Lets begin by actually realizing how slow the Brooklyn Museums website is. By the time you try to search the archive for a possible idea or theme, it will constantly stay loading. Nevertheless, this post is not about the lag of the Brooklyn Museum's website, the artists and their objects/exhibitions that are within it! Originally, I had either between two themes I wanted to do, Feminism or Photography. The issue between those two was that there was either not enough women exhibitions, exhibitions with no title/contributor, or not enough information at all. Therefore I switched my focus to contemporary art because there are so many ideas that can fall into this category. Creativity continues to evolve, so it is a pleasure to see the abilities women have to express their thoughts. The five female artists and their exhibitions that I will discuss are: Alexis Smith, Jenny Holzer, Caitlin Cherry, Rona Pondick, and Shura Chernozatonskaya.
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| Alexis Smith, Same Old Paradise, 1987-88 |
We begin with Alexis Smith, female contemporary artist whose exhibition
Same Old Paradise was introduced in the Brooklyn Museum in 1987. Born in 1949, Patti Anne Smith (her real name) began her artistic life by making collages of pictures and words. She attended the University of California in 1970 where she earned her degree of a Bachelors in Arts. Before the actual analysis is given, ill give my interpretation/what I think of it. I love how the road transforms into a snake, I think that's creative. As for the actual purpose of it, I have no idea. The piece is simple, yet yields so much creativity through the scenery, trees, and life (possibly a huge factor). Apparently, from Brooklyn Museum website, Smith was inspired from a book called
On the Road by Jack Kerouac. On the bottom right of the piece, you see eight collages that are drawn from advertisements you may see throughout your day and images from novels she has read. The website also claims to reference the Garden of Eden, or Garden of God. If you seen the photo, you can analyze the similarities the two share of the beauty of life. A 60 foot long piece that grasps your attention in an instant.
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| Jenny Holzer, Signs and Benches, 1988 |
Next on the list is artist Jenny Holzer. Born in 1950, Holzer has a style of art known as conceptualism, identifying concerns or ideas using art. She attended various institutions, taking general art classes and/or earning her degrees in Duke University, University of Chicago, Ohio University, and Rhode Island School of Design. Because of this, it allowed her to develop her artistic ability through various view points. She is also known as feminist artist and currently resides in New York today. Holzer's exhibition in the Brooklyn Museum is called
Signs and Benches, where electronic signs display various messages. This is one of those pieces where the if there was no wording involved, it would cause you to think deeply on what the artist is trying to convey. I've tried to make out some of the wording through the electronic signs, but I
believe the words move because it doesn't make sense (unless that's how Holzer wanted it). Nevertheless, what I made out was, "I spit...," "Love my...," "The ears of...," "Truth about...," and "Lock into every..." There are words inscribed onto the benches, but it is impossible to make out the message. Despite the unclear message, it evidently falls into her themes of sex, war, and death in this piece. This exhibition reveals creativity, showing how Holzer is keeping up with the new age of technology and incorporating it into her work while still trying to convey a message to society.
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| Caitlin Cherry, Hero Safe, 2013 |
Next on the train is artist Caitlin Cherry. Cherry was born in Chicago, Illinois, and currently resides in New York. She earned her Bachelors of Fine Arts from in Chicago and her Masters of Fine Arts from Columbia University. Before we begin on her exhibition,
I've found her website that contains her information and other works she has done. This exhibition that I am focusing on is called
Hero Safe. The objects, more like weapons and tools, grasped my attention; pretty unique idea. You see a large crossbow, a catapult, and what seems to be a wheel. My initial interpretation was that she was taking art back into the past, since inventions as these are rarely, to not even used anymore. Cherry is trying to make a point to not forget where modern art was originally innovated from. From the Brooklyn Museum website, it claims that the weapons are to protect and damage her work. Focusing on themes of weaponry and art, she drew inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci. Nice exhibition that gives you a "blast from the past."
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| Rona Pondick, Mine, 1996-97 |
Fourth on the list is Rona Pondick. Born in Brooklyn in 1952, Pondick earned her degree from Yale University. Her art is sometimes defined as feminist art and she focuses mostly on sculptors. Also known for hybrids, she fuses human, animal, and/or plant life into her sculptors.
This link will take you to her website where you can view some of her group and solo exhibitions, art work, etc. In this exhibition, originally a performance piece, a door separates two realities, outside life and inside life. Inside is supposed to be a long bed with the words "I WANT" inscribed around it and the outside is a large mouth that resembles the winding mouth toy that clatters until it dies out. From under the bed, small, soft ears will pour out and clothing will slide down through a line that the performers will wear throughout. Being a little weird and bizarre, the website states, "The mouth, like the ear, is an organ that mediates inside and out for Pondick."
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| Shura Chernozatonskaya, 2006 |
Last for the anchor, we have Shura Chernozatonskaya. Born in Russia (now I know where that last name originated from), she earned her Masters of Fine Arts in New York, 2006. Her studio is currently in Red Hook, New
York, a village community. Under the large section of
Raw/Cooked in the Brooklyn Museum, the first piece (top) is located on the first floor, and the second (bottom), with many others as such, are located around the third floor. Shura was the last one simply because her art reminded me of childhood, how there are board games with various colors, yet also resembles the game dominoes. Yet also with the various colors, shapes, and flashbacks, for her piece(s) to be scattered around the museum is interesting since there isn't one specific section for it. Sort of the Mickey Mouse prints scattered around Disney Land, you have to search for them.
Chernozatonskaya's other works, collections, and exhibitions can be found on her website.
Bibliography
Chernozatonskaya, Shura. "Exhibitions: Raw/Cooked: Shura Chernozatonskaya." Brooklyn Museum: Raw/Cooked: Shura Chernozatonskaya. Brooklyn Museum. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.
[Website: http://tinyurl.com/orpcdx9]
Pondick, Rona. "Exhibitions: Mine: Rona Pondick." Brooklyn Museum: Mine: Rona Pondick. Brook. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.
[Website: http://tinyurl.com/ngurtqn]
Cherry, Caitlin. "Exhibitions: Raw/Cooked: Caitlin Cherry." Brooklyn Museum: Raw/Cooked: Caitlin Cherry. Brooklyn Museum. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.
[Website: http://tinyurl.com/noxjt4b]
Holzer, Jenny. "Exhibitions: Jenny Holzer: Signs and Benches." Brooklyn Museum: Jenny Holzer: Signs and Benches. Brooklyn Museum. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.
[Website: http://tinyurl.com/ownd3vg]
Smith, Alexis. "Exhibitions: Alexis Smith: Same Old Paradise." Brooklyn Museum: Alexis Smith: Same Old Paradise. Brooklyn Museum. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.
[Website: http://tinyurl.com/nh7xkml]
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