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Amerika - Jorge Mendez Blake

Jorge Mendez Blake is a Mexican Artist that created this artwork called Amerika. Amerika by Jorge Mendez Blake is a response to Donald Trump’s act of pushing for a Mexican border wall. This border art looks at how with the rise of nationalism, barriers exclude, divide and separate. Méndez Blake’s brick wall is accompanied by a book; Franz Kafka’s unfinished novel The Man Who Disappeared, which is about the story of a European immigrant who fled to New York. 

For the artist, however, his family is from Tamaulipas, the border zone between Mexico and Texas. The artist traveled many times in his childhood to the ‘border’ zone and he said that there is a connection between one side to the other as he believes the cultures are but one. The artist’s work shows how ridiculous it is for someone to think that building a wall is a solution to this ending this existent cultural tie. 

The position of the copy of Franz Kafka’s unfinished novel The Man Who Disappeared in the base of the wall, changes the geometry of the bricks and looks like it causes a “ripple effect.” The weight of the wall upon the book operates as a physical metaphor of the book’s motifs, while the wall itself disrupts the normal flow of visitors throughout the physical space of the gallery. This wall was erected and built in the United States by a Mexican and, like a river, it does not follow a straight line—there is a book disrupting it’s tidy structure. This symbolism was interesting as this protest art explores the issues of nationalism and exclusion and speaks to the viewer in an indirect yet clear way of the flawed societal movement.

 This is site specific installation has an intimidating feeling that rises over you and traps you inside. The texture on the wall feels very gritty and almost having the urge to scratch and sand it off. The wall is generally built to appear very solid and durable. Some of the bricks are not stacked perfectly and seem obviously out of order giving the wall a false sense of durability. The fact that it stands oddly in the midst of the room interrupts the vision of the viewer. 

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The Symposium

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The Myth of the Missing Half

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Speech of Aristophanes

In the video, Aristophanes says, people were shaped differently, with four hands ,the same number of legs, two faces, four ears, and two sets of genitals. The “ancestors��� attempted to go against the gods and Zeus decided to split them in half as punishment. Aristophanes then mentions the kinds of genders of human beings-female, male, androgynous- along with the method of reproduction among humans. Aristophanes says the people in the present are “halves” of their original form. The resulting men and women attempt to find happiness and love by trying to find their missing halves. Then, Aristophanes claims that love is nothing more than a quest for the lost “wholeness”.

This approach to the concept of love was enlightening as Aristophanes views it from an entirely different way of how it is perceived in the modern society. Rather than putting emphasis on the emotional and sexual aspect of love, Aristophanes links it and claims that it is merely a process or a quest of trying to find one’s other lost half. Aristophanes’ way of thinking and viewing love made me think deeply about the meaning of love along with what the ultimate goal of life would be. I was also intrigued to know that Aristophanes not only recognized female and male genders but also androgynous gender as I did not expect the people from the ancient times to have been aware of this seemingly modernized approach towards gender; I thought they would not consider androgyny as something that is valid. Watching this video made me wonder what the meaning of life is along with why people genuinely seek for happiness and love. 

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Infinity Mirror Rooms Share Yayoi Kusama's Visions

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David Antonio Cruz, THENIGHTBENEATHUS,ACRYSTALOFPAIN,PORTRAIT OF MS. DEE, 2018

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The Power of the Archive and its Limits

The reading written by Achille Mbembe called The Power of the Archive and its Limits discusses the definition of archives and the role it plays in the society. The writer discusses the power archives have as they have the ability to showcase the world in which it was written accurately. Archives have the capacity of being able to accurately depict the historical stance if they are portrayed properly. Archives serve a role of tracking history and the representing the life or event of the time. While archives are helpful, the manipulation of archives constituted by the authorities and the dominant states and powers may lead to the misrepresentation of history. 

The author mentions how the authorities’ ownership of the archives has a negative influence on the misrepresentation of the archives as the authorities and historians are able to alter the authentic quality of the archives according to their needs; this ultimately leads to the manipulation of such. For instance, the archives may act as a threat to the state or country if it is not written or displayed in its favor. This makes the humans either conceal or distort the authenticity of the archive, destroying and distorting the archive’s initial pure quality. This danger regarding the role of archives is prominent and needs to get solved. 

By reading this writing regarding the power of archive I was able to see and understand the significance of the proper usage of such influential material(s). This also made me think of the current society where there are issues regarding filtered out information due to the government along with the inaccessibility of certain things to the public. People should be more attentive and aware of the power of information that is provided and think deeply and critically about them as it is essential. 

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The Eastern Oracle

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Heather Hart. The Northern Oracle: We Will Tear the Roof Off the Mother, 2010. Franconia Sculpture Park, Minnesota. Wood, shingles, metal, gold leaf, cardboard, viewer interaction. 36 × 20 × 12 ft. (11 × 6.1 × 3.7 m)

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Heather Hart

Heather Hart is a visual artist that uses various kinds of media such as interactive installation, drawing, painting, collage, etc. The artist says that she considers research as one of the most significant practices rather than the experimentation of materials itself, exemplifying an experience she had when she was researching her family tree; her ancestor’s information was  ancestor’s information was invalid due to a spelling mistake. Hart is interested in the field of genealogy as she tries to find information regarding her family tree along with the oral history which is one of the essential attributes to her family culture. 

Influenced by carpentry from her father, Hart utilizes carpentry in order to represent oral history and symbolism such as the idea of a porch reflecting the place of safety, rooftop as her childhood, gold as aspirations and hopes, etc. She believes that context changes everything and that the interpretation of a work depends on the viewer; the experiences of the viewer affects the way the work is perceived. 

Her way of using family and oral histories, various narratives, and interactive/participatory engagements with the public was enlightening. The fact that the artist puts emphasis on the act of using power archives in the digital age like such was interesting and made me also know the significance of proper and deep research. The lecture regarding the black ancestry and flaws in genealogy due to inaccurate information regarding the minority made me think of the readings in class about the insufficiency of media exposure of the minorities; The under representation of the minority should be solved as soon as possible, especially in this age where there is a myriad of unfiltered information on the internet which makes determining the adequacy of crucial.

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Unplugged Live at NGV: Jonathan Jones

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Aerial view of Jonathan Jones' barrangal dyara (skin and bones), 2016. Photo: Peter Greig

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Jonathan Jones

Jonathan Jones is an Australian Indigenous artist that utilizes indigenous knowledge and art making practices in order to convey the Aboriginal peoples’ way of life. The lecture started with him speaking in the language of the indigenous people and then proceeded by showing the map of Aboriginal Australia. This map showcased the social and nation groups within Australia which amazed me as I was not aware of the variety of cultures there. I also was able to realize that there needs to be more representation and education regarding the indigenous people to the public as I would not have known of the myriad of cultures and languages that consist of the aboriginal people. 

Jones talked about the agricultural practices of the Bathurst indigenous people along with how they appreciate and are grateful for what mother nature has provided for the humanity. This contrast to the violence followed by the colonization and massacre of the people by the British was saddening. The destruction of the indigenous people’s nature by western forces such as Mount Panorama, now a car racing track, exemplifies the reconstruction of the ceremonial ground of the indigenous people. Jones also mentioned the fact that Australia is the only country that still has not established a treaty with the indigenous people. The ideas of where the indigenous people “belong” are clearly portrayed as they are described as “inferior savages” and “war-like beasts” in historical texts. The ceremonial objects of the indigenous people are labeled as war tools in the museums along with providing the people with insufficient information of the aboriginal people. In order to raise awareness of the flawed view towards the indigenous people, Jones executed a project by recording the sound of nature of his ancestral land, talking to people about the history of aboriginal people, engaging with the community through music, directing and planning Bangarra dance performance that has the notion of healing, etc.

This cultural wipe out along with the destruction of historical works and language of the aboriginal people reminded me of the colonization of Korea by Japan. Koreans were not allowed to speak or write in Korean, would have to go by their Japanese names, the books written in Korean were all burned, etc. Through listening to this lecture, I thought of the reading in class regarding the westernized view of history and also was able to know that there are many issues throughout the world regarding the lack of proper portrayal along with the insufficient amount of media exposure of minorities to be solved. 

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“Although we are in essential agreement with Marx’s theory as it applied to the very specific economic relationships he analyzed, we know that his analysis must be extended further in order for us to understand our specific economic situation as Black women.”—the Combahee River Collective Statement, 19771

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I’m a Black Feminist. I Think Call-Out Culture Is Toxic.

The writer of the article, Loretta Ross, I’m a Black Feminist. I Think Call-Out Culture is Toxic. believes that the call-out culture is something that functions as a way of grouping or categorizing people and that it should not happen. By calling someone out for disagreeing with the person’s opinion(s), he/she is likely to instantly make the person the target, labeling them “wrong” or as a “villain”. Ross says that she initially called out white women for not understanding women of color, but then says that later, she realized that the women she called out would not have understood the experiences and struggles of black women. While she thinks that it is important to point out injustice in the society such as discrimination, etc, Ross says that the call-out culture that leads to public shaming should not occur. Calling someone out disturbs the individual’s critical thinking process that enables oneself to decipher where he/she stands regarding the issue, being swayed by the public or the popular opinion that often distorts individuality. This would ultimately, lead to publicly targeting someone/something as “evil” along with witch hunting. I agree with Ross’ opinion regarding the call out culture as I also think that calling out someone is a way of labeling someone or something into a certain group. This ultimately hinders the adequate or proper representation of someone/something. There is no such thing as a “correct” or “proper” answer.  Thus, people should all think and be aware that there are various ways and layers to concepts, thinking before judging a certain thing.

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Esther Mahlangu