By Invitation...But Where's the Party?
One of the things I love most about being an artist is that personal experience has a place where it can be translated and shared with the world. It's important that artists remember that every piece they create says something about them and connection with others is the key to success.
The Art Students League of Denver (ASLD) has an exhibit "Nation of Immigrants: What Influenced Their Art?" Seeing the title I figured that it would be artists who have come to this country and would have profound statements about where they came from and how that is translated in their art. Overwhelmingly I found it difficult to see how the work represented their life in a before and after context.
I think the digital artists were most impactful in their expression of their homeland and their new home country. In some of the works displayed I was expecting some identifying feature that would show a connection to their homeland...after all that would have been a tremendous influence unless they came to the United States at birth.
My most experiential moment in the show was viewing the work by Daniel and Maruca Salazar. The piece is titled, "San Flojo: Patron Saint of Lazy Mexicans and Other Discarded Stereotypes". This hit the nail on the head about clashing cultures and the assimilation process. While being whimsical and comical it was rooted deep with an emotional sub-text asking each viewer to look at their own views on ethno or racial-centricity. It was a creative way to punctuate a true social challenge.
Another piece that caught my attention was Uzi Buzgalo's "Flowers of Languago". The bright colors were great, but it was the chunky frame that created the bridge to the homeland. I felt it was indicative of a melding of styles and experience in one piece.
The show is an invitational so it was not juried. The artists were selected for specific reasons, but it may have helped if there were artist statements for each artist. A geography lesson may have been appropriate since many are not familiar with where many countries are or what the culture is like outside the United States. I felt the show could have had a bigger WOW factor, it's good, just not great!
Looking for the power...
Greg
Helping artists create successful and sustainable art businesses
The Art Students League of Denver (ASLD) has an exhibit "Nation of Immigrants: What Influenced Their Art?" Seeing the title I figured that it would be artists who have come to this country and would have profound statements about where they came from and how that is translated in their art. Overwhelmingly I found it difficult to see how the work represented their life in a before and after context.
I think the digital artists were most impactful in their expression of their homeland and their new home country. In some of the works displayed I was expecting some identifying feature that would show a connection to their homeland...after all that would have been a tremendous influence unless they came to the United States at birth.
My most experiential moment in the show was viewing the work by Daniel and Maruca Salazar. The piece is titled, "San Flojo: Patron Saint of Lazy Mexicans and Other Discarded Stereotypes". This hit the nail on the head about clashing cultures and the assimilation process. While being whimsical and comical it was rooted deep with an emotional sub-text asking each viewer to look at their own views on ethno or racial-centricity. It was a creative way to punctuate a true social challenge.
Another piece that caught my attention was Uzi Buzgalo's "Flowers of Languago". The bright colors were great, but it was the chunky frame that created the bridge to the homeland. I felt it was indicative of a melding of styles and experience in one piece.
The show is an invitational so it was not juried. The artists were selected for specific reasons, but it may have helped if there were artist statements for each artist. A geography lesson may have been appropriate since many are not familiar with where many countries are or what the culture is like outside the United States. I felt the show could have had a bigger WOW factor, it's good, just not great!
Looking for the power...
Greg
Helping artists create successful and sustainable art businesses
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