Artist Influence

The different artist that I have looked have all influenced my work in different ways this post is just to explain how they influenced my work and inspired me.


The artist the feature rape and abuse:
Ana Mendieta, Nan Golding and Jeremy Szumczyk and although I haven't got a post for it i have also looked and the 2011 exhibition called off the beaten path as well. These are the artist that I have looked at in regards to giving me a better understanding of this subject that i am researching, its a very serious and sensitive subject and i think the main reason for me looking at these artist is so that i can get other people opinions on it, other peoples perspective, They all go about it in different ways with different materials and it was great for me to see this. How the worked with this subject Nan Golding way was to show her own experience and others abuse stories. Ana Mendieta was so effected by what she has read in the paper about a rape she had to respond to it by creating the same seine that had been reported, they all have different reasons for doing it none of them the same, its the same with the Off the beaten track exhibition lots of different artists showing you the same subject but in many many different ways. thats why i looked at these artist to get a better perspective on this subject.

The artist the work with material
Shelly Goldsmith, Susan Collis, and Alexander Mcqueen and again I haven't got a post about it but I briefly looked at The House of Worth too. I have all different reason for looking at all of these artists, The order i looked at them helped my work as it was a natural progression from one to the other. I started with Susan Collis for her embroidery work, it was this work which sent me in the direction of embroidery. At the time i was trying to work out how to show that Julia had been raped, how i could translate this onto fabric and Collis work had a great impact on how I went about looking into this her light embrodery made me realise that i wanted my marks that Julia's rapist left of her to be more prominent Which lead me to look at the embroidery of The House of Worth they had jackets that were just embroidered with flowers, swirls, decoration and although I like the idea of creating a pattered for embroidery with the idea that it was about her rapist but I still thought of Collis work and how it wasnt decretive. Then I looked at Shelly Goldsmith because of her work about a healing shirt, meant to heal you with the healing flowers printed onto it if you have been abused and i felt that it fitted in really well and this work of hers lead me to research into harmful flowers to represent the rapist, after this i then went on to look into harmful animals and finally came to having ravens as what is representing the rapist. Which is why I looked at Alexander Mcqueen although i Knew that i wanted to use embroidery to create my raven some of Mcqueens work had the look of having black animals flying out of the garments and this way great for me to look at as it started my thinking of composition and what would make the most impact.

Shelly Goldsmith

shelly Goldsmith creates her based around the idea that she putting something meaning full onto clothing. 

• she undertook formal art school training, firstly within the Textiles Department and latterly on my Masters degree within the Fine Art Department at the RCA. I learnt much of the craft and professional practice issues from working with other artists/makers.

this is a interview that the Vand A museum did on shelly and i feel that her answers cover all that i was going to research about her. 

How would you describe your work and your position within the Crafts world?

I locate myself on the cusp of craft and fine art. Process and making are very important to me, my work is underpinned by ideas or concepts. The concepts dictate the choice of materials, methods and context in which the work is explored and produced.

What type of materials do you prefer to use?

I use range of materials that are appropriate to the ideas I am exploring at that time and so this necessitates a wide engagement with different approaches and methods. I am interested in the craft of weaving, especially woven tapestry, and stitch related to clothing. I have used materials as far-ranging as silk, wool, glass and coal.

What would you most like to make that you haven't made so far?

I would like to make a piece that extends the use of scale in my work. Generally I tend to work quite small, and I think this is due to lack of concentrated time in the studio over the last few years.  I would like to work on a large installation and/or commission.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/i/interview-shelly-goldsmith-textiles-artist/

Susan Collis

• Collis uses different techniques to look at issues around craft, value and labour.
• She looks at everyday objects with everyday wear and tear marks. At first looks the marks seem accidental, not worth looking at in great detail.
• She is interested in shifting people perceptions on thing. 
• For example with her wooden step ladder covered with what seems like paint drops but it is in fact inlayed with diamonds, pearls, opals and other prize materials. 
• Her art work involves a huge amount of hidden labour, 
• Because of the hidden value in her work with she needs to use screws in her work she makes then gold and they have their own hallmark. 

http://www.seventeengallery.com/artists/susan-collis/

Alexander Mcqueen

Alexander Mcqueen

• Born London 17th march 1969. 
• In less than 10 years he has become the most respected fashion designer in the world. 
• 1996 appointed chief designer at the French Haute Couture House Givemchy. 
• At 20 he went to Milan where he was employed as Romeo Gigil's design assistant. 
• His shows are known for their emotional power and raw energy, along with romantic, contemporary and nature inspired. 
• Part of the inspiration that he draws into his work in the idea of contrasting elements, fragility and strength, tradition and modernity, fluidity and severity. 
• His work is also highly influenced by the traditional arts and crafts methods. 
• His work combines in depth working knowledge of British tailoring and fine workmanship of the French Haute couture atelier and impeccable finish of Italian manufacturing. 

Jeremy Szumczyk

Jeremy Szumczy

• Jeremy in a student at Gdansk's Academy of fine arts, On the 12th of october 2013 he produced a piece of work that made people very angry with what he had made. He had made a statue called 'Komm Krau' or 'Come Here Woman' it was shown in Gdansk then a few days later was removed by authorities. 
• The statue shows a soviet soldier raping a pregnant women as he holds a gun to her head, Szumczyk said that after he had researched the mass rape that the red army did as they made their way through Eastern Europe in 1944-45 he felt that he just had to express he's feeling and his end result was this emotional depiction of the red armies raping. For his work he was detained and he work was removed on monday the 14th. 
• The red army attacked any women between the age of 10 and 89 and to add to the torment and the humiliation the soldiers more often than not did this in front for the families. it is believed that as many as 2 million were raped by the red army, the unwanted pregnancies that sometimes followed meant babies abandoned and left to die. Stalin completely condoned rape saying that is was a way for his soldiers to be rewarded. For example his police chief Berin was said to have raped more than 100 school girls and young women by grabbing them off the streets into his car.  
• How many raped by the red army, Germany- 2million, Vienna- 70-100,00, Hungary- 50-200,000, and thousands in Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, and after all these fact and figures its not surprising that Szumczyk wanted to show some kind of justice for the women involved in this horrendous ordeal. 

Nan Goldin

Nan Goldin-

• Nan did a series which included her own experience of sexual abuse, this series of photographs contains images of sex, drugs, violence, domestic abuse, and more. She used these images so that she could record the truth of these women's view points, a view point that had rarely been explored before, mostly because the victims rarely speak out about their abuse. But in her image and the others in the series you can see the the pain and abuse that she is openly showing us. We can see in her own image that she has suffered pain with her bruise and her blood shot eye.    

• Heart shaped bruise- This is a photo filled with multiple meanings this image depicts a rape that has befell the women in this image, in this case sex can be used as a way to hurt a woman when they are at their most venerable, but normally sex in considered to most a act of love. So the heart in this image is showing that caring and loving side that sex should bring to a couple but the bruising represents the pain and the physical and mental scaring that rape leaves on anybody that is unfortunate enough to have it happen to them. 

• Born 12th september 1953, she is an American photographer. Nan was born in Washington D.C but grew up in Boston Massachusetts. 
• April 12th 1965 she and her parents were put to the test when her sister aged just 18 commited suicide. 
• She was introduced to camera at age 15 in 1968 when she enrolled at Satya Community school in  Lincoln. Following this her first solo photographic show was in Boston in 1973 it was based on her journey through the cities gay and transsexual communities. She graduated from the school of the museum of fine arts Boston/ Rufts university in 1977 when she was mostly using cibachrome prints. 
• After university she moved to New York and began following and documenting the post punk new wave music scene as well as the vibrant gay community, she often presents her work in the form of a slide show.     

Ana Mendieta

Ana Mendieta 

^ The rape scene ^

• The reason I looked at Ana Mendieta to start off with was because i came across her work "The rape scene" which then went with what i was looking at with my work but this its a dramatic and disturbing image filled with obvious abuse, blood and violent dark shadows that hides the fact that her head and arms and tied to the table. 
• She created this image in response to a murder and rape that was publicised while she was at Lowa University. The murder and rape was of a nursing student, Sara ann Otten by other students of the college in March 1973.Ana set her self up in the same position that the press and police reports said that the victim was in, in her own apartment and invited people round to see her in this state, she didn't move, she didn't respond to them coming into her house she just let them take in the horrific scene that was in front of them. 
• Ana said her audience "all sat down, and started talking about it. I didn't move. I stayed in position about an hour. It really jolted them" she also said that the rape had "moved and frightened her, I think all my work has been like that- a  personal response to a situation... I cant see being theoretical about an issue like that". later she explained that her work was "as a reaction against the idea of violence against women".  

• Born 18th November 1948, Died 8th September 1985.
• Ana was born in Havana Cub, her family was highly involved with the countries politics, and at ages 12 she and her 14 year old sister were sent to the USA by her patents to escape Castro's regime. They spent their first few weeks in refugee camps before moving to institutions and then to foster homes in Iowa. 
• 1966 she was reunited with her mother and brother and in 1979 with her father.
• She went to the university of Iowa and got a BA and a MA in painting and a MFA in intermedia. 
• After university her work became autobiographical and focused on themes including feminism, life, death, violence, place and belonging.She strongly believed and focused on the importance of      spiritual and physical connections with the earth.