Posted: April 27th, 2023
Choose a work of art from one of the artists
Choose a work of art from one of the artists covered in the readings this week. Find a work of theirs that addresses the body and research their creative process. Post an image of their artwork (list title, media, dimensions, date). Write about their personal and artistic influences and draw connections between those influences and the formal elements of their work.
Your response should be approximately 2-3 paragraphs and make concrete ties to the concepts covered this week. How are they making a contemporary representation of the body in art? What new ideas are they bringing to the representation of the body?
Links for resources: https://art21.org/watch/extended-play/wangechi-mut…
https://art21.org/watch/art-in-the-twenty-first-ce…
The artist I have chosen for this assignment is Wangechi Mutu, and her artwork is titled “The End of Eating Everything.” This mixed media piece is approximately 81 x 91 x 46 inches and was created in 2013.
Wangechi Mutu was born in Kenya and currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. Her artwork often explores themes of gender, race, and identity, and incorporates elements of collage and sculpture. In creating “The End of Eating Everything,” Mutu drew from a wide range of personal and artistic influences, including traditional African art, contemporary fashion, and feminist theory.
In this piece, Mutu addresses the body by creating a hybrid creature that combines human and animal features. The figure’s elongated limbs and distorted proportions challenge traditional notions of beauty and femininity, while its incorporation of natural materials such as tree branches and animal hide speak to a deeper connection with the earth and with the body as a living organism.
Through her use of unconventional materials and her reimagining of the human form, Mutu creates a contemporary representation of the body in art that challenges viewers to question their preconceived notions of beauty and identity. Her work draws connections between personal experience, cultural history, and larger societal issues, reflecting the complex and multifaceted nature of the human body and the world it inhabits.