curious about different cosmologies of understanding this world, every time looking at an artwork, especially an indigenous and contemporary indigenous artwork, I am learning a new perspective to see and understand the world. Do you also love indigenous artworks? What makes you interested in it? Share your thoughts with us!!

References

TICA Art Gallery http://tica.com.tw/exhibition.php?gid=1d05a20b-8092-11e8-9bf0-f01fafdd2992

https://drive.google.com/file/d/195kPSgXLyWgie0QZdqEkol3H8YFp2M3v/view

[thenextartmovement]

Native 🖼

Happy New Year, everyone! Hope everything was great in 2018, and I believe 2019 will be a nicer year.

For those of who have read I ❤️ Museums, thank you for spending time on my words and hope you guys have enjoyed and found some interesting artworks. This year, I’m gonna start a new blog topic -- contemporary indigenous art. Hope you guys can still find some artworks that interest you!!

—————————————-

For the beginning of this year and the very first post, I am going to introduce an amazing indigenous artist -- Yosifu, a Taiwanese-born artist as well as an Ami, one of the aboriginal communities in Taiwan.

What kind of information are you looking for when looking at an artwork? The reason why the artist made this artwork? Or the special skills that the artist used in this piece of art?

The answers are varied. For me, the behind stories and the hidden message of artwork are more attractive than visual and aesthetic aspects. There is a discussion topic called “the ethnography of art” in the field of art anthropology. Ethnography is a method in anthropology, but at the same time, it could also be seen as a form of art, which emphasizes the cultural or social contexts of the production of artworks.

Yosifu is a self-taught artist and is now living in Edinburgh. Considering his indigenous background, Yosifu concerns the challenges that the Taiwanese indigenous people are facing. He makes a contribution to art education for the tribes’ children. Additionally, Yosifu happily shares the indigenous cosmology with the public through his artworks. He hopes the public and the world can understand Taiwanese indigenous people as well as Taiwanese contemporary arts better.

Laugh You Two

Medium: Oil & Acrylic on Canvas/Size: 80cm x 60cm/Year: 2011

Photo from: Yosifu Gallery

The indigenous cosmology is embedded in Yosifu’s artworks. The attracting story of this painting is the normal phrase for Ami people when they are taking a picture. Instead of saying “smile,” they usually say “smiles.” The two women in this artwork are wearing Ami’s traditional costumes. The Ami people love to smile and also like to give big smiles to people. They are always open-minded and passionate.

Purple Dance

Medium: Acrylic on Canvas/Size: 80cm x 60cm/Year: 2011

Photo from: Yosifu Gallery

“In honor of the ocean God, I dye my hair into the beautiful purple of the yam, to offer to you the deep love from the Tao women hair dance. We ask you bless the men fishing at sea, to bring a good harvest, and a safe return!” -- Description from the Yosifu Gallery’s website

This painting is telling a story of Tao, another indigenous community in Taiwan. The Tao people live on Orchid Island and has been isolated from other indigenous communities who have been living on the main island of Taiwan. The Tao people rely on oceanic resources. Therefore, they have so many tales about the ocean.

If you are living in New York City, you probably have seen Yosifu’s artworks already. His artworks were displayed on the subway cars of S-Line in October 2018! Yosifu was selected to be the representative artist of Taiwan. Three of his artworks were considered to be the iconic cultural image and were showed on the subway cars.

Photo credit: Tourism Bureau

Resources:

The art of life from tribes: Yosifu at TEDxTaipei 2012 (源自部落的生命藝術：優席夫 (Yosifu) at TEDxTaipei 2012), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMJvFPocCL0

Keoni Everington, New Yorkers rave about Taiwan-themed subway cars, https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3552487

Yosifu Gallery, http://www.yosifu.com/

- Regina Huang

[thenextartmovement]

I ❤️ Museums

The Museo de Arte popular is one of my favorite museum in Mexico City. It’s a museum that integrates the idea of contemporary with the traditional cosmology. If you’re interested in understanding the popular art while being informed of the traditional culture in Mexico, this museum might be the one you don’t want to miss out. Sunday is the free day.

This cute car was the first artwork I saw when stepped into the museum. There were plenty of crafts displayed in the hallways. They were all in different figures but the characteristic that they share is the colorfulness.

An interesting fact that surprises me a lot is that mermaid play an essential role in Mexican culture. The mermaid image was brought in with the Spanish colonial government. In the pre-Hispanic myths, the mermaid is known as the “girl of the water” who lives in rivers, small lakes, or lagoons, but it has developed to different symbolic meanings in different regions of Mexico. For example, the mermaid symbolizes the goddess of rivers and fresh water for the Tepehua people; in the mountains of Puebla Chalchihutlicue, it is the symbol that unites the Siren and the Lord of the Mermaids that imported by the Spanish.

Alebrijes and Fantastic Figures

“They were originated by artisan Pedro Linares, who dreamed of being in a forest where he found creatures that accompanied him in his journey and heard a group of people say the word ‘alebrijes.’”

This exhibition is one of my favorites in the museum. Although it is not a big exhibition with many different kinds of artworks, these colorful creatures with cute poses were very attractive. The lizard, the snake, the jaguar, and the other animal figures all play the roles in the ancient cultures. I very like the idea of representing an old culture or a traditionally important figure in a new form. By doing so, the culture will continually exist in the form that combines both traditional and contemporary elements. I think the artworks in the Museo de Arte Popular all convey this kind of idea, and this is also the reason why I love this museum so much!

- Regina Huang

[thenextartmovement]

I ❤️ Museums

The Crown Museum of Asian Art is in Dallas, Texas and has numerous types of artworks. In addition to traditional artworks such as vases, paintings, and sculptures, the museum also has contemporary artworks that related to the traditional Asian arts. The museum aims to promote the learning and dialogue about arts of Asia through the exhibitions, education programs, and public engagement program. The following exhibition is the current exhibit. Let’s check it out.

JACOB HASHIMOTO Clouds and Chaos

Jacob Hashimoto, Nuvole 2006-2018 Silk, paper, bamboo, and cotton string Photo from the museum’s website

“Like clouds of our digital age, Hashimoto’s sculpture shows how there is much to be found in both the intricate detail of minute components and the large-scale meanings that can result from their accumulation.” -- from the museum website

Nuvole, which means clouds, is the central work of this exhibition. Cloud play as the symbol role of auspiciousness in Asia, but it also conveys an uncertain and ambiguous atmosphere due to its foggy look. Hashimoto applies the traditional meanings to the contemporary issue in the digital age. The way that Hashimoto depicts clouds is similar to the traditional Japanese arts, that the cloud is made up of numerous small round pieces. Each of the round pieces is hung from the ceiling. The artist uses the length to create the layers. The exhibition is now displaying in the museum and will be on view until April 7, 2019. If you are interested in seeing this piece of art, go check out the exhibition in the museum!

The Crown Museum of Asian Art provides the online collection on the website. The collections seem to focus on historical artifacts; however, the museum also displays contemporary artworks in their exhibitions. If you are interested in experiencing the traditional and contemporary Asian arts at the same time, the Crown Museum of Asian Art might be the one you want to go check out.

- Regina Huang

[thenextartmovement]

I ❤️ Museums

The museum for this week is the High Museum of Art located in Georgia. The museum has more than 15,000 works in their collection and is dedicated to supporting Southern artists. The following exhibitions are the on-going and the future exhibition related to the Southern artists.

WILLIAM CHRISTENBERRY: TIME & TEXTURE

Palmist Building Photo from the museum’s website

Time & Texture is a photograph exhibition and will be on view until April 14, 2019. William Christenberry is a pioneer of color photography. This series of photographs recorded the unique landscapes and buildings in Hale County, Alabama. Christenberry started this project in the 1960s and had kept doing this for four decades. Audiences could see the landscape changing within these forty years from photographs in the exhibition.

WAY OUT THERE: THE ART OF SOUTHERN BACKROADS

Eddie Owens Martin (St. EOM) (American, 1908–1986), Pasaquoyan Man with Ritual Headdress and Levitation Suit, ca. 1965–1975, enamel and beads on concrete over wire mesh. High Museum of Art, Atlanta, gift of the Marion County Historical Society, 1992.9. Photo from the museum’s website

“The exhibition explores the rich exchange between self-taught and avant-garde artists, bringing it to life through photographs that reveal the brilliant vitality of self-taught artists through images of their homes and yards, presented with unique artworks that have been preserved from those places.” -- from the museum’s website

Way Out There is the future exhibition that will start from March 2 to May 19, 2019. It will include sculptures, paintings, and drawings by self-taught artists in the collection. Some photographs by Mendes and Manley will also be displayed in the exhibition. Colorful pieces always attract my attention from many different artworks. If you are interested in colorful art pieces or are curious about contemporary American photography, literature and self-taught artist, save a day for the exhibition!

-Regina Huang