Some introductory ideas about identity in contemporary art practice

1. KVB127 Visual Art Open Studio 2
Week 2: Identity

2. Nikki S. LEE
(Korean b.1970)
The Ohio Project, 1999
The Skateboarders Project #7, 2000

3. Identity
• Gender
• Class
• Race
• Culture
• Sexual orientation
• Generation/age
• Language
• Religion
• Political
• Ethics/Morality
• Social position
• Marital status
• Geography/country
• Suburb-City-State-Nation-Region
AND..
• ..let’s remember that identifying as an artist
brings with it a field of history/protocols/tropes…
Adrian PIPER | Catalysis III, IV 1970

4. THE GUERRILLA GIRLS
(US 1987- present)
Do women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum?, 1989
The advantages of being a woman artist, 1988

5. David WOJNAROWICZ
(American, 1954-1992)
Untitled (One day this kid…), 1990
Photostat, 76.2 × 101.9 cm
David McDIARMID
(Australian 1952–1995)
Rainbow Aphorisms 1994

6. PARALLEL PARK (Holly Bates and Tayla Haggarty)
(Australian)
Tandem, 2016
Digital photograph
Callum MCGRATH
(Australian)
River Torrens, 2017
Single channel digital video, 6:00min looped

7. Casey Jane ELLISON
(American b.1988)
Still from It’s So Important to Seem Wonderful, Part II,
2015
Tracey EMIN
(British b. 1963)
Mad Tracey From Margate - Everyone's Been
There, 1997

8. Shirin NESHAT
(Iranian, b.1957)
Untitled (from Women of Allah
Series), 1994/2015
Silver gelatin prints and ink
152.4 x 107.3 cm each

9. Fiona FOLEY (Badtjala Nation, born 1963)
HHH #1, 2004 Ultrachrome print on paper, 8/15, 76 × 101cm and HHH, 2004 (mixed media)

10. Gordon HOOKEY (Waanyi Nation, b. 1961)
MURRILAND!, 2017
oil on linen and mural, 2 × 10 m, mural dimensions variable,
Neue Neue Galerie (Neue Hauptpost), Kassel, documenta 14.

11. Michael COOK (Bidjara Nation b.1968)
Through My Eyes, 2010
Inkjet print on Hahnemuhle photo rag bright white 310 gsm paper, each 50 cm x 40 cm

12. Week 2 Reflection
Prepare for class by reviewing the resources in the
Week 2 folder and considering the following questions:
•What kinds of identity are explored by the artist (eg.
feminist, queer, national, cultural, artistic tropes)
•How do the materials and processes employed by the
artist shape the content of the work?
•How does the artist position themselves through
identification and/or differentiation?
Make notes in your blog and bring your observations
and questions to class.
Adrian PIPER | Catalysis III, IV 1970

13. 2.1 BACKGROUNDING (Homework Task)
Consider your family and/or cultural
background. What kind of processes do you
connect with this background (eg. cultural
practices, traditions, habits, routines, rituals,
mannerisms, language, etc) Identify a single
PROCESS from your background and use this
as the basis of an artwork (4hrs)
Feedback Session: Week 3 Tutorial
Kara WALKER
Fons Americanus, 2019
Turbine Hall Commission, Tate Modern, UK,

14. 1.2 REPEAT AFTER ME (In-class
Task)
Prepare a short teaching activity
that shares a non-art skill with
another student. In pairs, share
your skills, then use these 2
processes to develop an
improvised work.
Week 2 Studio
Martha ROSLER
Semiotics of the Kitchen, 1975
Video (black and white, sound), 6:09 min