Art Theory: BVA 313 - 28/05/2019 (What is identity and how is Cultural Identity different than the others?)

Topic for Art Theory: 

Why is the self makes identity so important?
-looking into the self aspect, making me confident in being who I am today.
Look into Identity and how cultural identity is so important in my project.

https://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2011/sanjaivekovic/essays/RM%20Identity%20and%20the%20Arts.pdf



https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312820253_Self_Identity_and_Culture

Artist model: 
1. Cathy Lu is more suitable to be presented in this project. 

• Cathy Lu, Cultural Identity in the art (Asia Society) 

Cathy Lu, born in Miami, FL in 1984 (Root division), is uncovering her own cultural identity through learning Chinese imagery. This helps her to gain an understanding of her cultural history and contemporary identity. 

Growing up from a Chinese family in Miami FL and surrounded by Cuban immigrants makes her uncomfortable while trying to understand American culture, there’s too much of diversity going on. Although Cathy has been in the United States of America since young, an invisible barrier still felt by her in society. The term Asian American when implied on her creates an awkward space contemporary time, she feels not yet accepted in society. Therefore, she chooses to create prices that explore Asian American identity, culture, and gender. (Root division) 

Cultural elements that are shown in Cathy’s work proves her exploration of her Chinese Identity without highlighting the use of materials. 

Her watercolor painting is based on a genre in traditional Chinese painting, “100 Boys Playing”. The painting depicts boys are playing with objects to foreshadow their future successes as adults. For example, a boy playing with a quill might grow up to be a scholar. (Asia Society) 

Cathy’s reinvention of “100 Boys playing” highlighted only the female role-playing. The action of “Playing” became a topic that portrays the differences between the male and female role. (Asia Society) 

On my first exhibition, The Cinderellas will portray a total of 3 illustrations on in a specific scene from Chinese, Malay and European version of Cinderella using each cultural pattern as a representation of the specific identity.

2. Johnson Witehira

TVNZ, Te Karere. (2016, June 28). Maori artist potraits explores mixed heritage. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGdq3CSTeJ8&feature=youtu.be

Johnson Witehira: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGdq3CSTeJ8&feature=youtu.be
His work's been all over Times Square, and now New Zealand have the chance to see his work first-hand. Māori artist and designer Johnson Witehira's vision is to bring Māori visual culture back into the lives of Māori and it all comes to life in his exhibition, ‘Ko Aotearoa Tēnei: This is New Zealand!’

Strang, E. (2018, April 11). Johnson witehira brings his indigenous design to Auckland Motorway's noise walls. Retrieved from ideology: https://idealog.co.nz/design/2018/04/johnson-witehira-brings-his-indigenous-design-auckland-motorways-noise-walls

https://idealog.co.nz/design/2018/04/johnson-witehira-brings-his-indigenous-design-auckland-motorways-noise-walls
In this article, it shares Johnson Witehira creates art that represents the relationship between Maori people and Pakeha. He merge history and nowadays context into his work.

Self comment 

I wanted to focus my theory on Self identity. Coming to New Zealand made me realized my differences, especially when people ask for your cultural identity. Example: Are you from China? Oh you speak good English? You re Malaysian but why do you look Chinese? 

I cant say these kind of question is racist, it is more like a unconscious question, a question that comes from curiosity. It is these question that triggers myself in the topic of identity. 

The two artist model above: Cathy Lu and Johnson Witehira both uses their art work to seek for identity in nowadays society. They questioned their own identity in a diversified cosiety because diversity plays an important role in nowadays society and sometimes can be quite confusing. 
Cathy Lu is an American born Chinese. Although she was born in America, her physical appearance tend to separate her from the crowd (being the minority