Visual Arts- Wenda Gu and Shayne Higson
Discuss how cultural experience informs the practice of artists, art critics, art historians and/or curators.
The influence of cultural experiences from different worlds has altered artists’ perceptions on their concept of depicting art, which is displayed in their series of artworks. Artists including Wenda Gu, Shayne Higson and William Kentridge demonstrate various aspects of the cultural world they live in such as their background, shown through their artist’s practice. Wenda Gu questions the distinction between cultural languages, race and gender in his artworks United Nation, 2001 and Forest of stone steles, 1993-2003. Similarly, William Kentridge offers his experiences through the distinction and separation of people by their skin colours shown in his artworks Procession of the dispossessed, 1989 and Procession in the landscape with highmast, 1989. While Shayne Higson demonstrates her cultural world through her real life experience of the political issue that is occurring in Australia which is emerging in her artworks Unsuitable, 2000 and Give me Warmth, 2004. These artists’ cultural experience significantly informs their practice through their artworks.
Wenda Gu was born in china and graduated from the Shanghai school of Arts in 1979. He gained interest in the creation of unreadable calligraphy as he relates it to his lack of understanding towards most seal-style characters. Gu began to establish fake Chinese characters since he became inspired by the mistake he made, which lead him into creating an artwork that challenges the traditional medium through its monumental size and false ideograms. His idea was to contrast it to the controlling traditions. However his artwork was not accepted to be revealed to the public as it showed no political messages like propagandas that benefits Chinese’s society. Due to his countries’ rejection, Gu left for America where he could actually experiment with his interests.
Wenda Gu explored many issues relating to the
The influence of cultural experiences from different worlds has altered artists’ perceptions on their concept of depicting art, which is displayed in their series of artworks. Artists including Wenda Gu, Shayne Higson and William Kentridge demonstrate various aspects of the cultural world they live in such as their background, shown through their artist’s practice. Wenda Gu questions the distinction between cultural languages, race and gender in his artworks United Nation, 2001 and Forest of stone steles, 1993-2003. Similarly, William Kentridge offers his experiences through the distinction and separation of people by their skin colours shown in his artworks Procession of the dispossessed, 1989 and Procession in the landscape with highmast, 1989. While Shayne Higson demonstrates her cultural world through her real life experience of the political issue that is occurring in Australia which is emerging in her artworks Unsuitable, 2000 and Give me Warmth, 2004. These artists’ cultural experience significantly informs their practice through their artworks.
Wenda Gu was born in china and graduated from the Shanghai school of Arts in 1979. He gained interest in the creation of unreadable calligraphy as he relates it to his lack of understanding towards most seal-style characters. Gu began to establish fake Chinese characters since he became inspired by the mistake he made, which lead him into creating an artwork that challenges the traditional medium through its monumental size and false ideograms. His idea was to contrast it to the controlling traditions. However his artwork was not accepted to be revealed to the public as it showed no political messages like propagandas that benefits Chinese’s society. Due to his countries’ rejection, Gu left for America where he could actually experiment with his interests.
Wenda Gu explored many issues relating to the