Art in the Mix and the Making

I was actually at the Walker just a few weeks ago to see the picaso exhibit. So when I heard the class was going I wasn't very excited, beause I thought it was going to be alot of the same things I had already sceen. But when we actually went into the exhibit I was stunned by how different it was. At first I didn't know what to think about the different pieces. Between the garden sceen and various videos I had a hard time grouping them into a brave new world theme. Eventually I figure out that this "new world" they were speaking about wasn't a new world at all. The exhibit showed sides to our world that we don't think about everyday. Many cultures make up what we see today, but most of us only see the influences in our own life. I kind of say a challenge in this show. A challenge to explore the world and see other cultures and other ways of living.

Posted by Jessica Zwiener at 3:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When we were told that we were going to the Walker Art Museum I had no idea what to expect because I've never been there before. So, I called a family member and I was told that I would most likely enjoy it. That person was correct. I fully enjoyed the visit. I was amazed by all the artwork. My favorite section of the Brave New World was the Jewish part. All the art before you walked into the video was all defined as its own. I thought that it fit into the "Brave New World" because it showed the exposure of different culture to the world. I also thought that the video was a good way to introduce to us as viewers how different cultures see the different way of life.

I had a complete understanding of the exhibit because of my senior year AP Literature class. The book a Brave New World was one of the choices that we had for a book to read, and give a verbal speech to the class. I remember this book more than the one that I read because it was so much different from any other book. I believe that all the pieces of work in this exhibit portray a good understanding of a brave new world. It allows each artist to step outside the norm, and try new things.

Posted by Kimberly Heyer at 1:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I found the exhibit to be very interesting and compelling in that one had to really analyze what was going on and how it fit into the catagory of, "brave new world." One piece that really stood out to me above all of the others was the piece with the gunshots that were each covered with individual colored dots. When I first viewed the piece I hadn't read the background about it, and just saw these colored dots on these strange ghostly black and white pictures. After looking at all the pictures, I read the description: these were taken during a period of violence where gunshots were a commonidty and the artist was curious about connecting the violence and art. He would go out into the scene of the picture and would document where all the gun shots were. Then, he'd photograph the area and place colored dots corresponding the maker of the bullet found in that spot. Different countires at this time were funding the war in the area with weapons, and in this case, bullets. I believe it was 14 different countries, and so there are 14 different sized, and different colored dots. I then looked over this piece again, and was amazed by what I saw.
Brave New World for me can be seen in three seperate words. Brave, for me, in this piece was the audacity of the artist to go out into this violent world to collect those bullets. These pieces couldn't have happened if he hadn't have done that. New, this is a new way to look at violence. The concentration of some dots in the pictures was incredible, 70 in one corner of a building, or all different colored dots (indicating all different kinds of bullets) would be all over the side of a house. This is a new way to see violence, to make the shot of every bullet jump out to the viewer, to be so vibrant and unmistakable that a viewer can't ingnore the violence these bullets caused. World, this is someone's actual reality, their world. This is what some people live around everyday. They live with the fear and uncertainty found in war, and this shows their fears to we can have a small way of understanding. This piece exemplified what this exhibit's theme was all about, bravery found in a new place not yet seen in the art world.

Posted by Elizabeth Vose at 6:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I have chosen to comment on Gimhongsok’s work, The Boat. My first instinct when viewing this work was to picture someone setting off on a voyage, an adventure to a new land, taking all of his belongings with him. In this translation of the work, it would seem that bravery would be represented in the adventure of this journey, in the idea that one is setting off to an unknown location. The boat did not look very sturdy but rather homemade. Even the music playing in the boat emitted an almost carefree attitude, one that would not give any sign of fear. Any voyage in which the destination is unknown can be a “new� experience, an experience where the voyager will face new trials and create new memories. Also, many times, voyages take place all around the world, visiting these new places and seeing new sites.
In all of these initial reactions to this “sculpture,� there is some relation to the author’s real intentions. However, there are many parts in which I may be wrong in assuming such things. These were just my initial reactions. Looking deeper, I became aware of other possible meanings to this work of art. The objects on The Boat are accumulated from the location of each exhibit, and the objects from the prior exhibits are then given away to the museum workers. In reference to the “world� part of exhibition’s title, these objects represent “cultural divisions� and the various economies around the world. The Boat may also represent a new economy, an every changing one. At each exhibit the products are different, so people are continuously exposed to new products. And again, representing the “brave� aspect of the exhibition, the form of the boat symbolizes a journey or voyage, but I also believe that the fact that he is relying on people from each place to contribute to his creation creates an idea of bravery on his part. In the consumer world in general, bravery is necessary when coming up with new ideas to make money. Many times, a ‘leap of faith’ is required to even create something that stands out from other products. According to the excerpt on the wall, The Boat represents nationalism, profit, cultural divisions, and proposes the question of economic transactions in art making.

Posted by Michelle Stein at 6:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I really didn't know what to expect when going to the Walker last week. I had never been there before; however, had heard lots of stuff about it. As it turned out I really liked it and really enjoyed looking at all the different pieces. Probably one of my favorite pieces there was the one with the signs (I can't remember what it was called or the artists). There was about 50+ big signs that were all lined up together and had a very interesting look to them. The artist was able to layer these signs and distort some of what was said on the in various ways, creating a very interesting look to them.

This piece fit along with the theme of Brave New Worlds in many ways. The appearance of the signs was very bold and strong creating a "brave" sense to the viewer. The piece in general was very different and the way that it appeared to have been made seemed very "new" to alot of other things I've seen. It seemed very different and unique to alot of the other art works. This piece dealt with the "world" we currently live in today. We live in a very commercialized society and these signs show that. The signs also depict the grim and bleakness of some of the things that we live in today too. Overall, I really liked going to the Walker and hope to go again sometime.

Posted by Sarah O'Connor at 6:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

((hi. i was not at the walker with the class when everyone went; things just weren't going my way that day.
BUT. I'm a good student and so I made sure to go two days later on Thursday. Thursday nights are free and sponsored by Target so it was pretty handy to go then. But I will say that the museum was like a lot more crowded because of people who love a bargain. Also, there was a giant wraparound line for the Frida Kahlo exhibit, which I could not believe. It was so crowded. I didn't even mess with that and went straight to the Brave New Worlds show. ))

I have mixed feelings about this show actually. I felt that a few artists in the show were leaning towards a completely different theme than some of the other artists were. I guess that fits with the title though because now when I think about the major differences between what I am thinking of, I come up with a few categories. The first is a cluttered and child like environment. This world was seen through the scribblings on the wall provided by Lia Perjovschi and also by the display filled with toys about exploration and learning. This was also seen by the artist who chose to cut up maps and let them fall where they may on the canvas. I feel like the curator may have made these two choices quickly, I don't feel that they really say a lot through their art. It's really juvenile or something. These two examples just didn't strike me as the type of thing that would be in this show necessarily.

This show seemed to have a much deeper commentary on the worlds around the artists than what the previous two were alluding to. I appreciated the depth that some works provided. Bravery is not so literal in the sense that they are taking on a physical opponent. But through many works of art some of these artists were challenging disturbing social norms (ie: poverty, corruption, consumerism). I thought the term New could be applied to the sort of ideas that people could glean from the experience. I thought a lot about why these things went together and why some things did not. I thought this was a successful aspect of the show. Worlds were exhibited very literally through installations of environments that we could walk through, video imagery of different locales and other sort of representations.

I liked brave new worlds but I felt that it definitely had some strengths and some weaknesses within it and the artists that the curators chose to put up. It was thought provoking at some points, but tired and overdone at others. It's hard for me to make up my mind about it.

Posted by Julianna Smith at 1:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

First of all I would like to say that it has been awhile since i have been at the Walker so it was neat to see some of the recent changes that have ben done on the mueseum. The Brave New World show was very interesting. I actually read the book by Alduous Huxley back in high school, so I was able to relate to the meaning behind the title of the exhibit. I think that the main concepts for the title were that in today's society, things are coming to a critical point in history. People are realizing that the earth's conditions are changing and that inorder to prevent future disastres we have to change the way we live our everyday lives. Also, many urgencies have been going on for long periods of time with no change. New technologies are coming out everyday that revolutionize the way we think.

I think the curator did a good job of mixing a lot of different pieces into the exhibit that fit with the title exclusively. I actually thought that a lot of the pieces had a sarcastic meaning behind them, mocking the lack of progress in certain areas such as poverty and world hunger. Overall, I enjoyed most of the pieces, but I did't always understand them, especially the videos. My favorite piece was the one at the beginning and end with the ironic cartoons painted on the walls and stairs.

Posted by Ethan Weber at 9:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I did not know what to expect out of the exhibit “Brave New World.� When I got there, some pieces seemed to fit the title “Brave New World� more than others. Others seemed to fit the idea of “New World,� a world of many different cultures represented by artists from around the globe as well as many different mediums. However, two pieces in particular made an impact on me.

The first was a piece by Walid Raad. He had matched color-coded and proportional dots to the size and type of shell of the bullets to where they were located in buildings and trees. His explanation of the piece was not until the end, therefore the first time Allison and I viewed this piece we commented, as she said, “how “cool� they all looked.� I remember pointing out a building with many circles and ranges of greens that I thought was the “coolest.� After reading the explanation and looking back on that piece, I felt sick to my stomach. Something so beautiful at first seemed to be disgusting/causing pain. Immediately, I felt the fear I would have living in a place with constant fighting, not knowing about your safety, if you would live or die or if your friends and family would be safe… these emotions this piece evokes in me is how I think Raad emphasizes the theme of bravery. I think this piece represents the idea of “new� as being a continuous procession from the past. That fighting over old issues continues today, we are still concerned about what is ours, and we as a “world� cannot forget and leave behind what has already happened. This type of fighting and hatred is part of the world today.

The second piece was two untitled chromogenic prints by Zwelethy Mthethwa of South African workers in a shantytown. Mthethwa has said, “I do not believe poverty is equal to degradation.� Through these prints he represents the impoverished laborers in the way that they want to be presented in and therefore gives these people respect and sense of dignity. I also thought it was interesting that he said he used vibrant pigments both as an African aesthetic as well as to represent a rich and energetic life. Again, I think in terms of the theme of “New World,� he is representing what is true today of the people in this area. And terms of the theme, “Brave,� he shows the brave struggle of these laborers by the apparent hard work of their daily lives in order to survive and the respect towards the subjects in which they are portrayed.

Posted by Julia Fillingame at 8:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect in the Brave New World Exhibit, but as I read the introductory panel to the exhibit, I gained a sense of what I was about to witness. The exhibit is based off of the ideas of the book entitled, Brave New World. In this book, the government is funding research on the early stages of child development. Embryos are mass produced and incubated synthetically. The worse part of the whole ordeal is when the embryos are divided equally to five different groups. Each group treats the developing children differently. The first group is the best treated because they are growing those children to be important intellectual citizens, and the last group is treated terribly with oxygen deprivation and toxic chemicals; these children are to be the menial laborers of their society. Written in 1931, it is ironic that these terrible events could be happening today. Because of this new reality, the curator of the exhibit at the Walker made sure to invoke fear into the viewer and also an understanding of what is really happening in our world today.
While the words “Brave New World� as a phrase invokes a positive feeling full of hope, the exhibit took that feeling and made it into an ironic play on those positive words. The pieces in the exhibit were full of an underlying darkness that was often overlooked. Many really heavy issues were brought up such as politics, war, pollution and the media. Some ideas were more obvious than others, but overall the viewer got a sad feeling that the world is not necessarily new or brave. The viewer doesn’t consider it as “new� going through the exhibit because he or she is reminded of how many mistakes the world keeps making and keeps covering up. Also, the world is not “brave� because those mistakes are just ignored and forgotten. It is just like the book where the government may be believing itself to be brave and new because of their new way of adding people to society, but in reality it would take more bravery to go against the government and stand for his or her beliefs.

Posted by Rebecca Johnson at 6:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When I saw that we were going to visit an exhibition at the Walker called "Brave New World", it brought to mind the novel that I SparkNoted my way through last year all the way to a solid B-. The novel is a story of an all-powerful dystopian state, and the exhibit "Brave New World" follows relatively close to those lines with the political commentary exhibited in all of the pieces. I liked the exhibit very much as a whole, and my favorite piece (or pieces) were the clever, small cartoons on the walls on the way out of the exhibit.
The cartoons represent "brave" for the fact that each of them made a strong statement, and this representation becomes more powerful as one realizes that each of the 40-50 cartoons are of the same relative quality and deep meaning. They are also "new" because of their presentation as doodles on a white wall instead of in a more traditional way. And they represent "world" because the cartoons are political commentary on the world we live in today. Overall, I thought the artist did a great job of following along with the "Brave New World" theme and I really enjoyed my first trip to the Walker.

Posted by Andrew Hartzell at 3:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

After taking the time to reflect on the class visit to the Walker Art Museum, I think that I can take a general stab at the idea(s) that I felt were present. I thought that "brave" was represented in the varying styles of pieces. Choosing pieces involves a certain degree of bravery because not every piece will stand up to public opinion. The piece that stands out, may not be the best, but at least it can attract more people to the bigger picture. "New" could mean any number of things, for example, the age that we live in keeps trying to promote new and better things but we could just as easily do without the complicated and confusing junk that follows the new things. It could also represent the idea of showing off an artist or group of artists who would not get exposed to create an inspiration of sorts. Next, for the idea behind "world", i will go with the first thing that comes to mind. The exhibit shows art from around the planet to create a sense of connection to the art on a global scale.

I actually have two pieces that stood out from my day amongst the "world'. The first is the piece by Walid Raad, which left me with a feeling of horror. After wandering down the line, thinking about the various playful colored dots on the pictures, I read the description and found out they represented bullets. At first, I stood and looked back down the line, then I read further and found each different color represented a country. Which left this thought in my head, "could one of those colors be the U.S., and if so, how many dots are on those pictures?"

The second piece that caught my attention was the last piece in the exhibit. It was the cartoon type drawings running down the stairs. I liked the piece because each "toon" had a specific and quirky meaning behind it. It brought the typical, serious news of the day into a format everyone can understand. Other than that, I just found the whole piece enjoyable, and it ended the exhibit on a comical note.

Posted by Christopher Tuominen at 5:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I believe artists have a very important responsibility to critique or comment on the world they live in. This commentary is often a very dangerous process, and may be what the curator's mean by "brave." Walid Raad's work is an excellent example of this bravery, as he lived in a war-torn city for a long while, when he could have lived in other, safer, parts of the world. It is this decision to make important art that, to me, is a very brave decision. The world is a very different place than it was, say, only 10 years ago, and this gives contemporary artists much new material to comment on. I think that one of the curators goals was to bring together examples of this exploration of the "new world" from as many places as possible. The works in the exhibit are from artists of different races, religions, and locations, yet they all demonstrate exploration of today's world.

This exhibit might also represents a "brave new world" for the curators themselves. Most curators and exhibits generally focus on a single geographic location, or a specific time period, or a specific media or style of artwork. However, this exhibit knocks down all the boundaries except time. The exhibit has works from around the globe, and in every imaginable medium, even scent. By keeping the time period constant it really forces the viewer to reflect on the present time that he or she lives in. It's also brave for the curators to try to value each culture's art equally, to try and stay detached and without bias. They seem to be responsible for the whole world, and it must be a very difficult task filled with many implications.

This exhibit also requires a certain amount of bravery from the viewers, as most are unfamiliar with this format of an exhibition. They are bombarded by artwork of all mediums and from different cultures, there is even art in the stairwells and behind the walls. They are really thrown out of their comfort zone, but this may lead to much individual growth. This getting out of the comfort zone may be something the curators are encouraging in real life-to engage in today's "new world." It is so easy for us stay in our comfort zone and miss experiencing these other great places and cultures.

Posted by Broc Blegen at 3:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Before even entering the building it was exciting to see the added on section to the Walker designed by Herzog and De Mouron. It was really neat to see it in real life rather than in books and pictures. I had a picture in my mnd on what the curator wanted this exhibit to look like, i was wrong. I thought brave new worlds meant that artsists were trying to show how they can overcome their fears my using new mediums and show how they understand that. When walking through the exhibit my idea of brave new worlds was certainly strange and found that many artworks tended to overlap. I did not even make it through the whole exhibit because i was so focused on many artworks and how they influence this idea of brave new worlds. To me, this exhibit wanted to show how other artists feel what they think of as a brave new world. Some artists had this idea of bodies of lands as their main focus There were artworks of dissorted maps, videos of distant countries and their problems, and sculptures that made you think. All of these works seemed to be tied together with a string of uncertainty. Some pieces addressed why this idea of brave new worlds are important and others wanted to show the distance between our world and the others that revolve around it.

One piece that stood in my mind was actually a video installation rather than a portrait or sculpture. I do not remember the name of the video or who created it, only it was located towards the left hand side of the exhibit when you entered. You entered through a curtain wall to find a slope of chairs arranged in no particular order and a video that is in a different language than english. Once i sat down i was fixed on the video i couldn't move. The artists were examing the different lifes of being an American versus life on the Gaza Strip. It was weird to think that these Artists disliked America but rather enjoyed it overseas in the Gaza Strip. When you think of the middle east i think of all the unfortunate events that is happening over there and these guys are loving it, saying that this place if more pure and humble than America, and it made me wonder what people in the Middle East think about our country and how we are vastly different for them. I thought these artists did a fantastic job in showng how different cultures seem to be forgoten and how people can interperate them differently, All in All the trip was awesome!!!!

Posted by Nick Decker at 11:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

While reflecting on the exhibition of Brave New World, I made some conclusions as to what I believe the curator was trying to express. The large exhibtion most certainly offered a variety of mediums, artists, and ideas. I believe the curator was trying to bring in many artists with different backgrounds from one another in order to capture the idea of the whole "world." I felt that after walking through the whole exhibit I had gotten an expression from every continent on earth, which is what I believe the exhibit was intended for. Thought, I couldn't help but feel the pieces in the exhibition weren't exactly praising the "New World" we seem to be entering into. Unfortunatly, I witnessed the depressing sides of many countries, lifestyles, and worlds. I felt myself thinking a few times at how grateful I was to live in the land I do. So many other countries seem to be plagued with war, unsafe working conditions, and opression.

I believe the curator also wanted us to see these pieces and worlds that are currently functioning overseas but still "new" to those of us who live here in America. Brave may be included in the title for the purpose that the world we are living in now, and the world to come is starting to look more and more foreign to us each day. Because of the worlds size, we can't see how some of us are living, therefore creating a new world that we have never seen befor. It is odd to think of the bold new worlds happening throughout our earth. Sometimes America can make us oblivious to the brave worlds functioning within our globe.

Posted by Danielle Brau at 10:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Once I reflected on the exhibit of "Brave New World" with all the pieces sending a new and different message, I thought the piece by Walid Raad was the most moving. He made the piece with the photographs and colored circles all over the pictures. When Julia and I were walking along looking at all the pictures we were just commenting on how "cool" they all looked. At the end, however, we read Raad's explaination of his pieces. While in Beirut in the late 70s he collected bullets and shrapnel from around him. He took photos and marked each bullet hole with a circle in the size and color of the bullest he found there. My stomach honestly dropped. I felt so naïve and childish. We had just walked through pointing out which colors and arrangements we liked best. This is real life.
Raad experienced a time when about 17 countries were fighting in Lebanon. He found that the bullets he collected represented all of the 17 countries that were there. To him a "Brave New World" involved life and death situations on a daily basis. Bravery was evoked from every human being there in that they had to protect themselves regularly. I feel like Raad's pieces sort of poked fun at the "New" portion of the title in an almost sarchastic or mocking manner. We rave about the incredible development of our country and our world as a whole and yet there are people and places left behind, but we ignore them. We have "selective ravings" if you will. "World" to Raad was related to the fact that his world was so limited and collapsing at the time. Really the rest of the world offered little to no assistance in his case. I found his piece very moving. It is something we hear about and give off a little feeling of sorrow for, and yet I had rarely felt a truely deep feeling for it until I saw his piece. Well done...

Posted by Allison Prange at 5:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Write a two paragraph reflection on your interpretation of the concept of the Brave New Worlds exhibition at the Walker Art Center.

Parse each facet of the concept as well as the whole.

brave

new

world

You may interpret it from the point of view of the curator, the perspective of the viewer or in relationship to a particular artist whose work is presented in the exhibition.

Posted by Diane Willow at 4:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)