Art as Lens – Will Z (FIA1 Presentation)
o Inquiry Question: ‘How do artists use and manipulate found objects in artworks to express personal viewpoints’
Key artists explored: 1) Daniel McKewen 2) Douglas Gordan 3) Candice Breitz
From this, I created my own series of experimental artworks, paying homage to the same styles of the three artists discussed.
Daniel McKewen •
Australian born artist (located in Brisbane)
•
Explores contemporary art and pop culture using the screen as a way to do this
•
Artist inquiry question: “How does the screen as a lens mediate how I understand my place in the world?”
Figure 1: (John Fries Award Web site, n.d.)
Figure 2: (Biennale of Sydney, n.d.)
Running Men – McKewen (2008-14)
•
The video installation is of five film characters (the found object) running towards the viewer via a tracking shot, however they are stuck in a timeless loop
•
Draws upon the viewer’s understanding of the situation the characters are in
•
The characters are filled with anxiety, which is what McKewen wants to show – even fictional people can share universal experiences with the common people.
Douglas Gordan
Figure 3: (Gagosian, n.d.)
•
Scotland born artist
•
Presents challenging artworks in different mediums that alter time
Figure 4: (Der Greif , 2016)
24 Hour Psycho – Gordan (1993)
•
A video installation that slows down the film Psycho to 24 hours in runtime
•
The artwork is a representation of Gordan’s mind breaking down film piece by piece
•
The found object is the film itself
Candice Breitz •
South African multi-media artist born in 1972
•
Recognised for her popular video work
•
Analyses the culture of celebrities and fictional characters
Figure 5: (KOW, 2017)
Figure 6:(Candice Breitz – The King (A Portrait of Michael Jackson), n.d.)
King (A Portrait of Michael Jackson) – Breitz (2005)
•
16 fans pay tribute to entertainment icon Michael Jackson through singing the entirety of the album Thriller (1982)
•
The voices of the people are synchronized together
•
Shows the impact that Jackson’s music has had on these people’s lives
Link between the three artists •
Each artist has used the screen media in a particular way to communicate a message
•
These messages are mainly connected through the themes of time and media.
Experimental artwork in response to Daneil McKewen: All Together
Zerner, Will, All Together, 2020, Video
Experimental artwork in response to Douglas Gordan: 5 Minute Selfie
Zerner, Will, 5 Minute Selfie, 2020, Video
Experimental artwork in response to Candice Breitz: Family Affair
Zerner, Will, Family Affair, 2020, Video
Conclusion/Reflective Statement •
All objects can be transformed by artists into complex ideas through different contents
•
Each artist analysed has sucesfully manipulated their found object to express a viewpoint
•
I now can build and develop upon my own knowledge of how to express my viewpoints, creatively and proactively
References: