Unit 10: Global Contemporary, 1980 CE to Present

Action painting

Action painting

an abstract painting in which the artist drips or splatters paint onto a surface like a canvas in order to create his or her work

Assemblage

a three-dimensional work made of various materials such as wood, cloth, paper, and miscellaneous objects

Earthwork

a large outdoor work in which the earth itself is the medium

Installation

a temporary work of art made up of assemblages created for a particular space, like an art gallery or a museum

Kitsch

something of low quality that appeals to popular taste

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

• By Frank Gehry (1997);

• Building has swirling forms and shapes that contrast with the industrial landscape of Bilbao.

• Modern art museum featuring contemporary art in a contemporary architectural setting.

Bilbao effect

The revitalization of the port area of Bilbao is called the “_________,” a reference to the impact a museum can have on a local economy.

MAXXI National Museum of XXI Century Arts

• By Zaha Hadid (2009);

• Internal spaces are covered by a glass roof.

• Walls flow and melt into one another.

• Two museums, a library, an auditorium, and a cafeteria.

• The complex specializes in art of the twenty-first century.

The Gates

• By Christo and Jeanne-Claude (1979–2005);

• 7,503 installations - of free-hanging saffron-colored fabric panels.

• mounted in the winter so the colors would have maximum impact.

• 16-foot-tall

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

• By Maya Lin (1982);

• Dedicated to the deceased and missing-in-action soldiers of the Vietnam War.

• Black granite, a highly reflective surface.

Horn Players

• By Jean-Michel Basquiat (1983);

• The painting glorifies African-American musicians.

• Words such as “soap” critique racism.

• Used meaningless words “DOH SHOO DE OBEE” in improvisational

Summer Trees

• By Song Su-nam (1983);

• Large vertical lines of various thickness.

• Subtle tonal variations of ink wash. Inspired by Western abstraction.

Androgyne III

By Magdalena Abakanowicz (1985); The hardened fiber has the appearance of crinkled human skin set in earth tones. Sits on a low stretcher of wooden legs. Pose suggests meditation and/or perseverance.

A Book from the Sky

By Xu Bing (1987–1991); 400 handmade books are placed in rows on the ground. One walks beneath printed scrolls hanging from the ceiling. All of the Chinese characters are inventions of the artist and have no meaning.

Pink Panther

By Jeff Koons (1988); Artificially idealized female form: overly yellow hair, bright red lips, large breasts, pronounced red fingernails; overtly fake look. The woman is Jayne Mansfield. A cartoon character, generally seen as an animated figure.

Untitled #228

By Cindy Sherman (1990); This image explores the theme of the Old Testament figure Judith decapitating Holofernes. Richly decorative drapes hang behind the figure. Judith lacks any emotional attachment to the murder that has taken place.

Dancing at the Louvre

By Faith Reinggold (1991); From the series The French Collection; Part I; #1; The artist combines the traditional use of oil paint with the quilting technique. Feminist and racial issues dominate the work.

Trade (Gifts for Trading Land with White People)

By Jaune Quick-to-See-Smith (1992); This work is a combination of collage elements and abstract expressionist brushwork. The work was meant as the “Quincentenary Non-Celebration” of European occupation of North America

Earth’s Creation

By Emily Kame Kngwarreye (1994); The work references the color and lushness of the “green time” in Australia after it rains and the Outback flourishes. The artist employed the dump-dot technique

Rebellious Silence

By Shirin Neshat (1994); Poem written on the face is in Farsi, the Persian language; the poem expresses piety. Expresses the artist’s duality as both Iranian and American.

Chador

a type of outer garment, like a cloak, that allows only the face and hands of Iranian women to be seen.

En la Barberia no se Llora

By Pepón Osorio (1994); This is a large installation recreating the center of Latino male culture: the barbershop. Originally a temporary work constructed in a neighborhood building

Pisupo Lua Afe

By Michel Tuffery (1994); Life-size sculpture of a bull made from flattened cans of corned beef. The artist introduces a tone of irony in that the cow is made of hundreds of opened cans of cow meat.

pisupo

a Samoan language variant of “pea soup,” the first canned food in the Pacific

Electronic Superhighway

By Nam June Paik (1995); Mixed-media installation (49-channel closed-circuit video installation, neon, steel, and electronic components). Neon outlines symbolize multicolored maps of each 50 states.

The Crossing

By Bill Viola (1996); Performer: Phil Esposito. Photo: Kira Perov. Two channels of color video project from opposite sides of large dark gallery onto two large, back-to-back screens suspended from the ceiling and secured on the floor.

Pure Land

By Mariko Mori (1998); Animated figures of lighthearted aliens play musical instruments on cloudsl; A lotus blossom floats on water. Set in a landscape evoking the Dead Sea

Kichijōten

Heian deity; Essence of beauty and the harbinger of prosperity and happiness.

Lying with the Wolf

By Kiki Smith (2001); This is a large, wrinkled drawing pinned to a wall; reminiscent of a tablecloth or a bedsheet. Female strength is emphasized in the woman lying down with the wild beast. The wolf seems tamed by the woman’s embrace

Darkytown Rebellion

By Kara Walker (2001); Overhead projectors throw colored light onto the walls, ceilings, and floor. Explores how stereotypes and caricatures of African-Americans have been presented.

The Swing (after Fragonard)

By Yinka Shonibare (2001); The artist was inspired by Fragonard’s work. This work is a life-size headless mannequin. Flowering vines are cast to the floor.

Old Man’s Cloth

By El Anatsui (2003); One thousand drink tops are joined by wire to form a cloth-like hanging. Artist converts found materials into a new type of media that lies somewhere between painting and sculpture. Combines aesthetic traditions of his home country of Ghana

Stadia II

By Julie Mehretu (2004); Although the paintings are done with abstract elements, the titles allude to their meaning. Flags can represent, in a positive or negative way, national pride, patriotism, or ­nationalism.

Preying Mantra

By Wangechi Mutu (2006); Collaged female figure composed of human and animal parts, objects, and machine parts. A green snake interlocks with her fingers; bird feathers appear on the back of her head.

Cyborg

a person whose function is aided by a mechanical device or whose powers are enhanced by computer implants.

Shibboleth

By Doris Salcedo (2007–2008); This is an installation that features a large crack that begins as a hairline and then widens to two feet in depth. Used to exclude people from joining a group. Bible source: Judges 12:6

Kui Hua Zi

By Ai Weiwei (2010): Installation containing millions of individually handcrafted ceramic pieces resembling sunflower seeds. They symbolically represent an ocean of fathomless depth. The work reflects the ideology of Chairman Mao: he was the sun; his followers were the seeds.