I study theater in addition to studio art, and I believe that the combination of these two disciplines is reflected in my artwork. I enjoy creating work that tends to be visually bold and a bit spontaneous while following certain rules that are unique to each piece. I like to experiment with the combination of different materials and try to create art that has movement. My work usually is not based on any specific narrative, but I hope to create work that is still visually interesting.
Images from Final Exhibition (Dec 12 2015):
For more images, visit our Facebook albums of the end-of-semester exhibit: fb.me/4f3jIA7DH and fb.me/3qZqi8SEE
Images from Florence event CITYSCAPE ≤ X ≤ LANDSCAPE (Dec 3 2015):
Images of work-in progress:
Both Jerry Saltz and Carol Becker write about the importance of art and the artist within society. Saltz writes about art’s impact on the world in a theoretical way, considering it a form of knowledge and the reason why each artwork is “invented.” Becker writes in a more direct manner about how artists respond to world events. She says that that the reclusive artist is an ideal and that art students often do not know how to respond properly to the world around them. I find that I myself am clueless when it comes to figuring out what to make my art about, and that I find it difficult to make art based on my political position or global issues. At the same time, does art have to be about social or political issues or can an artist just create what he or she wants to create? Perhaps I ask this question because I, like the art students that Becker writes about, am still inexperienced and have not found a way to make my art relate to the world in a way that is neither overbearing nor isolated. However, I would like to become more aware of the things happening around me so that I can develop into a more mature artist and respond in the same way.
Response to “Blue of Distance” by Rebecca Solnit, from “Field Guide to Getting Lost”:
It is interesting to see how Solnit interprets the color blue as both a physical (distance from sky to earth) and an emotion (distance between friends, memories) way. I had always believed that since lapis lazuli was so precious during the Renaissance that painters like Giotto would cover their frescoes with blue as a show of their patrons’ wealth. However, Solnit offers another interpretation; that the artists were reveling in the phenomenon of blue. I find her interpretation more pleasant than the one I had previously believed. Solnit writes that blue is the color of distance and longing, and it does evoke the same type of emotion in me also. She notes that artists made more distant objects in their work actually bluer than closer objects. Perhaps in this case, human emotions are related to what is seen in the real world. Or maybe the eye perceives what the heart/mind feels. Because as Solnit writes, the sky blue and the ocean blue are just particles of light, and we are the ones perceiving the color. The final point I found interesting was how she writes that seeing physical objects from an event or place destroys our memories of it. I can relate to this statement, because I find that I do not enjoy taking photographs during a trip. Like Solnit, once I see the image, the wisps of memory I had of the event disappear and yet the image doesn’t seem quite right. Therefore, I tend to appreciate photographs for their image and not their attached memories. In any case, if the color blue could evoke so much in humans and how they see the world, could the same be true for other colors?
Response to excerpts from “Unstable Territories” catalog:
I found the first excerpt by Bradburne interesting because I happen to come from the emigration situation that he writes about. I find that despite being both Korean and American, I have boundaries that prevent me from identifying comfortably as either. Walter Guadagnini writes that a border basically exists only to be crossed. I hadn’t thought about borders in this way before, but now I realize that there is some truth to it. The term “border” does not generally come up in conversation unless someone is crossing it, invading it, trying to remove it, or threatening it in some way. A border does imply at least two separate groups, and its removal will cause either integration or domination of one group over the other. Continuing on the concept of borders, Nori writes about barriers, in this case mentioning technological barriers. I do not quite understand what these “technological barriers” are, but I might venture a guess and say that if one country is far more technologically advanced than its neighbor, it may prove difficult for migrants to adjust to life on the opposite side of the border that they originate from. The concepts of “the other” and borders are ideas that have always played a big part of how I grew up, but I have not realized that they had until now, let alone think about them from an artistic standpoint. These are definitely ideas that I will have to spend more time considering.
Reading response to “On the Being of Being an Artist” by Alfredo Jaar and “Shape of a Walk” by Rebecca Solnit:
Both of the readings were interesting because they talk about creating art being meaningful in some way. In the U.S, art (in education) is not as valued as mathematics, science, or law. However, Alfredo Jaar say that it is important, even necessary to create art. I do not know if I can agree with him in that “we make art because we have to.” Jaar is compelled by world events and his own past to make art that “is peace.” I would probably say that I personally do not have to make art, and that my own art has no special meaning. However, I still find myself devoting time and energy to create something that I say has no meaning. Perhaps like Jaar, I make art because I have to. I just haven’t developed my reasons for doing so. The second article describes the process of making art as a journey. It explains how artists incorporate many things, including performances into their work, and that the process is almost, if not as important as the end result. I personally found this intriguing because for me, a final image and the process or discoveries I happen to make in daily life do not really mix. The easiest way to describe this would be that while I spend time trying to figure out the best way to compose an image, I frequently (and intentionally) do not take photographs of beautiful and spontaneous things I happen across on walks. I like to think that I appreciate the subject more when I look at it and leave instead of fumbling around trying to capture an image. In this way, for me, processes and walks are completely separate from the artwork. However, both articles offer different insights into the creative process of art, and I may have to leave my comfort zone and attempt to pay attention to both process and meaning when I make art.
Personal bio:
Rina is currently a student at Mount Holyoke College and is majoring in studio art and theater. Originally from Los Angeles, she is always surprised by the New England winters and often finds herself regretting her wardrobe choices. In her spare time, she enjoys reading (but not writing), knitting, singing (but only in her head), and driving really fast.