Chiharu Shiota is a Japanese performance and installation artist who is based in Berlin. Shiota’s work appealed to me because of how intricate and detailed they seem. She is known for having huge installations, often made of materials such as thread and yarn. 

I liked this particular installation because she included the wider community. She collected 6000 letters from all over the world, which had the words. “I hope..” on them. She encouraged her participants to complete the sentences with their hopes and dreams for the future in any language, or with drawings if they wished to do so. Shiota wanted to connect and comfort her audience during these uncertain times by reassuring them that hope connects us all, and to stay hopeful for the future. 

“I Hope…” is her most recent work. The exhibition opened January 12th, 2021. You can visit virtually here:

https://www.koeniggalerie.com/exhibitions/28966/current-katharina-grosse-at-30/

Ananda Nahu was born in 1985 in Bahia, Brazil. She is a graffiti artist and is world renowned for her elaborate murals.  Her murals are produced from a combination of using stencils and free hand paintings. They are detailed, vibrant and incredibly beautiful. I really like the patterns and beauty in her work but also that her work brings art to all in urban areas.        

Her work is ‘united with characters that transmit messages of strength, beauty and positivity that reflect all of the beautiful and divine nature of the human being’ (Nahu, 2021).

In 2015 Ananda was selected by CNN style as ‘one of the redefining artists of Brazil.’  Her art seeks to promote diversity and inclusion. In recent years Brazil’s population has changed with fifty-five per cent of the country now identifying as black or of mixed heritage. However, this is not reflected proportionally within the workplace, with Ananda bringing particular focus towards representation in the media and on television (Bloomberg, 2017).   
I particularly like this painting. I think it would make a very interesting art project, for our year six class, encompassing both transition and aspirations. Ananda’s painting represents the child writing her own future. The red and yellow leggings the child is wearing symbolize hope and perseverance, the flames are the fire which comes from within to create something better for oneself. The same pattern then blends into the floor adding the suggestion that your creative fire and drive will lead to success.  The image behind portrays the child as an adult, thriving and working.  Ananda has also worked on projects in the United Kingdom.     

References

Bloomberg (2017) Celebrating the Awakening of Black Consciousness in Brazil. Available at   https://www.bloomberg.com/company/stories/celebrating-awakening-black-consciousness-brazil/(Accessed: 31 January 2021).

Nahu, A (2021) Ananda Nahu. Available at https://www.anahu.com/copia-bio. (Accessed: 31 January 2021). 

· She is known for her sculptures, videos, photography, installation, digital imagery and performance pieces which often involve surreal or science fiction-like objects and imagery. 

The artist’s work appeals to me as the futuristic theme, colour pallet and display of Japanese culture intrigues me. I find it interesting how people picture the future and how drastically different it can be to the worlds current state. The sculptures she has created embody the idea of surreal and clean finish future. The holographic and black pallet she often uses is also interesting as I feel it stands out and can only be appropriate or applied in art. Mariko’s has a fascination with technology and spirituality and she believes that technology is a means of transcending and transforming consciousness and self. This is shown in her present work.

Isa Genzken is a contemporary German artist from Berlin, widely known for her sculptures and installation art which employ various different materials, including bric-a-brac, concrete, wood, plaster and textile. She is also recognized for her works in photography, video, film and collage.

Born in 1948 in Bad Oldesloe, Genzken studied fine arts and art history, before completing her studies at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf in the late 1970s, during which she was greatly influenced by Constructivism and Minimalism, styles and philosophies still seen in her works today.

As part of her profound interest, which is deeply grounded in urban space, Isa Genzken arranges complex installations featuring mannequins, dolls, photographs, and a wide array of found objects.

 
Alexia is a South African photographer and the winner of the 2013 ArtRaker award. The reason I have chosen Alexia is because of her current ongoing project ‘Refugee Street Studios’. Alexia visits refugee camps and sets up portrait studios which anyone is welcome to visit and receive a printed photograph for free. The first studio was set up in 2014 in city of Goma in D.R Congo. Over 700 people came to get photos of their selves of their family taken. Alexia believes ‘The images human beings seem to treasure the most are of ourselves, our loved ones and our ancestors. Whether in war or security, poverty or wealth, a family photograph is a precious object. It affirms our identity and worth, and our place in humanity’. Her work appeals to me as I think it is an act of kindness to those who are often forgotten or negatively labelled. Her time and effort give disadvantaged people the opportunity to feel valued and important. 

Nkosi is a multi-media artist. She sees painting as a way of notation, of actively processing thoughts and reflections. Her compelling paintings are part of a larger collection of stories in a diverse array of mediums such as video, installation, and performance, with a strong emphasis on collaboration and communication.
 Heroes is a series of oil portraits first shown in 2013 and has since grown in number of subjects, artistic development and exposure, having gained international acclaim when showcased at ‘Being There’, a contemporary South African exhibition at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris (2017). 
 Nkosi’s work investigates power and its structures – political, social, architectural. 
I chose Nkosi her art is about being united, working together, to change history which is our present.

·      The ‘Refugee Street Studios’ have now had more than 700 participants. The main reason that most people took part is the opportunity for families to get free family portraits. This is something many people will take for granted however for the people taking part this may be the first and only family photo that they own. 

·      The Refugee Street Studios was a joint venture by Webster and artist Michael Saal after seeing men in South African offering to take photos of friendship groups and use a portable printer to print their photos. 

·      These studios have been set up in Mexico, India, Madagascar, South Africa and the USA. 

Ahn’s work appeals to me as I have a huge interest in fashion (in particular trainers) and I believe that fashion is a great way of expressing yourself.  Ahn is a huge advocate for sustainable clothing and emphasises the importance of durable fashion and for consumers to buy less and to invest in pieces that last longer. She believes that sustainability is something that everybody needs to care about as it is an urgent matter and thinks that consumers and companies need to consider the significance of this issue. Further, Ahn believes in breaking gender stereotypes in fashion and does this through her gender defying designs.

Yoon Ahn, under her brand AMBUSH, has collaborated with multiple brands that are of interest to me such as A Bathing Ape, Nike, Off-White, LV, Dr. Martens and Sacai. Her designs are interesting because she does not have a unique fashion genre that she adheres to and she explores the relationship between everyday objects, jewellery and statement accessories. Her fascination with pop art references can be seen throughout her designs for both AMBUSH and Dior Homme. Her designs are mixed with themes referencing American and Tokyo hip-hop fashion styles which continue to be consistent within her innovative designs.

·       She was introduced to photography by the ‘Of Soul and Joy’ initiative funded by Rubis Mecenat.

·       Mazibuko is inspired by her own environment. She tells stories of people who live close to her, by documenting her own township. She takes photos of people in their own environment and homes.

·      Her work interests me as the photos are unposed and natural, they show a lot of emotion and document the everyday lives of the people living in this ( quite possibly difficult) community.  

·       She uses black and white film photography, which I like and have used myself/have an interest in.  
- her work and photos included majority men, this is due to the culture in the village. She speaks about men being more confident and happy to put themselves forward to be photographed. 

·       She has participated in numerous group exhibitions such as the Ghent Photo Festival, group exhibition at the Johannesburg Art Gallery, part of a group shows at the Turbine Art fair 2016 and has been awarded Warren Editions Artist of the year for 2017.

It is hard to believe that any woman has changed the face of art more than Annie Leibovitz, whose iconic portrait photography has spanned more than forty years. Inspired by photographers such as Robert Frank and Henri Cartier-Bresson, Leibovitz began her career as chief photographer at Rolling Stone magazine in 1973, a position she held for ten years before branching out on a solo career. Her work quickly became known for the intimate moments she seemed to capture with subjects she says “open their hearts and souls and lives to you.” Over the years, Leibovitz has photographed the Rolling Stones, John Lennon, Queen Elizabeth II, Miley Cyrus, Demi Moore, Dolly Parton, and so many more.  

Much of her most recent work appears in Vanity Fair magazine. I like Annie Leibovitz work as photography has always been a passion of mine, I love capturing moments my house is full of pictures. Annie did some work with celebrities recreating Disney moments which are a favourite of mine.  

Reminds me of scenes from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice in Wonderland: magic of the unknown and multiple perceptions and ideologies. Like the colours, shapes and range of demonstrations she creates

2.      When was it created?

Exhibition at the Tate Modern and Gallery ( 5 story) in Tokyo 

Life of the Pumpkin Recites – by Yayoi Kusama - All about the biggest love for the people - 2019

3.      Themes and ideologies that underpin the artwork

·       Shape

·       Colour

·       Circles and dots

·       Princess of Polka Dots

·       Agha explores love and loss through highly intricate and conceptually complex sculptures. Featuring delicate patterning, her work operates at the intersection of between differing cultures, people, and memories.

·       Working from her background in textile and fabric art and design, Agha uses a combination of textile processes such as embroidery, wax, dyes, and silk-screen printing within her drawings and paintings. She creates patterns based off ancient Islamic geometric patterns and Islamic interlace patterns through hand cutting, laser cutting, and sewing on paper. She uses embroidery as a drawing method to bridge the gap between modern materials and historical patterns of traditional oppression and domestic servitude.

Why does her work appeal to me?
 Anila’s art work appeals to me as I find her patterns and designs to be very creative and appealing. I also found interesting that she retrieves her patterns from Islamic geometric and Islamic interlace. This appeals to me as I am also Islamic and think that Islamic geometric and interlace is beautiful. I was also fascinated with where she was born, as I am not familiar with any artist in Pakistan.

•Hein Ko started building structures in 2011. One thing I like about Hein Ko is that a lot of her work always features ‘the eyes’ as she liked the idea that eyes were spiritual and allowed you to see into another realm. She enjoys a mix of realism and fantasy. She also depicts her emotion through her work. Having struggled with depression she also studied psychology so she could better understand depression. Of her she says a lot of it inspired by her children and the tears that you so often see in her work represent the struggles she faces.

•I love how her work is so vibrant yet has an emotional depth to it, her work to me speaks of life as life can be great (the vibrancy) but there will always be struggles (tears), we must overcome. 

Hatoum challenges the movements of surrealism and minimalism, making work which explores the conflicts and contradictions of our world. Her studies at the Slade School of Art coincided with developing ideas around gender and race, and she began to explore the relationship between politics and the individual through performance.

In the late 1980s she began to make installations and sculptures in a wide range of materials. These often use the grid or geometric forms to reference to systems of control within society. She has made a number of works using household objects which are scaled up or changed to make them familiar but uncanny.

(Hot Spot III - 2009)
Based around the theme of global conflict/ danger zone.

 Alexia Webster is a South African documentary photographer and video journalist based between Cape Town and Johannesburg. From creating family portrait studios in spaces of displacement to documenting youth culture movements, her work explores dislocation, identity, and intimacy. Her photographs have been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, WIRED, CNN, and Time magazine amongst others. She has received a number of awards such as the ArtRaker Award for Art in Conflict, the POPCAP award for Contemporary African Photography and the Frank Arisman Scholarship at the International Centre of Photography in New York City.

Webster is mostly known for her ‘Refugee Street Studios’ series which is an ongoing project that involves setting up a portable photographic portrait studio on the streets of refugee and IDP camps around the world. She invites anyone who wants to pose for free and they receive the printed photograph afterwards. She set up the first Studio in March 2014, in Bulengo IDP a camp just outside the city of Goma in the D.R. Congo, with a population of over 50,000 residents who ha fled fighting and violence from the north eastern regions of the country. Over 700 people attended the studio to be photographed, some even dressed up for the occasion. This temporary studio gave poverty-stricken and displaced people the opportunity to be photographed with their families. The studio was very successful. Webster explains ‘The images human beings seem to treasure the most are of ourselves, our loved ones and our ancestors. Whether in war or security, poverty or wealth, a family photograph is a precious object. It affirms our identity and worth, and our place in humanity.’ ‘A Village in the Clouds’ is an ongoing project of photographs taken in Hogsback, a village in the Amatola Mountains in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, where the artist’s great grandfather bought a piece of land in 1932. The location, clouded in mist, has been considered a sacred place for many generations. The series is an exploration of the village’s present and its history, and a search for ‘a glimpse of those spirits’, including her own ancestors, ‘who roam these ancient and haunted forests.’