This week we touched on how alternate personas and appearences can give off different impressions on other people. For my counterfactual identity, I decided to step away from my femininity and decided to look more masculine. As a woman, I can definitely tell that I am treated better the more feminine I look, so I decided to dress and look masculine to see the reactions. I decided to dressed masculine at an event for my org where I didn’t know everyone in the room. I noticed that people payed less attention to me when I am dressed more masculine and and not feminine and provocative. When I asked people what they thought my name was they went towards more gender neutral names such as Alex, Jo, Jamie, and Charlie. When I asked people what major they thought I was in most of the answers I got were either business or liberal arts majors. When I asked people I already knew they said that I looked non-binary and queer. I can conclude that there is a difference in the way people perceive you due to the way you look.

Exhibition Information

Artist: Benjamin Kaida, Oscar Pearson, Melanie Nuccio, and Michelle L. Flores

Exhibition: Near Far

Upon my visit to the art galleries at LBSU, I decided to look at the art installation “Near Far” and got a chance to speak with one of the artists Bejamin Kaida. Benjamin is currently and 2nd year attending Long Beach State University. He is hoping to finish college in order to obtain his B.A. in Drawing and Painting. He states that he chose to major in Drawing & Painting because, “you can never get bored with art.” After he graduates, he is hoping to get into grad school to get his masters.

Benjamin has created 2 painting in contribution to this installation. One of the painting is a large monochrome painting with a splash of color near the walls. When standing near it, we get the visual of a large horse in our faces. The monochrome colors hint that the room is dark with a hit of light coming from above. The colors on the will give it a big pop. The other painting is essentially the same except it only contains monochrome colors. There is also no light above making it a strictly dim room.

Near Far is an exhibition that examines the psychological and physical notions of distance. In Benjamin Kaita’s paintings he investigates human being’s relationship to nature. In his art piece, he conveys how we distance ourselves from the open and natural world through increasing urbanization. Benjamin shows how in our fast growing world we become physically isolated and distant with the natural world. His drawings are essentially of a depressed horse in a hospital. This shows how urbanization is the root cause of the physical world deteriorating.

Going to this exhibition was a very eye opening experience. It made me realize and understand the different perceptions of distance. As an animal lover myself, I totally resonated with Benjamin’s painting of a distraught horse in a hospital. It made me feel more empathetic with the natural world and made me want to appreciate it more. The other artworks in this exhibition also challenged the idea of long distance with my loved ones, and brought up feelings of longing for.

I chose this idea because feminism as a whole cause has impacted my life tremendously growing up as a women in the United States. In todays times, women are constantly under fire due to the patriarchal system that was installed since the beginning of time. Through my drawing of a uterus, I would hope to touch on the movement of reproductive rights. Women should be able to have control of their own body. The female reproductive system is a beautiful thing and I chose to portray it in my drawing and I believe I did it successfully. If I would to do it differently I would focus on other certain aspects of feminism such as body image or the #MeToo movement. Another idea I can convey through shocking art would be Black Lives Matter or police brutality.

I chose the story of the life of a bunny waiting to be adopted at a rabbit shelter because growing up I’ve always had a love for animals and rabbits especially. I use to have a pet rabbit and visiting this rabbit shelter made me miss her very much. I think I did a good job capturing the essence of what goes on inside a rabbit adoption center. I believe that the picture of the rabbit and her offspring is one my best images since it portrays how motherhood can be found within whatever species. The image of the mural of the enterance would be a great image since it symbolizes a bunny heaven where they can live free and happy regardless of their past. If I could do it differently, I would like to get to interact with the rabbits one on on to capture a greater essence. Other photo stories I would like to tell would be from other species of animals such as dogs, turtles, cats etc.

Growing up, drawing was one of my favorite hobbies. When I was a little girl my main aspiration was to be an artist. There were times I wouldn’t be paying attention at all in class and was in my own world doodling in my notebook. However, as I grew up I quickly grew out of that hobby and never went back for some reason. This activity was fun for me because it made me go back in touch with my inner child who loved to draw. My drawings use to be a lot better but I know if I practiced more my drawings would be better. I believe drawing is a language since we are telling a story with a pencil. I am a Sociology major and sketching would be useful by drawing out sociological theories such as gender bias and class warfare.

My group and I found this art piece under the sculpture NOW. This is small art piece which appears to be created with black spray paint. It is very minimalistic, smooth, and only utilizing one color. I feel as if this art is very subjective, anyone can put their own meaning to it. To me it looks like a juice box in insufferable pain but is smiling through it which gives a very disturbing tone. This piece draws me back to street art and graffiti, visual art created in public locations. Although some may be illegal, it allows anyone to express themselves through the public eye. Our Art was still an art before we put a rectangle around it since someone decided to express themselves using spray paint. This art is intentional which can be the line between not art and art. Art can be your dreams, an energy, the scenery etc, it doesn’t necessarily have to entail itself to an object. Art definitely resides in the experience of the viewer, it is in the eye of the beholder. Through ones eyes can they make art out of nothing.

The experience I had with finger painting was very soothing and relaxing. By putting music in the background and being able to express yourself with the tip of your finger is very meditative. I have always seen finger painting as a Childs activity so it being very easy came to mind. Making a painting with no subject is very liberating since you can put whatever you feel like on a canvas. Other paintings I’ve seen are more intricate and detailed while finger painting is more free.

For our classes Maintenance Art activity, we went to Piotr Kowalski’s 1956 sculpture “NOW” in front of out Campuses University Student Union. We used a bucket of cleaning water and some sheets to collectively clean this sculpture that has accumulated dust overtime. Performing Maintenance Art made me value how important art pieces are and how we should preserve it in order to keep art pieces alive. Mierle Laderman Ukeles used buckets of water and cleaning supplies to wash the staircase at the Wadsworth Atheneum while Richard Serra flings molten lava at the walls of an art museum. The difference between these two is that Mierle Laderman Ukeles’ can be seen as preserving the art piece while Richard Serra can be seen as destroying the art piece. They are both Maintenance Art since they both portray labor but in art form. They are both art in my opinion. I would consider Mierle Laderman Ukeles’ performance at the Wadsworth Atheneum art since she is using expression in her maintenance art. Her work would considered art regardless if her performance was at an Art museum or not. If she had been simply at janitor instead it still would have been art if she claimed it to be since art is subjective. Something that would be considered art would have entail a sense of self expression. I believe an object or action is Art or Not Art through the intention of the person performing it. All paintings on canvas are art but not because paintings on canvas are exhibited in art museums. A painting on canvas can be not art if the person that created it considers it not art. Painting house can be considered art if it is self expressive. A person’s star that I would get down on my hands and knees to clean would be Kobe Bryant since he has such an impacting legacy.

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

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