Post 4 Karla Villar

POST #4: Curatorial Activism and Art Intervention

 ༶•┈┈┈♛ Quotes ♛┈┈┈•༶ 

 

✦ The Art of Activism. Chapter 2. 

 

☽ Pag.58 “Working collaboratively presents new challenges to be perfect.” 

As a person who has a hard time during group projects, these kinds of projects are such a challenge. Finding the balance between everybody's ideas is an exhausting process but necessary for the success of the project. Also, I find very useful group projects help us to everyone as each one will have other people that can add to the idea or solve challenges through the process and creating and/or solving questions that were not there in the first place. 

 

☽ Pag. 66 “It may be helpful to bring in a friend or two here and have them also critique what you are doing, as they’ll be able to see things you may not. This evaluation phase is the most difficult phase to master and we’ll return to it many times in this book.” 

This is what I meant in the past quote. The importance of other perspectives is crucial when it comes to art, especially for the kid of art we are studying; activism art. A false step and we could probably create a disconnected piece. Even if the piece is not trying to be towards activism of art aspect, sometimes art without enough research can create a piece that feels out of place. For example, creating a flyer to promote tourism for a zone in Japan and one of the elements placed on the flyer is Korean origin. Bringing people, especially people who could have different experiences or knowledge as you look at your projects during the process would help you progress and exploit more the developing concept until we have a finished piece. 

 

✦ TOWARD A CURATORIAL ACTIVISM by Dr. Maura Reilly 

 

☽ Pag. 4 “...that give voice to those who have been historically silenced or omitted from the ‘master narrative’.” 

Multiple times, people just bring their attention to socially marginalized groups when it benefits them; monetary, politically, entertainment, you name it. However, when it comes to them, they try to use a bit of the little power they have on themselves and speak out, that when people start to go crazy and saying, “that’s too woke”. Some people are just mad that the rope they had kept on these marginalized groups is starting to slowly slip out of their hands. 

 

☽ Pag.7 “Why were they knowledgeable about racially-motivated violence in a country on the other side of the world, yet unaware of what was happening in their own backyard?” 

Truly, sometimes it makes me sad when informative media as the news decides to put more focus about outside the country news (even if they what is happening in the country is worse), avoid talking what is happening inside or either over exaggerating or watering it down, and finally, taking all that rage towards a vulnerable group instead on more serious problems. Sometimes it enrages me when nowadays I feel more informed by social media by the news itself. 

 

༶•┈┈┈♛ Questions ♛┈┈┈•༶

⓵ What is an art intervention?  

An art intervention are those pieces which are made not to please the masses but to break the rules and question this same art rules. Being shown more as a concept rather than a finished idea. Creating a space for discussion in what we consider and what we don’t consider “true art” and showing what the museums and popular galleries usually don’t put or pay attention to. 

 

⓶ How can artists create messages for an audience that inspire change in a community? 

For artists to create messages that can inspire a change in the community, I believe there are two ways to do it: the first one is bringing issues that occur in the community. These problematics could be those that are not talking that much on the media, or it can be widely known, either way, by bringing attention this way people will start to realize there is a need for change. Second, problematics outside that community, so people will realize they have to do something before it affects them, directly or indirectly. Either way, bringing attention to any level; local, national, international and even world-wide, will make people start creating questions: why is this way? How did we get to this point? Is there any way we can help? How can we raise our voice for those who have a boot in their throat and can’t speak out? For those under the radar? What will happen when we are next? What will happen to the next generation if we continue this?  

 

⓷ How can we use processes/habits to help design an art intervention strategy?  

Choosing a problematic that deeply concerns us. Start researching about it; origins, people that are getting affected by it, etc., especially looking at what YOU DO NOT KNOW about the topic. Looking for materials you already have or what you will need to achieve your goal.  

⓸What is curatorial activism? 

Curatorial activism is a type of art activism which looks to give a space and time for those who had been hidden or denied access to the mainstream spotlight. 

 

 ⓹ How can art spaces and exhibitions function to expand art activism? 

Art galleries and exhibitions who provide a place for art from those who have been marginalized and want to bring attention to problematics that affects them directly or indirectly. Viewers will start to questionthe systems which have initiated these problematics and hopefully start their own research and look around to see what other problematics exist.  

 

༶•┈┈┈♛ Brainstorm for midterm ♛┈┈┈•༶: 

 

My most visualized idea for the midterm project is a topic that shacked my country is, just to put it on simple words: legalization of marital rape and making harder for rape cases (specially on children or underage people) getting justice as it put a limit on time when that crime can be denunciated. 

“Regalo de Bodas” will be about the first one, I want to showcase a newlywed couple, but the groom will be showing its back to the viewer, and the bride will be looking directly at us. She will be in a destroyedweeding dress, showing visible signs of abuse, a chain around her being hold by her husband (symbolizing she is seen as property by the very person that is supposed to love her), her bouquet will be destroyed and going from white to red with red drops. The name of the piece comes from the popular belief that the newlyweds need to have sex on their first night as husband and wife. The “Wedding Gift” being the virginity of the bride. 

On the other hand, the other one I have not named yet, but my idea is to show the lower part of a torso, the intime parts will be covered by a timer that is going fast, barely the numbers can be seen. Symbolizing the counter going fast is the time that is invisible for a victim of abuse, as that abuse can be forgotten, and it becomes part of them, destroying them forever. But also, to starters, why put a “deadline” for that kind of crime? And what doesn't tell us they will be lowering it until rapist can walk away with it. So, the timer having numbers that are barely readable by the speed of it, means how in any moments this “deadline” can be changed.