Ivana Lakata
03/02/2020
Gallery Response, Quotes,
&Self-portrait:
After visiting the first art museum, I
wanted to know a little background of the artist. Ibou Ibrahima Ndoye was born
in Dakar, Senegal. He began his career as a painter in the late 1980s during a
period in Senegal called the "Set Setal," or clean-up movement. Ibou
Ndoye's art is called Neighbors Near and Far. His paintings represented his background,
tradition, and himself. Ndoye traveled to Europe, Africa, and the United States
to see the people. His work was unique with different colors and patterns. All
his artwork represented something that he believed in. His work mostly focused
on African American women and men. As he mentioned, he likes to draw many faces
because the faces are what tells a story about the person. His painting’s
focused on history and the present. Each painting had cultural clothes or
patterns in it. His work has many textures, colors, fabrics which is amazing.
He combines modernism and traditionalism for his work to be unique and
outstanding. He uses Facebook and other social media to show people his
paintings. He also comes to school to personally talk about his art and the
history behind each one. He mentioned to us that he didn’t start to paint for
people, but himself. I believe that is very important because he didn’t
have pressure from the people. He did this for himself. What I found was
interesting was when he said that one of his beautiful paintings was created in
one day. Glass is a major part of his identity.
The work of activism can be hard. Some activism might face criticism.
Ibou Ndoye is a wonderful activist. As he grew up in the poor suburb’s he began
to expand his talent. As he started to create his piece, he didn’t want
attention. Ndoye became popular because his artwork spoke to many people. Women
and men could connect to his artwork. He describes the life of the people in
those paintings. Also, he describes each of the faces that he painted. He
mentioned that people can make a lot of faces when it comes to different
situations. His work is portrayed with broken glass, work on paper, work on
canvas and sculptures. He is an activist because he doesn’t only focus on one
thing. His art is focused on various things that make him a better artist. His work addresses the artists own histories and
identities because there was a painting that Ibou reveal to us and it was about
how Africans would get together. How they would wear their best dress and how the
women would put on their expensive jewelry.
Besides, when we went to visit Adebunmi Gbadebo's artwork I was shocked. As the artist express, “My work began out of a rejection of traditional art materials because of their association with Whiteness” (Adebunmi Gbadebo). Adebunmi Gbadebo’s artwork is named, Uprooted. The artwork was composed of hair from men, women and other people. The artist's choice was to use hair, cotton, blue color and more hair from her ancestors. Her art was focused on slavery and the slave trade. Most of her pieces have hair, which is our DNA. Her artwork with hair was very influential to African Americans and even whites’ people. I say so because she portrayed herself as a fighter. She wanted to stand out. The research plays a big part because it gives us more insight into how the people were treated when slavery was legal. I believe that working with hair connected her to many different people and stories. She needed to collect hair and by doing so she would have more inspiration. What I found scary was when I almost stood on the long piece of hair that was on the floor. Her work addresses the histories and identities. I believe her work addresses discrimination of race and some social issues. Her art is very powerful even today because we face discrimination of race, gender, and even age. Also, it addresses social issues because there are people that are not comfortable wearing their own hair. I say so because today everything is about looks. People judge people because of their appearance. Meaning what they wear, how they act and even their fatigue. Gbadebo's sculptures and prints focuses on beauty of rough and nappy hair that uses dread locs.
Quotes:Besides, when we went to visit Adebunmi Gbadebo's artwork I was shocked. As the artist express, “My work began out of a rejection of traditional art materials because of their association with Whiteness” (Adebunmi Gbadebo). Adebunmi Gbadebo’s artwork is named, Uprooted. The artwork was composed of hair from men, women and other people. The artist's choice was to use hair, cotton, blue color and more hair from her ancestors. Her art was focused on slavery and the slave trade. Most of her pieces have hair, which is our DNA. Her artwork with hair was very influential to African Americans and even whites’ people. I say so because she portrayed herself as a fighter. She wanted to stand out. The research plays a big part because it gives us more insight into how the people were treated when slavery was legal. I believe that working with hair connected her to many different people and stories. She needed to collect hair and by doing so she would have more inspiration. What I found scary was when I almost stood on the long piece of hair that was on the floor. Her work addresses the histories and identities. I believe her work addresses discrimination of race and some social issues. Her art is very powerful even today because we face discrimination of race, gender, and even age. Also, it addresses social issues because there are people that are not comfortable wearing their own hair. I say so because today everything is about looks. People judge people because of their appearance. Meaning what they wear, how they act and even their fatigue. Gbadebo's sculptures and prints focuses on beauty of rough and nappy hair that uses dread locs.
“Patriarchy is a political-social system
that insists that males are inherently dominating, superior to everything and
everyone deemed weak, especially females, and endowed with the right to
dominate and rule over the weak and to maintain that dominance through various
forms of psychological terrorism and violence.”
·
I chose this quote because men are
supposed to have power. They are supposed to be tough. The word patriarchy and
the meaning is thought to children since they are little. Adebunmi Gbadebo is a
powerful woman that is very influential. She fought for what she believed in.
She didn’t care if she is a woman and isn’t white. She wanted to change the
appearance of the artwork. Also, Ibou Ibrahima Ndoye was a male that focused on
women and their culture. His art represents how it was hard for women.
2.
“I
went from being an artist that makes things, to an artist that makes things happen”
·
This is important because many people want to accomplish a lot of
things but are not willing to put in the hard work. Ibou Ibrahima Ndoye is a
wonderful artist. He started since he was young, and he worked hard for what he
believed in. He took his experience and put it into something amazing. Also,
Adebunmi Gbadebo had to start from the bottom. She was a woman of color that
becomes very important. Her artwork focuses on the part and it is beautiful.
Both artists made something happen.
3.
“Freedom was not to be seen
either as an absence of constraint or as the self-enabling choice among
variables which is presented by American apologists today but as the
possibility to play”
·
Freedom is very important. There are many definitions when it
comes to freedom. I believe Adebunmi Gbadebo art
represent a bad and touch experience, but because of the art she has done that
represents the freedom. Both artists have freedom to express themselves.
4. "To my mind these
moments and many like them are proof that the role of culture must be taken
seriously, and that deploying it for needs of social change can produce
wondrous result."
For my self-portrait, I created something
important to me. In the background, I have drawn the Slovakian flag with the
color of white, red, and blue. The young lady that is taped on the flag is a
young woman that wants to bring her traditions and culture back. She is wearing
a traditional folk dress and holding a flag. I draw this because living in
America means adapting to this culture. I have no problem adapting to the
American culture, I love the culture. I came to America when I was 9 years old
and I don’t want to lose the traditions or the culture of Slovakia. The
painting I created is called Taking it back to Slovakia, I thought that it was the best slogan and title
for this piece. Also, I did this painting because I miss Slovakia. By doing
this painting I had to see the patterns and color to the Slovakian Traditional
dress. In Slovakia, the schools require each student to create the traditional
dress and learn must dance. I will always remember how exciting that was. My
painting is connected to history and my personal experience.
Citations:
·
Bell Hook- Patriarchy p.2
·
Seeing Power"-Chapter 2: The Didactic
and the Ambiguous in the Paranoiac Age
·
Seeing Power -Introduction
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