Medusa is an ongoing traditional subject within art. However, she is often depicted as an objectified version of her decapitated head or as a demonised version of a woman. In this research, I...Show moreMedusa is an ongoing traditional subject within art. However, she is often depicted as an objectified version of her decapitated head or as a demonised version of a woman. In this research, I analysed if contemporary artworks were depicting Medusa as feminine and monstrous by researching and discussing her physical features, as well as determining what these aspects can tell us about contemporary society. This was achieved through the use of three case studies; Luciano Garbati’s Medusa with the Head of Perseus, Damien Hirst’s The Severed Head of Medusa, and PichiAvo’s Medusa. Through visual analysis and comparison, combined with literary and visual contextualisation from both contemporary and historic times, it was determined that contemporary artworks tend to stray from the stereotypical media portrayal of Medusa as a beast. Each artwork had feminine and monstrous aspects, each with different intentions and reasons. What they ended up showing within society is that Medusa’s story is being retold and the arts are helping convey this message. While some still focus on the monetary gains of art, others use their artworks of Medusa to support female empowerment.Show less
This research explores the conflict that emerges when applying registration practices into performance art. As the ephemerality of performance art is perceived as essential for this art genre,...Show moreThis research explores the conflict that emerges when applying registration practices into performance art. As the ephemerality of performance art is perceived as essential for this art genre, professionals (and sometimes artists) are not always in favor of its total disappearance. Documentation processes have the purpose of partially archiving the memory of these artworks, however, the forms of producing this type of information are not standardized because of the various forms that this art manifestation can have. Some of the strategies museums have been applying were explored during this research to enable enquiring about their compatibility with the nature of performance art. While documentation processes preserve traces of performances’ poetic, the form of perceiving and collecting this artwork as manifestations should not be attached to temporality, but as concepts that can be reinterpreted and have several versions throughout time.Show less
This thesis examines the visual language of the 'Mouvement National de Liberation de l’Azawad' and how Azawad aims to visually legitimize itself as a nation. Its multi-ethnic demographics show how...Show moreThis thesis examines the visual language of the 'Mouvement National de Liberation de l’Azawad' and how Azawad aims to visually legitimize itself as a nation. Its multi-ethnic demographics show how a public can assume its own agency through visual works created in a group setting. While the interstice is determined to be a space where communication outside of the norm can take place, the use of ‘banal nationalism’ as described by Michael Billig shows that, if anything, the location of this interstice is difficult to determine. The group agency does not translate to the presentation of the works outside of the region as is shown in the work Jonas Staal presented in Utrecht at Basis Aktuele Kunst in 2012. Instead, the works have been re-appropriated to fit within Staal’s concept of a ‘stateless state’. Bourriaud’s theory on relational aesthetics along with Ernesto Laclau’s description of emancipatory dimensions allow for a discussion on the public’s involvement in the creation of the ‘self’ in relation to the ‘other’. Michael Billig’s concepts on nationalism create an interdisciplinary approach in this thesis and show that this legitimization is partly achieved through the use of the language of banal nationalism.Show less
The present research is an attempt to explore the presented and hidden narratives, or non-disclosed behaviors, of the galleries of two art hubs located in Beijing: Caochangdi art village and 798...Show moreThe present research is an attempt to explore the presented and hidden narratives, or non-disclosed behaviors, of the galleries of two art hubs located in Beijing: Caochangdi art village and 798 art district. These two districts are perceived as radically different from each other: 798 is considered by many workers of the field as commercialized, whereas Caochangdi is deemed to be "about art." However, is there an actual difference between the galleries of the two art hubs? Thus the research question was easily defined: “What are the narratives the two Beijing’s Contemporary art district’s galleries use to present themselves and do the districts differ in it or are they similar? In which way would they be similar?” This research aims at answering this question through a series of interviews. These interviews were based on theory drawn from secondary sources and are aimed at defining commercial (innovative) or non-commercial (inventive) behaviors in the sample galleries.Show less
When looking at the photobook as medium, it becomes apparent that the photobook has mostly been discussed as a presentation and storage tool but not as a medium of its own. Approaching the...Show moreWhen looking at the photobook as medium, it becomes apparent that the photobook has mostly been discussed as a presentation and storage tool but not as a medium of its own. Approaching the photobook as a medium from a historical perspective, it is interesting that the photobook, when discussed in an academic framework, has been theorized in matter of style and substance, looking at the evolution of the design and content of the photobook, but not in audience experience. At first glance, walking as a physical act and the reader-like walking through a photobook share the superficial characteristic of the possibility of freedom, as both the chosen path through the photobook and through walking is steered by the reader-spectator’s unique personality and life experience, which is not completely controlled by the author-artist and as such can have an unpredictable outcome. In this thesis, I aim to substantiate this claim. The reader-spectator’s hand turning the photobook’s pages are reminiscent of the wanderer’s feet exploring a path. To underline this argument, the act of walking is interpreted as metaphor. Where in an installation or exhibition space the spectator approached the artworks literally through their feet, now the reader-spectator approaches the photobook with their hands. In approaching the reader-spectator experience from this perspective, this research becomes also an investigation of the medium of the photobook.Show less
Dit werkstuk bestudeert een aantal figuratieve schilderijen van Daniel Richter in relatie tot het thema Holocaust. Zit dit thema in het werk van Richter verweven en hoeveel betekent deze mogelijke...Show moreDit werkstuk bestudeert een aantal figuratieve schilderijen van Daniel Richter in relatie tot het thema Holocaust. Zit dit thema in het werk van Richter verweven en hoeveel betekent deze mogelijke laag voor de uitleg van het werk? Om dit te onderzoeken is gebruik gemaakt van het idee van traumakunst zoals Dori Laub en Daniel Podell dat gedefinieerd hebben.Show less
Starting out from the background of contemporary art practices in post-civil war Lebanon, this thesis investigates the complex negotations and deconstructions of the archive that Walid Raad´s...Show moreStarting out from the background of contemporary art practices in post-civil war Lebanon, this thesis investigates the complex negotations and deconstructions of the archive that Walid Raad´s project The Atlas Group is undertaking. The first chapter looks into the specific agency of montage that is being used in the work Let ́s be honest the weather helped. A transformative relationship between hiding and affirming is established here, which produces 'potentiality'. In a second step, I will analyse how the subjective nature of history writing is revealed by works in The Atlas Group. The theories of Hayden White will serve as a basis for this chapter. Jalal Toufic ́s concept of the withdrawal of tradition will provide a fundament the second section of this chapter as White and Toufic are going to be put in dialogue. Toufic argues that objects and documents happen to be 'withdrawn' after traumatic events - a unconventional notion that also is reverberating in some pieces by Walid Raad. Thirdly, authority and authorship will serve as two anchor points for further observations as these two are interdependent and integral to the questions, which The Atlas Group is raising. Fourthly, I will analyse how not only the incapability of the document to record 'the decisive' moment is revealed, but also how allusions to this imperceptible instance are being made - an interview Jean Francois Lyotard and Alain Pomarède will enable deeper understanding of these observations.Show less
Het werk 'A Little Taste Outside of Love' (2007) van de Afro-Amerikaanse kunstenaar Mickalene Thomas bekeken vanuit het perspectief van de (fe)male gaze, het tweede- en derdegolfs feminisme en in...Show moreHet werk 'A Little Taste Outside of Love' (2007) van de Afro-Amerikaanse kunstenaar Mickalene Thomas bekeken vanuit het perspectief van de (fe)male gaze, het tweede- en derdegolfs feminisme en in vergelijking met het werk van andere hedendaagse Afro-Europese en Afro-Amerikaanse kunstenaars.Show less
Research master thesis | Arts and Culture (research) (MA)
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This thesis intends to explore the relation between memory and matter, through an analysis of contemporary art. The research begins with an investigation of the meaning of memory and explores...Show moreThis thesis intends to explore the relation between memory and matter, through an analysis of contemporary art. The research begins with an investigation of the meaning of memory and explores alternatives to this understanding, as proposed by major theorists in the field of cultural memory studies. These alternatives are then further researched through an analysis of the work by Gabriel Orozco, Anish Kapoor and Navid Nuur. Their work will function as case studies in which certain artworks are related to the comprehension of memory as proposed in the first chapter. Through the study of the performative, transformative and evocative qualities of the artworks, the affect and agency of art will be revealed. These analyses will include an exploration of the connection between memory and matter, as it uses new materialist's notions to reconsider the idea of memory. Through applying a new methodology into an existing field of research, this thesis intends to spark thought for the reconsideration of notions that we take for granted. Ultimately this thesis aims to reevaluate what we know about memory, objects of memory and art.Show less
This paper explores the photography of Araki Nobuyoshi by analysing the aspects of fact and fiction in the artist's work. Despite the diverse nature of his photography, Araki's work has primarily...Show moreThis paper explores the photography of Araki Nobuyoshi by analysing the aspects of fact and fiction in the artist's work. Despite the diverse nature of his photography, Araki's work has primarily been discussed within the context of pornography and Orientalism and has to a certain extent led to an essentialized view of Japanese society, Japanese sexuality and Japanese women. This thesis attempts to provide an alternative interpretation by exploring fact and fiction within the work of Araki. Furthermore, by specifically analysing images, layout and subject matter in the photo book 'Tokyo Lucky Hole' (1997), this essay attempts to highlight Araki's use of visual narrative.Show less
Dit essay is geschreven naar aanleiding van de recente tentoonstelling Trilogie van de Twijfel- Macht, onrecht, onwetendheid in het Noord-Brabants Museum ’s-Hertogenbosch in 2013 van de Spaans...Show moreDit essay is geschreven naar aanleiding van de recente tentoonstelling Trilogie van de Twijfel- Macht, onrecht, onwetendheid in het Noord-Brabants Museum ’s-Hertogenbosch in 2013 van de Spaans-Nederlandse kunstenares Lita Cabellut (1961-), waar haar meest recente werken voor het eerst in een Nederlands museum werden getoond. De gelijknamige triptiek van Cabellut bestaat uit drie doeken van dezelfde grootte van 290 centimeter bij 210 centimeter (afb. 1). De Trilogie van de Twijfel toont de toeschouwer op het eerste doek een paus, op het tweede een man met een hoge hoed en op de derde twee mannen in middeleeuwse gewaden. Over dit werk wordt in de bijbehorende tentoonstellingscatalogus beweerd dat de kunstenares haar inspiratie haalde uit de werken van Jheronimus Bosch, Pieter Bruegel, Diego Velázquez en voor dit werk specifiek Francisco de Goya. Daarnaast komen de schilders Max Beckmann en Francis Bacon naar voren in de catalogus om Cabelluts schilderwijze mee te vergelijken. De kunsthistoricus Rob Smolders stelt vervolgens dat het drieluik zeer verhalend is in tegenstelling tot haar oudere werken, maar ook hier wordt niet toegelicht welk verhaal dan precies wordt verteld door het drieluik. De betekenis van het werk blijft hierdoor onderbelicht, waardoor er bij mij interesse werd gewekt in de boodschap van het werk en hoe deze boodschap in relatie staat met de kunstenaars die genoemd worden als inspirators door Smolders. Dit heeft geleid tot de volgende onderzoeksvraag: Welke betekenis heeft Lita Cabellut haar triptiek Trilogie van de Twijfel willen meegeven en hoe staat dit in relatie tot werken van vroegere maatschappijkritische kunstenaars? De onderzoeksvraag splitst zich in drie deelvragen. In elk hoofdstuk wordt door middel van de deelvraag een ander aspect van de betekenis van het triptiek onderzocht aan de hand van de hierboven genoemde inspirators. In het eerste hoofdstuk zal de veronderstelde religie-kritische boodschap van het werk van Cabellut onderzocht worden in relatie met twee werken van respectievelijk Bosch en Bruegel. Er wordt ingegaan op de religieuze boodschap van beide werken en hoe het werk van Bruegel beschouwd kan worden als een vorm van antiklerikalisme waarbij twijfel opgeroepen lijkt te worden bij de toeschouwer over het geloof. Deze twijfel wordt verbonden met de vragen die de triptiek van Cabellut op lijkt te roepen. In het tweede hoofdstuk wordt de invloed van twee etsen van Francisco de Goya onderzocht. Vanuit de visuele vergelijking met het middelste schilderij van Cabelluts triptiek wordt de maatschappij kritische betekenis van Goya’s etsen verbonden met een mogelijke betekenis van Cabelluts triptiek. Net als Goya wordt er ook over Beckmann beweerd dat zijn drieluik Vertrek (1932) een maatschappij kritische boodschap had. Aan de hand van beide kunstenaars en aan de hand van Cabelluts uitspraken over de huidige maatschappij, wordt beargumenteerd dat Cabellut ook een maatschappijkritische boodschap probeert over te brengen met haar triptiek. In het laatste hoofdstuk wordt dieper ingegaan op de betekenis van de afgebeelde paus op het linker schilderij van de triptiek van Cabellut. Er wordt beargumenteerd dat de paus van Cabellut zowel aspecten heeft van het schilderij Paus Innocentius X van de Spaanse kunstenaar Diego Velázquez, als van de schilderijen van Francis Bacon die hij schilderde naar Paus Innocentius X. Hieruit wordt vervolgens met betrekking tot Cabelluts gedachten een mogelijke betekenis van dit werk bekeken. Voor het onderzoek wordt gebruik gemaakt van zowel literatuur over de genoemde kunstenaars als literatuur over de specifieke omstandigheden waarin de kunstwerken werden gemaakt. Bij Bosch en Bruegel word literatuur van Joseph Koerner over kunst ten tijde van de Reformatie en specifiekere artikelen over de betekenis van Bruegels werk van onder anderen Kenneth C. Lindsay en C. G. Stridbeck als leidraad gebruikt. Voor de betekenis van Goya’s etsen wordt gebruik gemaakt van literatuur van Nigel Glendinning en van Xavier de Salas. Kessler is van groot belang voor de iconografie van Beckmanns Vertrek. Voor het vergelijkende onderzoek tussen Velázquez en Bacon worden de artikelen van Rino Arya en Beatriz Acevedo toegepast als belangrijkste literatuur. Uitspraken van Cabellut over haar werk die zij heeft gedaan in interviews en in het boek Lita Cabellut: Trilogie van de Twijfel van Rob Smolders verschaffen meer inzicht in de betekenis van Cabelluts werk.Show less
