SENIOR EXHIBITION PROPOSAL

Part One: Conceptual Framework & Influence

Visual artists provoke viewers to respond to their work’s content through various formal strategies that relate to the conceptual concerns. But, in order for the artist to effectively convey their ideas, they must start from a coherent and authentic foundation. Establishing this primary framework is a fundamental first step. Sometimes this process begins with a series of questions. What/who is my work in conversation with? Why do I do what I do? What am I repeatedly drawn to? What/how might my work contribute to the local or global community?

PROMPT A Keeping in mind that you will be engaging with your content for a prolonged period, what ideas will sustain your engaged, enthusiastic interest for a long-term project, culminating in a coherent body of work? As an artist, what ideas/approaches are you interested in (humor, irony, activism, beauty, etc.)? What do you want to communicate to your viewers through your work?

As a Vietnamese American individual born from a Vietnamese Buddhist family, I became heavily influenced by my family’s philosophies and teachings, yet I still had questions regarding who I am and where I came from. For my overall conceptual framework, I intend to delve into my background to learn more about my culture, family history, language, and religion to better understand myself and possibly integrate theories of postcolonialism, semiotics, and time, memory, and archive. Regarding time, memory, and archive, I wish to dive into the past to capture the historical aspects of ancestral history that made me what I am now. My mother for example, occasionally told stories of her childhood in the countryside in Vietnam along with the sacrifices my grandpa made to allow his family to eventually migrate and live a peaceful life in America. Besides learning about Vietnam, I have always been interested in studying other Eastern countries such as Japan, China, and Korea, especially since all these countries historically impacted one another at some point. China’s dynasties greatly influenced Japan’s culture and Korea’s art and religion for over hundreds of years while India contributed to the spread of Buddhism through Tibet then eventually to China; the same can be said for Vietnam as well. Unfortunately, because of Western intrusion beginning in the mid-1850s, these Eastern countries were forced to abide to European powers and eventually adapt. A explain how it might impact your emerging practice. In addition to the three visual artists, your written response may also make note of artists working in earlier periods, writers, activists, philosophers and other individuals or works that are strong influences, if relevant and necessary (artist working in earlier periods can be included in PowerPoint if particularly relevant to your work.)

Three contemporary artists that have influenced my practice are Nobuyoshi Araki, Yinka Shonibare, and Renee Cox. In Photography II, I was required to research a contemporary artist of my choice and discovered Nobuyoshi Araki, an innovative and controversial Japanese photographer known to produce provocative images. Initially, I was interested in Araki’s background as a Japanese individual, yet the artist’s central themes of eroticism and death further enticed me to investigate his works. The concepts I worked with regarding my own photographic works revolved around my interest in love and intimacy, hence my choice to analyze Araki and his ideas. As a Tokyo-based photographer, Araki tends to capture images of female bodies, flowers, faces, Tokyo street scenes, and animals. He plays with notions of time by manipulating the date of the photos taken and often utilizes offset printing to blur fact and fiction. Offset printing is a process where the ink is transferred from a plate like aluminum to a rubber blanket then to a printing surface like paper. Araki claims to transgress boundaries of life and death, taking images in different places like a car, viewing the outside and inside of the world distinctively. This notion influences me to think about transcendence and the spiritual world beyond, again alluding to Buddhist ideas. Hopefully, my emerging practice may integrate Araki’s influences, by better opening myself up to my audience and uncovering cultural aspects not common to the eye. Yinka Shonibare was another contemporary artist I recently researched for Contemporary Art & Theory. Shonibare is a British-Nigerian artist who aims to explore his own cultural identity and political and social histories regarding globalization through integrating theories of colonialism, postcolonialism, hybridity, multiculturalism, and semiotics. The artist concerns himself with deconstructing stereotypes of Black and African people, as well as overall traditional constructions of race, class, gender, and sexuality. Shonibare’s works tend to be visually playful, exaggerating racial stereotypes as a sort of parody by assuming the role as an English gentleman of the eighteenth century or decorating his installations and sculptures with “African” fabric or rather Dutch wax, a material based on Indonesian batik. In a sense, Shonibare’s works correlate with Jean Baudrillard’s theories of the hyperreal, as the artist contrasts the time periods of present versus past with his realistic portrayals of the people and rooms and outfits designed. Through researching the artist, I realized Shonibare’s approach strongly resonated with my digital montage, Oriental Paradise, in which I project Western perspectives onto the Orient, creating an idealized and cliché “paradise.” This idea also became heavily inspired by Edward Said’s definition of Orientalism where he claims the West, or those unfamiliar, depict or imitate aspects of the Eastern world from their own views. I believe Shonibare may be one of the artists who inspires me to develop works surrounding notions of identity whilst questioning assumptions. The last influential visual artist who inspired me and my practices would be Renee Cox. I discovered Cox through her work titled Yo Mama’s Last Supper, a controversial piece where she poses naked as Jesus Christ surrounded by twelve fully clothed male disciples. In this work, Cox also explored her own identity, questioning why in Catholic Cathedrals she had not seen an image of God in various art forms resemble anything like herself. As someone who is part of the feminist movement, Cox utilized her body in her works to criticize racist and sexist views as well as demonstrate concern for social issues. She would re-create religious imageries such as with Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper and Michelangelo's David and Pieta, to possess disturbing elements or contemporary Black bodies.

(Slides 5-7): Include 3 slides of distinct works by contemporary artists (PLEASE NOTE: The artists you include should have significant, professional exhibition records at highly regarded venues - major museums or well-known contemporary art spaces).

Part Two: Media and Imagery

As you begin to explore your ideas in the studio, consider which materials and processes might best communicate the ideas you’ve outlined above. Be particularly mindful of media and materials with which you have some level of familiarity. In other words, this is not the best moment to begin figuring out how to work with an entirely new medium or process.

PROMPT C Spend time thinking about pieces you created during the last three years that you were really pleased with or which gained attention from your peers or your professors. What was it about those works that made them successful? Are these works that may give you an idea of what direction you’d like to take during your capstone year? Why?

The first piece I became really pleased with was my final studio exercise in Contemporary Art & Theory. Going above and beyond my usual practice, I experimented with animation, specifically GIFs to work with multiple theories including time, memory, archive, semiotics, aura/representation, and authorship/originality. My object depicted was a Dragon that resonated with my conceptual framework of how pandemics affect people psychologically. The infinite loop portrays timelessness where the individual becomes trapped in their own conceived dystopia, the dragon forever feeding off their paranoia. According to my peers, I successfully demonstrated a sense of “overwhelmingness” an aspect frequent in pandemics due to the heavy number of images and flashing colors. Combining real and fictional images along with the constant movement further distorts the difference between authenticity versus virtuality. I also dealt with concepts of originality, as the manipulation of images poses a question on the validity of the author as well as the work itself; what belongs to what exactly.) Interestingly, I realize from this work that I often input religious connotations such as the dragon head, or rather the skull representing Baphomet, a deity associated with the “Sabbatic goat,” incorporated into occult traditions like Satanism. I may somewhat translate this work toward the direction of my capstone year, yet I do not believe I desire to go this extreme. In Graphic Design I, I created a digital zine utilizing both Photoshop and Illustrator. My zine acted as a self-help book that focused on helping students and professors better endure the current global pandemic. With previous experience making zines from the course, The Artist’s Book, I developed an informative yet colorful series, stepping out of the traditional making of zines by solely utilizing digital technology. Most of the images were appropriated from online sources, while some were personally made such as the simplistic representation of the Corona virus and the bright simplistic landscape containing empowering quotes. The work overall is meant to connect with those who view my zines as a way to sympathize with their dilemma. I chose this work as a possible inspiration toward the direction I may take for my capstone year because of the digital medium I worked with along with the educational aspect it provides in a strong cultural sense. The cover page for one alludes to Buddhist’s ideas of achieving enlightenment through meditation and finding peace in oneself. The full spread page with the bright landscape also alludes to meditative walking where one frees their mind and appreciate the world around them. I may establish a booklet in the future that possesses intriguing cultural elements such as my self- help book. The final piece I will discuss is my final artist’s book project. All made by hand, the sculptural “book” mimics a generic game console. The exterior of the square box is enveloped in black and white images of games I play whilst the interior is decorated in screen-printed geometric silver patterns on black. Inside the box there are four quadrants, each with their own mini handcrafted books that illustrate my confrontation toward gaming addiction. When the box is empty, there are typed rhymes printed on the bottoms of each square that question my worth or the worth of my games. Other than the box, I painted and re-designed the casing for my DS cartridges to look like a game controller. It can be open, again revealing text that confronts reality over virtual reality. I took all that I learned in The Artist’s Book course and incorporated these techniques into the final project. Gaming addiction is a huge issue prevalent in many countries, especially Eastern countries like China. Though I may not create another book like this in the future, the concept included specific notions of identity which I would like to further explore.

(Slides 8-10): Include 3 slides demonstrating your strongest work produced over the last 3 years. SENIOR EXHIBITION PROPOSAL (Continued)

PROMPT D Your written response should reflect upon the following: Considering your strongest works and the conceptual framework you’ve developed; think about what materials you are likely to employ in your capstone project. Will you engage in painting, printmaking, mixed media, sculpture, photography, video, drawing or some combination of these? Your response should include a rationale for your intended use of particular media/approaches.

The materials I will most likely employ in my capstone project are photography, digital imaging, painting, and drawing. Digital media techniques are incorporated into many of my past works. Appropriating imagery has also become a regular aspect of my practice as I am able to blend, transform, and reconceptualize the content within pre-existing images that circulate as part of our vast visual realm. Utilizing digital art for me is a way to demonstrate a practice I have been refining. With previous knowledge in traditional work, I build upon conventional means to produce a new kind of reality, again combining an abstract idea with technical experience and observation to create distinctions between fact and fiction. I am also interested in working with more traditional mediums such as painting and drawing, potentially incorporating Sumi-e ink to demonstrate cultural practices like calligraphy. The painterly strokes and textures provide a sense of nostalgia, a remembrance of the Orient. Pencil drawing was one of the first mediums I became adept in. The pencil provides a timeless and historical imprint possible of referring to various timelines, similar to painting or Sumi-e ink. The harmonization of digital and traditional mediums results in a contemporary search of a historical past, again combining present identity with a developing culture.

(Slides 11-12): Include 2 slides demonstrating your competency in particular media you plan to incorporate into your capstone.

Part Three: Current Work

PROMPT E Select two images of your strongest current work and describe how these works connect with your conceptual framework and detail their strengths in communicating those ideas, as well as aspects you intend to further develop. How might you extend this work?

The two images I selected as my strongest works are my self-portrait designed in Illustrator and my pastiche poster designed in Photoshop. Both projects resulted from my experience and education in graphic design, an attempt to communicate ideas into visuals I am passionate about. My self-portrait strongly reflects myself as a Vietnamese Buddhist. I dressed myself in a purple Vietnamese long dress (also known as áo dài), a national garment, and a turban called khăn vấn which is popularly worn by Vietnamese brides. The turban resembles the sun, symbolizing the kind of sun seen resting behind the buddha’s head as a sign of enlightenment. As someone who is quarter Chinese, I added other small details such as the red eyeliner and the flower tattoo imprinted on my forehead. The forehead decoration, or “huadian” alluded to a story about Princess Shouyang, who had a plum blossom land on her forehead. It became popular in the Tang and Song dynasty as many ladies admired the look, imitating the design with makeup. These elements overall connect strongly to my current conceptual framework of identity and theories aforementioned. Recently I have also become quite infatuated with ancient Chinese/Japanese and European nobilities as I love learning about their lifestyle, fashion, and architecture at the time. My second piece speaks against Asian stereotypes, especially the prejudice against women learned from erroneous sources such as Hollywood movies. According to a bit of research, Asian women are perceived (from foreign eyes) as docile beings or sexual predators. The image utilized is that of a Vietnamese woman dressed in a traditional long dress, yet her face is shadowed by her conical hat. I exploited the shadowed aspect to create an anonymous individual vulnerable to judgement though almost threatening. The grungy text screams “WE ARE NOT WHO YOU THINK WE ARE” including myself and other Vietnamese or Asian women who may be impacted by such stereotypes. The crumpled newspaper speaks another language that almost offends the image as it does not depict the Vietnamese language. Again, this piece speaks about identity and the exploration of a personal culture which strongly connected with theories of postcolonialism as well as time, memory, and archive. In both Photography II and Contemporary Art & Theory, I produced artworks that reconceptualized religious connotations that fit with my conceptual frameworks while utilizing my body. Though I do not intend to disrespect religion itself, I mean to use what I understand and arrange them with my own ideas. The work of Renee Cox and its reference to the feminist writing of bell hooks encouraged me to display my body and thoughts without shame, to display the beauty and truth in front of an audience unafraid. With my new emerging conceptual framework, I hope to courageously present myself and my culture in numerous ways, perhaps incorporating Buddhist practices. I also digitally created a poster that fought against Asian stereotypes, especially with Asian women thought to be either sexual predators or docile playthings. I hope to continue illustrating these concepts for my current developing framework as these are one of the many ways I may speak about myself and the culture. I intend to perhaps further speak upon the issues Vietnam possesses as well as insert myself in the reality rather than a drawing. The works may be further extended to explore (travel to) Vietnam itself if possible or even dress myself in the traditional attire in a modern world.

(Slides 13-15): Include 2 slides of current work in keeping with the conceptual framework defined above.

Part Four: Research

Research for a visual artist can take many forms and serves as a means of locating material to help your ideas develop. A good start for researching is to make a list of keywords for yourself that you can use to search on-line contemporary arts journals and databases, etc. Your research might also necessitate engaging with content from other disciplines such as the sciences or the humanities in order to gain a fuller comprehension of information that is particularly technical, conceptual, cultural, political, etc. This mode of research may necessitate more pointed keywords and could begin with a basic Internet search, followed by a more thorough look at library databases.

PROMPT F Please begin to define your research agenda and indicate how each area/item might contribute to your work. Before you begin this process of building a new body of work, consider which disciplines and ideas you need to research. Your written response should detail resources you intend to engage with in your research (and why), whereas the slides need only include brief, bibliographic data and/or a listing of intended research areas.

I plan to minor in Asian Studies starting in the Spring 2021 semester to further learn about general Asian history and culture. Coursework in this minor will certainly connect with my capstone project goals, leading me to research materials relevant to my project. Fortunately, I also know a professor who is knowledgeable in Asian studies named Dr. Yao, my previous RCC professor, who taught about the history of Chinese Youth (originating from the Mao era). Talking to professors like Dr. Yao may help lead me to find unique scholarly articles connected with my content. I believe even personally communicating with the professors themselves about their adventures from their origin country to here may also be helpful, learning from a special point of view. The minor courses require me to learn new languages, either Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, or Hebrew, and study the history, culture (including specific religions like Buddhism), and economy. I also hope to interview my family about their history, how they arrived in America, and their lifestyle in Vietnam. Travelling abroad is something I hope to do as I believe I will gain much more experience learning from the source. However, if not possible, I may attempt to reflect my experiences somewhere “similar” and nearby, perhaps even uncovering evidence of Orientalism or an “Americanized lifestyle” in these parts.

(Slides 16-18) Include 2-3 slides indicating initial resources you might consider (a list of citations, screenshots of misc. items such as websites, etc.).

Junior Portfolio Review

Tracy Lam Mariko Mori, Pure Land

Book written by Edward Said in which he establishes a new meaning for “Orientialism.” An exhibition catalog that profiles an exhibition titled Archive Fever curated by Francisco Goya, The Sleep of Reason Yinka Shonibare, The Sleep of Reason Essay by Jean Baudrillard which Okwui Enwezor Produces Monsters Produces Monsters (Africa) discusses about the concept of hyperrealism (coined by the author himself). Inkjet Print, 12 in (h) x 17 in (w), 2018 Digital Image, dimensions variable, 2020 Digital Image, dimensions variable, 2020 Nobuyoshi Araki, Kinbaku (Bondage) Nobuyoshi Araki, Erotos Yinka Shonibare, Party Time: Re-imagine America Renée Cox, Yo Mama's Last Supper GIF, digital image, dimensions variable, 2020 Inkjet Print, 9 in (h) x 6 in (w), 1-10, 2020 Cardboard, printing paper, typewriting ink, construction paper, cartridge holder, craft foam, letterpress prints, game cartridge, pencil, tape, glue, handmade paper, plastic string, glue, yarn, pen, outer box, 2 1/8 in (h) x 6 in (w) x 6 in (d); DS cartridge case, 1/2 in (h) x 4 1/8 in (w) x 2 1/2 in (d); star accordion book, 2 1/2 in (h) x 2 1/2 in (w); twin square accordion books, 2 1/2 in (h) x 2 in (w); handmade paper booklet, 3 in (h) x 2 1/2 in (w); origami box, 1 7/16 in (h) x 2 3/4 in (w) x 2 3/4 in (d), 2019 Inkjet Print, 3 in (h) x 5 in (w), 2020 Inkjet Print, 12 in (h) x 17 in (w), 2020 Digital Drawing, dimensions variable, 2020 Sumi-e Ink On Paper, 18 in (h) x 24 in (w), 2019 Inkjet Print, 15 in (h) x 11 in (w), 2020 Inkjet Print, 24 in (h) x 18 in (w), 2020 Planning to minor in Asian studies starting next semester for conceptual framework. Image shows minor course description Other options on researching conceptual framework such as reading and finding scholarly articles on Olin Library Database.