Artist reasearch
Tracey Emin
Tracey Emin is an artist that stands out for me because of her individuality. Most of Tracey’s work is based around Tracey’s past and her traumas that Tracey has witnessed. Tracey’s art included a range of drawing, video, installation art, painting and drawing. Tracey really inspires me with her work because she turns her bad situations of abuse and harassment into art that she finds beautiful and a way to express herself. Tracey has won many awards for her work. Tracey has a very vulgar taste in art but with her intelligence it all makes sense. Tracey won the turner prize in 1999 for a piece called “my bed”. The art piece displayed an unmade bed covered in different objects which shows her struggle with depression and her volatile life. The bed displayed empty bottles of spirits, used condoms, slippers, tights and bodily fluids in the bed. This piece sold for over 2 million.
Pyotr Pavlensky
Pyotr Pavlensky is an artist that is well known for his shocking public acts. Pyotr is a Russian contemporary artist who is well known for his controversial political performance art. Pyotr’s art normally involves a lot of nudity and self-mutilation. Pavlensky explicitly mutilates himself to get a rise out of “the higher people”. Pavlensky lives in a brutally strict town in Russia and doesn’t feel like he gets listened therefore his behavior and actions to the government are shocking because of the suppression he feels. Pavlensky takes part in his artistic actions by staging them in areas that are over populated with police to get a rise out of them. Pavlensky’s art is inflicted on himself, some of his work includes: sewing his mouth together, nailing his scrotum to the floor, cutting his ear and lying in barbed wire. “My intention was not to surprise anyone any one or come up with something unusual. Rather, I felt I had to make a gesture that would accurately reflect my situation.
Jason deCaires Taylor is a British sculptor, environmentalist and professional underwater photographer. Jason deCaires Taylor created dynamic sculptural installations to the ocean floor to promote ocean conservation and announce the perils of climate change. He is the first to make an underwater sculpture park and museum in Britain. In 2009 Jason relocated his sculptures and practice to Mexico, where he achieved yet another milestone. The Cancùn Underwater Museum this holds more than 485 of Taylor’s submerged sculptures and 30 land based pieces. The sculptures are positioned in precise locations to the sea bed to avoid contact with any strong currents and tidal patterns that may come there way. The sculptures are resilient and have environmentally responsive materials with a coral promoting neutral, cement and damaged coral fragments found around the ocean. The structures incorporate habitat space for marine life and it will increase of local ecosystems and produce more good to the sea.
Jason DeCaires Taylor
Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch painter who was unsuccessful in his lifetime. Vincent was named a mad man and a failure he became more popular after his suicide as he was a misunderstood genius. Vincent suffered from psychological problems and had many episodes and delusions resulting in him damaging him self quote a lot. He spent a lot of time in hospitals for his problems but he discharged himself and moved near Paris. I admire Vincent because of his work and his stages of colour. Vincent’s work is one of the most recognisable and has a significant amount of fame, his post impressionist Collection of drawings and paintings illuminate his artistic interests and evolve throughout his life. Vincent’s mental health resulted in a lot of treatments to stop his seizures and out breaks which effected his painting. Vincent used a lot of yellow because it was one of the colours he could see properly and one that made him happy.
Alexander Mqueen
Alexander McQueen was a British fashion designer Alex worked with many big brands including: Gucci, Puma and many more. McQueen came from a working class home with a low income background with his 6 siblings, his work got him the attention. McQueen dropped out of secondary and found work on Savile row creating suits for the tailors. After that he started launching his own label and moved to women’s clothing. McQueens pieces or famous for their grotesque elements as well as their dark and romantic themes. McQueens entire first collection was inspired by Jack the Ripper and this is what caught the eye of producers, he was then bought by director and stylist Isabella Blow. McQueens most famous show was named “Voss”, this was a collection but it is beautiful because it shows he truly understood women. The show highlighted McQueens understanding of the hideous and the beautiful form in women.12
Yoshi Kametani
Yoshi Kametani’s work is normally photography but with a twist. I really enjoy this artist because of the creativity in his work. Yoshi normally takes photographs in a series , but series that are based on the same thing. Yoshi is an American photographer based in London. My favourite series by Yoshi is called “plastic spoon”. This is a series of photographs that show off what life is like Muirhouse, a working class neighbourhood on the outskirts of Edinburgh. The photos show of a stereo type that outsiders have given the residents of drugs and violence. Many have young children in them dressed as the stereotypical “chav” showing drug use. I find Yoshi so interesting because every picture tells a story it shows the inside life of lower class people. Yoshi named this series “plastic spoon” because he says it’s the complete opposite of a silver spoon and that’s the difference between classes.
