Summative Post: Contextualisation

Collage Artists
My initial research didn’t inform my final exhibition piece directly, but at the beginning stages of developing ideas, it assisted my collage development and made me think more about techniques used to grab attention such as exaggeration and quantity used by Terry Gilliam and Peter Blake. This progressed with me throughout my subject work; thinking about techniques to gain and then retain attention.
Post #1: https://lounomeat.wordpress.com/2014/10/10/term-1-subject-collage-artists/

Patricia Piccini
The first particularly relevant artist research I conducted didn’t relate to my work in terms of medium, but it terms of how the viewer responds to the work; creating an uncomfortable and intriguing piece to look at which forces the viewer to reflect on controversial topics. In this instance; genetic modification. I wanted to try and create that kind of viewing experience.
Post #2: https://lounomeat.wordpress.com/2014/10/24/term-1-subject-the-chapman-brothers-and-contemporary-artists/

Sue Coe
I discovered Sue Coe whilst researching for my dissertation. Her grim and grisly depictions of slaughterhouses across the US aren’t too overly graphic whilst maintaining the tragic reality. Again, this is a quality I wished to adopt into my own paintings.
Post #3: https://lounomeat.wordpress.com/2015/02/06/term-2-sue-coe-dead-meat/

Dissertation Research
#4: A huge contextual input for my exhibition work is derived from the research conducted for my dissertation. As I was looking at advertising campaigns for animal rights, I discovered and analysed the successful techniques used to interest an audience. After learning these techniques, I thought that some of them, such as interactivity and empathy, could be effectively utilised within my own art work. I have tried to do this by using reflection in my paintings, so the viewer can see their own eyes, as well as empathy by naming each piece a human name to encourage comparison between animal and human in an effort to show that animals should be treated with more respect.

The Chapman Brothers
The Chapman Brothers tackle controversial topics within their artwork, as I am trying to within mine. The wide stares of the subjects in some pieces leave the viewer uneasy, and this I have tried to utilise in my own pieces with the blank mirror eyes.
Post #5: https://lounomeat.wordpress.com/2015/02/12/term-2-the-chapman-brothers/

Term 2: Contacting Animal Welfare Groups

After the last tutorial, it was suggested to me that I send some of my work to animal welfare groups to try and receive some feedback from relevant organisations.

I composed the following message:

Dir Sir or Madam,

I am a third year Fine Art student at Cardiff Met, and this year I have based both my dissertation and subject work on the theme of animal rights and animal welfare.

For the exhibition at the end of the year, I am creating paintings to try and make people re-think their perceptions of animals. The paintings are done on mirrors – the eyes of the animals are left blank and mirrored to create a ‘thousand yard stare’ until the point when your own eyes are positioned correctly and reflect back at you. This will hopefully force people to draw comparisons between themselves and animals, and also give each person an individual interactive experience.

It was suggested to me that I contact animal welfare groups and gain some feedback on these ideas.

I have attached a few photographs of some sample paintings. If someone would be able to provide feedback in any context, it would be greatly appreciated.

Louise Davies.

I have sent this message, along with photographs of some examples of my paintings, to four organisations so far: Cruelty Free International, BUAV, and Anti-Fur Society via their Facebook groups, and Animal-Aid via their webpage.

UPDATE

I received a response from Cruelty Free International regarding my work:

Term 2: Yayoi Kusama

During the formative assessment on ‘Ideas’, fellow student Rianna suggested looking at ‘The Passing Winter’ by Yayoi Kusama. This piece is a glass cube into which the viewer is invited to look. Inside, the cube is mirrored so that it reflects itself, the openings to look through, and even other viewers peering in. It’s a changing artwork; colours altering with the environment outside.

‘The Passing Winter’

Inside view

The infinite and endless reflections within the cube reminded me of a similar piece spanned over a whole room. On researching, I found it is actually also by Yayoi Kusama.

‘Mirror Room (Pumpkin)’, 1991

These infinite, continuous reflections add surreal depth and also confusion. Like a ‘hall of mirrors’ at a fair ground, these rooms are confusing – which are the real walls, and which are reflections?

Kusama’s work is making me think about re-reflecting my own work. Perhaps one painting reflected numerous times within a small room would feel claustrophobic, and effectively represent both the sheer volume of animals used in testing as well as the cramped, trapped conditions and excessive use of animals who are thought of only as statistics by so many.

Term 2: Jonty Hurwitz

I have been trying to research artists who use mirrors within paintings. This has proven to be quite difficult; I have yet to find any artist who physically incorporates mirrors into painted pieces, or paints onto mirrors. However, Jonty Hurwitz uses mirrors in a different way.

‘The Kiss of Chytrid’

Using acrylic, resin, powder and steel, Hurwitz creates elongated, distorted sculptures. Only on reflecting these sculptures in a convex mirror do you see what the sculpture really is; a frog.

I like the concept of things only being made sense of through the use of something else; this sculpture via the mirror. Without the mirror, the sculpture simply looks like a stretched piece of clay. My work doesn’t especially relate, but it does capture a similar idea; using a mirror to complete the artwork and add the final element. In this case, making sense of a sculpture. In my case, bringing the eyes of animal paintings to life.

Term 2: Judging a Book by its Cover [2]

After the success of choosing books randomly, James asked the group to all go and try this method of selecting books from the library. My purposeful selection was ‘Mirrors in Mind’ by Richard Gregory. However, it is more a history of the mirror rather than artists who work using mirror. I have been, as of yet, unable to find artists who paint onto mirrors, or use mirrors within paintings.

My random choice was ‘Flor Garduno bestiarium’ by U. Bar Verlag, chosen due to the title, ‘Beastiarium’, and the cover photograph; a man sat beneath a constructed model bull.

Whilst this book portrays animals being used or depicted in a manner of ways, I am unable to understand why or what is happening, as all the text is in German. This leaves me guessing as to what the photographs are about. This lack of understanding incites curiosity and intrigue. It feels as if the photographs are contradictory; some show people with their horses or cows, or making models of animals as hats etc. This implies a level of respect for their fellow creatures. However, other photographs depict disembodied hooves strung up on the wall or miniature crocodiles tied together and held up by a young woman. In contrast; a lack of care for animal life.

Such a contrast is confusing, and intriguing – it makes me want to translate the text in order to further understand the photographs. I am trying to create this kind of compulsion to learn more by painting isolated, distorted animals which make the viewer think and contemplate.

Term 2: Judging a Book by its Cover

After a tutorial with James Green, it was suggested that we go to the library and choose some books randomly. He suggested that sometimes, on choosing books randomly, you find topics or artworks by chance that you would never normally look for. I decided to go to the library and choose some books based on a premise which is frowned upon; judging them solely by their cover. I found two books: ‘Carnivalesque’ by National Touring Exhibitions, and Oleg Kulik’s ‘Art Animal’. Both possessed covers which intrigued me.

‘Carnivalesque’ initially caught my attention due to its distortion of the face; the portrayal of a normal person in an abnormal way. On reading the book, distortion and exaggeration seem to be a large part of the carnival scene. This book portrays carnival artworks or depictions of carnival activities; most of which are macabre, disturbing, vulgar and primitive. These are qualities I am trying to capture in my art work, and thus the artworks portrayed in this book may be of great value. What makes something ‘disturbing’ or ‘vulgar’? And why are we drawn to such things out of macabre interest? Carnivalesque implies that confusion and strange imagery creates the feeling of unease; we are not familiar with these images, and unfamiliarity is a scary thing.

‘Art Animal’ caught my attention mainly due to the comparison of man and animal; an integral part of many animal welfare campaigns, and thus a necessary and worthwhile area of research. Kulik portrays himself as a wild dog on a leash within many performances, including one where he is naked and chained in an empty room, and one member of the ‘audience’ is allowed in to interact with him. Despite knowing he is a normal man acting as a dog, there is a nervous tension as Kulik seems unpredictable. He is reconnecting with wild instinctual aspects of ourselves we have long forgotten. This wild and erratic performance does not make the audience favourable toward wild animals. It does, however, portray what animals really are; wild and free, rather than tamed and caged to be used by us.

However, this book has also made me question where animal cruelty and abuse actually begins. Two performances of Kulik’s brought this point to my attention during group tutorial discussion.

‘Deep into Russia’

‘Meet my Boyfriend Charles’

‘Deep Into Russia’ shows Kulik with his head in the vagina of a cow, apparently in an attempt to be ‘born anew’. Is this animal abuse? The cow may or may not have been in discomfort, but in comparison to mechanical artificial insemination, meat production, etc. is this on the same level? Equally, ‘Meet my boyfriend Charles’ depicts Kulik in bed, kissing a goat. The goat has no real choice in this matter, therefore is this abuse?

Term 2: Red Dragon (Film)

The ‘mirror eyes’ concept I am exploring reminded me of the film ‘Red Dragon’ in which a serial killer places mirrors in the eyes of his victims.

Still from ‘Red Dragon’

In the film, the killer smashes up all mirrors in the house in order not to see his own deformities, and uses the pieces ‘to make the eyes look alive’; he wanted an audience for his twisted actions.

Similarly, in my work, I want the animals eyes in my paintings to seem alive, and so reflecting the viewer’s own eyes back at them gives it this realism. It also forces comparison to be drawn between animal and person.

Term 2: The Chapman Brothers

Jake and Dinos Chapman are known for their dark, shocking and controversial art work. These are all elements which could be utilised effectively within my own art work.

‘J’appelle un Chat une Chatte’, 2001

In this piece, and variations of the same theme, characteristics are distorted and replaced with human features. This combination and comparison of characters makes the cat more human; the nose, ears and mouth becoming more relate-able.

‘Like a Dog Returns to its Vomit’, 2005

This piece is one from a collection of the same title. I find it quite disturbing; the excessively wide, staring eyes seem almost ‘sweet’ but combined with a maniacal toothy grin, it takes on a more unpredictable turn. The creatures seem untrustworthy and distorted, which leaves the viewer feeling uneasy.

‘One Day You Will No Longer Be Loved, No. 3’

From the series ‘One Day You Will No Longer Be Loved’

These two paintings from the same series also portray qualities I would like to capture: distortion of the faces makes the viewer think more about the concept; the degradation of the self until we no longer exist. Wide staring eyes in the second painting also implies the subject is crazed, it is disturbing and unblinking – unnaturally open.

I hope to create pieces that unsettle the viewer enough to think more in depth about the work.

Term 2: Sue Coe ‘Dead Meat’

Having decided to completely change the path of my art pieces and produce paintings, I decided to try and find famous animal rights artists. When writing my dissertation, I read ‘Dead Meat’ by Sue Coe. It turned out not to be relevant to the dissertation as such, but her art works are certainly relevant to my work.

Sue Coe traveled across the US gaining access to slaughterhouses and painting her own depictions of what she saw there.

‘Egg Machines’

‘Gassing hogs, 6 at a time, instead of one at a time, more profitable for the industry’

Coe’s illustrations are dark and macabre; usually a grim swathe of grey. Faces of people are unemotional and blank. There is real tension in these paintings and effectively portray mass, inhumane killing in a bleak and depressing environment.

I intend to try and capture a level of morbidity of the reality of life for a lab animal in my paintings, but I am not sure how to do this. Perhaps monotone, grayscale, with just a hint of colour would be more effective than bright paintings.

Term 1: Philadelphia Wireman

During this week’s pre-assessment tutorial, I showed the work I had done since the previous tutorial with James. He suggested getting a few, or even just one, of my scans printed larger on quality paper. He also suggested building up my duck sculpture even more, and appreciated my idea of including used lighters, bottle tops and plastic rubbish (as seen in ‘Midway Island’) to do this, as well as possibly using bird feces and feathers found at Roath Park, or wax and oil which are detrimental to wildlife. James said I should collect more soft toys and create more of such sculptures.

James proposed that I look at accumulative art, which are sculptural pieces created by continually adding materials to amass together and become a sculpture. There is an example of this at the Artes Mundi. I intend to visit this piece.

He also mentioned that I should look at/research the history of prisoners chewing bread in order to make sculptures (I could also look at other ‘outsider’ art mediums), the books “Voodoo” and “African Art that Conceals and Reveals”, and the Philadelphia Wireman.

Philadelphia Wireman is a name given to an unknown artist. His works – thousands of small-scale abstract wire sculptures – were found by accident by an art student after his death. His motives and reasoning for these works are, as he is, unknown.


These pieces incite intrigue and curiosity – especially since nothing is known about them or the artist. To me, these pieces reflect entrapment. Perhaps the artist was isolated and alone; trapped in his house with no way of expression besides his own art works. Trapping and restraining everyday objects and bits of rubbish within thick wire is inspiring to my animal sculptures. I may try using wire within my sculptures to echo this entrapment.