World Goes Pop

Going to this exhibition was definitely and eye opener in terms of the possibilities of my future installations and concepts behind them. The purpose of pop art is to represent and show a particular cultural or political issue in a way that stands out. It was interesting to see the hidden and less well known pop art artists, who displayed major political issues within the 60's and 70's in particular cultures. There were a lot female artists featured within this exhibition including Evelyn Axell and Jana Zelibska, some of the early known feminist pop artists. Below are a few of the pieces I liked from the exhibition. All cover very different themes, however some I feel are relevant and interesting.  

Doll festival - Shinohara Ushio (1965)

By including both the traditional Japanese woman and a cowboy, it represents the modernisation and Americanisation in Japanese society. Pop art is an effective way to use imagery to metaphorically suggest a cultural or political issue. Not only is there the use of bold brushwork, but there is use of new industrial materials at the time, including fluorescent paint, aluminium sheets, metal foil and acrylic sheets. I really liked this bold piece at first it appears to be just painted but as you look closer is has many layers. Pop art, although there is less detail within the images itself, still gets a message across by being more vague and making the audience think about the pieces more.    

Valentine - Evelyn Axell (1966)

Kisskisskiss - Tadanori Yokoo (1964)

"The work starts off with the soundtrack of Dean Martin’s popular song ‘Kiss’, changing moments later to the otherworldly sounds of a theremin, suggesting the emergence of a darker side to the kissing couple’s bliss. As the animation progresses, the images are manipulated through hand colouring, rhythm, rotation and the effect of ripped paper, speeding up only to once again end with Martin’s song."

God of war - Ulrike  otttinger

Crayon angel - Keiichi  Tanaami  (1975)

The traumatic experiences in World War II remain and extremely significant memories of Tanaami's childhood. The sound used in contrast with the cartoon like pictures, scarily plays with the mind, however aids the image of fear that he had experienced as a child. 

Evelyn Axell - Licenced Both Ways (1965) 

Represents the female body and society's gaze.

Nicola L - Woman Sofa 

Representation of the female body as an object.

Ruth Francken  - Man Chair  

Blurs boundaries between sculpture and manufactured product. Idealised male body becomes mass- produced and sexualises  anyone sitting on it.

Very interested in technology and industrial materials and their relationship with artistic production.

Jana Zelibska 

In her works viewers could manipulate elements such as certain hinting at erotic concealment and unveiling of the female body. Fragmented females bodies using mirrors and fabric, staging the intimate encounters with bodily imagery.

Going to the Tate really inspired me and the possibilities of what I could create for my project. It is great to see the works in person and the textures, rather than just looking at pictures in and book or online.