New Materials and Mediums
Androgyne III, by Magdalena Abakanowicz depicts a back and torso sitting on wooden stretchers, emphasizing humanity, not gender, by using this material dipped in resin and pressed in a plaster mold.
What is burlap?
This work, consisting of over 7,503 saffron-colored rectilinear vinyl frames with fabric panels was completely funded by the artists, a Bulgarian/French couple.
What is The Gates by Christo and Jeanne-Claude?
This artist/photographer created large-scale portraits like "Untitled #228" to explore feminine cliches that exist in literature, art and film in order to reimagine the past and confront fears about identity, victimization and insecurity.
Who is Cindy Sherman?
This commemorative sculpture, like a wound cut into the earth, was created to allow people to "reflect" on those we have lost in war.
What is Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, Washington D.C, Maya Lin, 1982 CE, Granite?
This artist looked to music for inspiration, combining it with his love of graffiti in his work entitled "Horn Players."
Who is Jean-Michel Basquiat?
Faith Ringgold used acrylic on canvas and patchwork cloth with handwritten text to create her work entitled "Dancing at the Louvre," also lovingly referred to as this type of artwork.
What is a story quilt?
This work, featuring hand printed books, ceiling and wall scrolls and letterpress typography is a metaphor for Chinese propaganda, but it uses both real and invented characters.
What is A Book from the Sky by Xu Bing?
Shirin Neshat's "Rebellious Silence" is part of the Women of Allah series in which Muslim women are photographed in black and white, wearing traditional clothing and the artist writes on top in this language.
What is Farsi?
This work, monumental in size, with bold yellows, reds, blues and greens, focuses on the abstraction of nature and virtuosity of brushstrokes - a nod to the artist's small, aboriginal desert upbringing in the Australian countryside.
What is Earth's Creation, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, 1994 CE, synthetic polymer paint on canvas?
Jeff Koons is known for his larger than life references to pop culture including balloon animals and this work - an avant-garde, glossy, provocative woman embracing a kitschy commercial cartoon character.
What is Pink Panther?
"Old Man's Cloth" by El Anatsui uses these materials to create a shimmering, uneven, jagged surface that reminds of of a woven material when hung.
What is aluminum fragments (labels and bottlecaps) fastened together with copper wire and laid flat to be manipulated to catch light?
He is often considered the 'father of video art" which is apparent from looking at his work "Electronic Superhighway," as set-up of 300 TV and neon lights in the shape of the continental US.
Who is Nam June Paik?
This artist takes the approach of creating new stories from the old and shows the relationships that women have with animals, like in her work "Lying with the Wolf."
Who is Kiki Smith?
This structure, a 20th century and contemporary art museum was designed to reinvigorate the port it was built upon and to dramatically represent the "less is bore" mentality of its architect.
What is Guggenheim (Bilbao) Museum in Bilbao, Spain, 1997 CE, Frank Gehry, titanium glass and limestone?
Trade (Gifts for Trading Land with White People) by Jaune Quick-to-see-Smith is a mixed media piece suggesting that Native Americans have been lured off their lands by inexpensive goods of trade and their culture commodified and was created for this specific event in 1992.
What is the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in North America?
In "Sunflower Seeds" by Ai Weiwei, the artist used over 100 million tiny, handmade and painted porcelain sunflower seeds to comment on what idea?
What is that "Made in China" equals cheap goods - porcelain is made by skilled artisans with high craftsmanship OR the corruption of the Chinese government OR that they are a symbol of camaraderie during difficult times.
Bill Viola's "The Crossing" combines video and sound through this process, to produce dramatic unfolding scenes of a man doused by water and annihilated by fire.
What is shooting with high-speed film (300 frames per second) then reducing the playback speed to slow-motion to create definition?
Kara Walker directly confronts the viewer in her silhouetted and projected visuals like those in "Darkytown Rebellion," with the purpose of asking the viewer to do what?
What is confront the images and be a part of the experiences of the past and to live with them in the present - be self-conscious of our actions/roles and their repercussions because for some, history repeats itself.
This work features a rupture measuring 548 feet in length and up to 2 feet deep in the floor of the Tate Modern symbolizing the immigrant experience in Europe.
What is Shibboleth, Doris Salcedo, 2007-2008 CE, installation(wire mesh and cut in floor)?
The headless woman in Yinka Shonibare's "The Swing (after Fragonard)" is a direct reference to what?
What is the Reign of Terror in France in the 1790s where aristocratic members were beheaded by the guillotine?
Michel Tuffery uses this material to create this animal in his work "Pisupo Lua Afe," which is aimed towards educating children about their health and the environment.
What are hundreds of flattened corned beef tins riveted together to form life-sized bulls?
Pepon Osorio's "No Crying Allowed in the Barbershop" addresses which specific challenges that Puerto Rican men face?
What is machismo, social class, violence, homophobia, infidelity, religion, politics, family relationships, identity.
Mariko Mori's "Pure Land" combines scent, sight, sound and touch in an immersive video installation that contains numerous symbols, including (name at least 3):
What is the Amida Buddha (takes devotees at moment of death and brings them into land of bliss,) the mudra (blessings), the Dead Sea/salt (purification), lotus (purity and rebirth), spaceship (tibetan stupa, sacred Buddhist monument), hoyju (magicla wishing jewel), Kichijoten (fertility, fortune, beauty) etc.
This painting with its vertical monochromatic strokes of varying thicknesses, contains a shallow space and explores tonal quality and mark-making.
What is Summer Trees, Song Su-nam, 1983 CE, Ink on paper?
The female creature in Wangechi Mutu's "Preying Mantra" holds this in her hand - a likely nod to Eve of the bible stories.
What is a green serpent?