Contemporary Art Midterm

Cut Piece

Yoko Ono, 1965- Anti war, clothes symbolize clothes taken from civilians

Wall of Respect

Org. of Black American Culture, 1967- Chicago, monument to Black Celebration of History

Die

Faith Ringgold, 1967- After Guernica, meant to show everything the media wouldn’t

Red Stripe Kitchen

Martha Rosler, House Beautiful, 1967-1972- brought the “Living Room War'“ literally to the living room

Atomic Explosion on Wall Street

Yayoi Kusama, 1968- called for peace in times of war and return to “nakedness”- vulnerability and free expression

Revolutionary

Wadsworth Jarrell, 1971- portrait of Angela Davis, civil rights activist, words make up her face

Revolutionary Sister

Dindga McCannon, 1971- a warrior sister, member of the Black Panthers

Meat Joy

Carolee Schneeman, 1964- freedom of sexual expression and femininity- thin line between violence and sexuality

Variations V

Merce Cunningham, 1966- PHENOMENOLOGY- relation of space and sound with the body, improv

Shoot

Chris Burden, 1971- risk of harm or death for the performance, how would the audience react

TV Hijack

Chris Burden, 1972- reflects violence prevalent on TV at the time, tension not knowing if it was a performance or not, Video Art

Seedbed

Vito Acconci, 1972- forced intimacy and not being able to react true connection, sensory

Through the Night Softly

Chris Burden, 1973- risk of harm to body for the art, machismo sense of confidence/assuredness

Theme Song

Vito Acconci, 1973- trying to appeal to viewer, close up view, can’t reach through the barrier of the camera

A Nonsite

Robert Smithson, 1968- trying to contain a portion of nature in a clean, geometric gallery setting

Bounce

Lynda Benglis, 1969- Feminist critique of Polluck, making a mess as a woman instead of cleaning one up

Asphalt Rundown

Robert Smithson, 1969- site specificity, introduction of chance, ENTROPY from the concrete’s deterioration

One Ton Prop

Richard Serra, 1969- critique of minimalism (post-minimalism)- narrative created by all the sides holding each other up

Gutter Corner Splash: Night Shift

Richard Serra, 1969/1995- site specific, meant to be destroyed after leaving the gallery space, conforms to the shape of the gallery

Spiral Jetty

Robert Smithson, 1969-1970- pilgrimage to get there, changes based on the weather and the water levels, based on the mystique of Indigenous burial mounds

Lightning Field

Walter de Maria, 1970-1977- rural New Mexico, tension caused by the dependency on the weather’s compliance for the lightning to strike

Mirrors of Light

Nancy Holt, 1974- philosophical visual to shifting perspectives of the self

Sun Tunnels

Nancy Holt, 1976- liminal space, cardinal directions, maps out constellations, connection with nature

Tilted Arc

Richard Serra, 1981- large industrial wall forcing people to walk around it

Twenty Six Gasoline Stations

Ed Ruscha, 1963- Text + pop art man, text is meant to give as little context as possible, complete removal of any trace of the artist, comment on consumer art products

Grapefruit

Yoko Ono, 1964- meant to be destroyed after use, Event Scores- instructions that are carried out by the viewer, not the artist

One and Three Chairs

Joseph Kosuth, 1965- image, object, and text definition, theory around which truly encapsulates the thing and which holds the most value

The True Artist is an Amazing Luminous Fountain

Bruce Nauman, 1966- identity as an artist and what an artist is supposed to do to function in society

The True Artist Helps the World by Revealing Mystic Truths

Bruce Nauman, 1967- text as the commodity, “Slogan of Transcendence”, text has aura and narrative

MoMA Poll

Hans Haacke, 1970- politics in conceptualism, brings audience participation to the forefront, INSTITUTIONAL CRITIQUE- calls out Rockefeller and MoMA simultaneously

Manhattan Real Estate Holdings, a Real-Time Social System, as of May 1, 1971

Hans Haacke, 1971- political statement against corrupt landlords, puts their crimes on the gallery wall

The Bowery in Two Inadequate Descriptive Systems

Martha Rosler, 1974-1975- relationship between text and image, connotation, two ways to document that are both unsuccessful, photography as a SUPPLEMENT

Vagina Painting

Shikego Kobuta, 1965- body and specifically the vagina as the artist’s hand- feminist body politics- feminist CRITIQUE of Polluck- Like Lynda Benglis

Womanhouse

Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro, 1972- founders of CalArts Feminist Program, destigmatization of the female body and commentary on the trauma of the housewife

ArtForum Ad

Lynda Benglis, 1974- idea of blending and equality between male and female- both and neither, freeing from stigmatization of sexuality

The Dinner Party

Judy Chicago, 1974-1979- historical celebration of 39 women, reclaiming the idea of craft for women as a serious pursuit

Interior Scroll

Carolee Schneeman, 1975- fighting back against the critics of “messy female art” and people who criticized her openness about sexuality and the body- meant to shock

Semiotics of the Kitchen

Martha Rosler, 1975- built up aggression because of the stress/trauma of being a housewife- stripped of identity and any self purpose

Silueta Series

Ana Mendieta, 1976- impression of her body in nature- connection to nature and her religion of Santeria

Body Tracks (Rastros Corporales)

Ana Mendieta, 1982- performance with red paint and animal blood, abstract version of her form, red to symbolize violence against women

Who’s Afraid of Aunt Jemima

Faith Ringgold, 1983- story quilt rejecting the stereotype of Aunt Jemima, uplifting Black women

Pryings

Vito Acconci, 1971- role of the camera in an act that doesn’t directly address it, commentary on the selective viewing of the American public

Global Groove

Nam June Paik and John Godfrey, 1973- right at the end of the Vietnam War, meant to unify people of all walks of life through dance, music, and technology

Vital Statistics

Martha Rosler, 1977- concerned with EUGENICS- first a live performance later adapted for video, focused around striving for desirable qualities, voyeuristic view from only one camera angle

Technology/Transformation: Wonder Woman

Dara Birnbaum, 1978-1979- repeating clips of Wonder Woman transforming, caught in limbo between every day life and larger than life status- turned into an object of sexualized, performative feminism

Free, White, and 21

Howardena Pindell, 1980- scenes of her recalling racist traumatic memories from her past, cuts to scenes of her trying to cover up, hide, or disguise herself as a white woman to avoid discrimination- lastly peels off skin layer as a “rebirth”