Malak Krayem (FMX 211)

Hito Steyerl's How Not To Be Seen  is like nothing I have ever seen before. It is a satirical short film in which Steyerl uses the method of instructional videos in a way that does not make much sense. Typically, instructional videos are meant to be simple and clear. This film is the complete opposite of that. Steyerl uses an abundance of signs to convey digital art, such as the green screen or the surface on which she keys images. But the most intriguing sign she uses is herself. The female figure she represents is perhaps the most memorable part of the film, as her face is really the only one we see. This is especially because she looks straight into the camera, directly at us, which is typically a striking image when that person is not the one speaking to us. Attempting to understand every aspect of this film would be a headache and a half. So, here is what I've gathered from it in terms of what Steyerl attempted to signify. Steyerl is perhaps trying to make a statement abou

  As somebody who grew up as part of the generation that lives on Instagram, it was not until I read this article by Margaret Nichols that I realized how wild it all is when broken down and studied. I had never really thought much into it. A selfie is a selfie and it simply is a reason to maintain your social media activity. This is another thing that never really seemed odd to me. It's my normal. However, I am now going to attempt to look at my posts from a different perspective, and try to understand the "why" and then examine whether it aligns with Nichols' opinions or not. To start, let's look at the selfie on the top left. That picture was taking during a time where my self-confidence had finally grown. It was taken fresh after a new haircut as well, which I wanted to share with my friends. I think it's worth mentioning that my Instagram is set to private, so the only ones that have access are people who I actually care sharing any part of myself with. Th

 When I began watching the artwork on Exit Through the Giftshop, everything seemed somewhat original, until it was not. Everything seemed to look like something I had already seen before, either because I'm familiar with the artists' work such as Banksy's or Fairey's, or because when you really think about it, no piece of art is ever 100% original. This brings Mr. Brainwash into the conversation. As soon as I began to watch him create portraits of pop culture icons with some changes and observed his use of the Campbell soup logo, something seemed a little fishy. Andy Warhol's work was renown for exactly those approaches. Although some might say that Mr. Brainwash is appreciating or "continuing" Warhol's art, I see it as more of plagiarizing. Sure, there are some differences. One would be how Warhol liked to accentuate the features of whoever's portrait he is creating, while Mr. Brainwash altered it to send a message that doesn't really align wi

The drawings in the cave might not seem too astonishing at first, but when you really learn about the history of it all and what it took to create them, it's nothing short of jaw-dropping. A few things amazed me with these pieces of art. Firstly, I had to remember that these drawings were created solely off of memory. Something that we don't have to rely on in this day and age. It's not like the cavemen were able to bring the animals inside the cave to copy off of. The other thing is the fact that they had to rely on using their torches for lighting and possibly even incorporated it into the art by playing around with shadows. This adds such depth to the art that probably isn't utilized in that way anymore. Third is the fact that is evidence that shows that the drawings could have been drawn up to 5,000 years apart. The resulting pieces of art that we are now examining would not have been as beautiful as they are without the layering of drawings. To think that it's

 

Pipilotti Rist is an artist unlike any I have ever seen before. As I watched her, I kind of found myself in a giggle. She is definitely unordinary, but in such an interesting way. I was sure to look at her art in the most open-minded way I could and try to understand where she is coming from. And by the end of it, I think I formed such a respect for her artwork, and here is why. She looks at the history of what to us may seem like a mundane, daily object and finds deep and beautiful meaning to it. Her fascination of the world around her is admirable. She seems like a such a light and is capable of creating art out of even the most unexpected things. The difference between Rist and the common artist of our day is that she is not necessarily using a paint brush, or a canvas. Her art is in her everyday objects, her tools. It is the world around her. She looks at everything like it has a story and allows it to inspire her. Her creativity is out of this world, and I wish my brain worked lik