Artists, Ideas, and Practices

As I think about the how western culture is represented, I am interested by how lack of representation and diversity plays a role in the government in the US. I think it is almost funny, but also sad, that white males are the ones that have primarily represented the US through the role of president, while the US consists of so many more identities beyond white male.

I found this image really interesting, as a generalisation of culture does not apply to every individual within that culture, so I feel like this is misleading and only representing a certain % of the population. 

As we wrap up the first semester, I wanted to take my final blog posts to explore an idea that I feel I have not delved into enough and that I still question. I read through my notes that I made throughout the semester, and found myself stuck on the following quote from ‘There is No Such Thing as Civilisation’ by Kwame Anthony Appiah: “If western culture were real, we wouldn’t spend so much time talking about it.” My initial reaction to reading this was, how can western culture not exist? I interpreted it as saying that because western culture is an imaginary concept, we (cultures, people, and organizations that idolize western ideologies) pay an extensive amount of attention to it. As I stared at my notes for a while to allow myself to process what was being stated, I realized that western culture is not real, because in its place exists a constructed illusion of what western culture primarily is. This constructed illusion is like a thick film that presents how white, privileged people live, and that heavily blurs the lives of all other identities that contribute to western culture. I am starting to think that because the general perception of western culture is so false and mystified, it is seen to be something beyond reality. The lies and misconception of what is presented make ‘western culture’ seem unattainable, and I think it is in human nature to want what you cannot have. The constructed image of western culture is impossible to recreate, as it is not real. I can conclude with the idea that if western culture’s representation was accurately presented and understood for every single diverse aspect, it would be normal and realistic. And I think in human nature, normal and real can be seen as boring. I wonder if this is why other cultures are so intrigued by western culture and its trends, lifestyles, and businesses.

I enjoyed reading this article about why we as humans will always have differences in beliefs and ideologies.

I think this is a beautiful depiction of the idea that humans can live in unity and can respect one another, however I think as you grow older you realise that people will always have a different idea of how to rule or change the world. We can only hope that the respect we are taught to have as children remains. 

While learning more about the Project Row Houses by Rick Lowe, I found myself heavily disagreeing with an idea expressed in the video: “We could possibly think of the world as this big sculpture, and that it is being shaped all the time. If we are careful about how it's shaped, we can determine what it looks like.” I found myself snarking at this comment because although it is beautifully said and wonderfully optimistic, I see it to be incredibly cheesy and unrealistic. I feel that this metaphor revolves around the idea that humanity can exist in unity and cohesion, and that it is possible for everyone to live harmoniously. Perhaps I am too pessimistic, but I do not think this is realistic in any way as there will always be sets of contrasting beliefs and ideologies. I think humanity has the potential to exist on a foundation of respect for one another, however, I do not think that “we,” whether that is as a family, a society, a country, or as humankind, can ever really mold the sculpture as planned. I see our human existence to be based on trial and error, but we live hoping for the best. I think it is beautiful to see potential in ourselves as humankind, however, I think the idea that we can shape the sculpture of the world is naive and even overwhelming. I think it would be better to think of the world as being composed of many, many tiny sculptures, that all contribute to the overall shape. I think in this way, one can be active in shaping their community, their environment, their family, or even their own lives to better the sculpture that they are part of. I find this to be a more comforting idea and allows people the freedom to live their own lives without feeling the weight of the entire world on their shoulders.

How to recognise white privilege because it exists!

Obviously there is overrepresentation of white women occurring, and underrepresentation of all other Dutch women!! This is a form of white privilege.

As I reviewed the reading Pop Art and Vernacular Cultures by Kobena Mercer, one idea that stuck out to me was that “institutional presentation of modern art is associated with insularity…” I actually had to look up the definition of insularity because I was unfamiliar with the term. Insularity: the ignorance of foreign cultures, peoples, and ideas. I find it interesting, and in a way sad, that I, a privileged white woman, did not know what the word insularity meant. I think the reason behind this is because I never needed to know the definition as it never applied to any of my first hand experiences. I grew up in various countries, including Italy, Belgium, the US, and England, but in each of those countries people of my gender representation and skin color do not go unrepresented as they are not considered foreign. Although I feel foreign when I am in any of those countries, I never feel foreign and never go ignored because I look the part. I am consciously aware of ignorance taking place towards other groups of people and actively work towards bringing awareness to this ignorance, however my experiences are not ones that directly affect me. The only reason I learned the word insularity is because I studied ignorance of other people and cultures in the art world, not because I have experienced it. Although I can not change my upbringing and privilege, I think it is important to continue to recognise my privilege as I learn more and more about ignorance of peoples and cultures.

Different states have different cultures and experiences - it would be great if more americans left their home state to gain cultural exposure.

When reading Pop Art and Vernacular Cultures by Kobena Mercer, I learned the Latin root of the word vernacular: Verna, meaning ‘home-born slave.’ The word vernacular means “the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region.” I started thinking about this definition in relation to the word’s root meaning, and my gatherings are that someone who is born in one place and does not leave or become exposed to other ways of living is a slave to that place. The word slave describes the experience in what I feel to be such a harsh manner, yet I do see some truth to it when I think of people I know that lack exposure to other cultures. Whether it be never leaving an area as small as a home town or as big as a country, such as the U.S., I have noticed (at least in the people I know) that the longer they go without leaving, the less they care to experience other cultures and the more ignorant they become to perspectives besides their own. It’s like they become so used to their current way of living, that they are afraid to make changes to their lives, or simply do not care to. However, not everyone has the same way of living as my rich republican uncle who has never left the country because of a lack of interest. I think what triggered this thought process was the word slave because my immediate thoughts were: “isn’t the quality of everyone's life experiences subjective? who is to say whose life is more valuable? if someone never wants to leave their home, is that really something that should be frowned upon?” I think that everyone is entitled to make their own life decisions based on what is best for them, as well as what is available to them. Not everyone can afford to leave their home town, travel outside of their home country, or do online research on foreign cultures. However, perhaps if they are stuck in this one place due to whatever circumstances, then in a sense they are actually a slave to their home. I suppose my overall thoughts so far are that people who are ignorant of other ways of living are either slaves to their level of comfort, or slaves to the lack of opportunity.

Questioning a system is seen as protesting - its not. 

This brainstorming brought me to the next question that I think many artists find themselves pondering over: is the pressure of a deadline more success-inducing for production? I suppose this is subjective, and every artist has a different answer. I think in terms of this ‘capitalist’ class structure found in many schools, perhaps it is flawed in the way that it is not personalized for every student; every student is expected to follow the same structure, even though every student has a different mentality and approach to production. I wonder if giving more freedom to the artists in art schools would assist them in creating more meaningful, personalized art, or if it would result in a lazy, unmotivated group of artists.

 A piece by Nicole Awai using nail polish (among other materials).

People often make jokes about being politically correct, and argue that people are extreme in trying to be inclusive. I often hear this rebuttal when I try to prove a point that something is offensive or exclusive.