Activism
For this discussion, focus on one artist from the three posted (Rafa Esparza, Olafur Eliasson, Maya Lin). Summarize the main concerns of their work (based on these materials) and set them in relation to other artists we have looked in this class. Where do you see overlaps of interest? How are the artists engaging their viewers? How are they thinking about space and place? What connections can you draw between these artists (the artist you are focusing on) and other work we have looked at? As always, I am looking for you to be thoughtful in your reflection, to be clear and specific in the qualities you are discussing — whether those qualities relate to ideas or to specific materials and aesthetic choices around process. Rafa Esparza Start with a video describing his work inspired by adobe and the Los Angeles River: https://whitney.org/media/513 Then read this exhibition brochure from his show last year at MASS MoCA, “Staring at the Sun”: https://4bqtf234d34a2gxuu749ctvy-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/RafaEsparza_English.pdf Then watch his artist talk, presented by the Hammer Museum on November 19th — note, this talk is VERY LONG; you could watch half of it (though it’s really good!): Play Video Olafur Eliasson Start with the Tate Museum’s overview of his project The Weather. Be sure to click on all the tabs on the left (“Understanding the Project” and “The Artist”). https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/unilever-series/unilever-series-olafur-eliasson-weather-project-0 Then learn about Eliasson’s project Ice Watch: https://www.dezeen.com/2018/12/12/ice-watch-olafur-eliasson-installation/ Maya Lin Start with an overview of Maya Lin’s series of Wave Fieldworks: https://publicdelivery.org/maya-lin-wave-field/ Read this interview to get a better sense of her thinking about the relationship of art to environment to activism: https://www.interviewmagazine.com/art/artists-at-work-maya-lin (I could not get the images to load on my browser, but the words are very good). For more information on Activism read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activism
