Shakeema Ellis- Weekly Selfie 6

From the Archives: Wangechi Mutu Dresses Cultural Critique in Freakishly Beautiful Disguises

By: Stephanie Cash 

Quote 

1. As Hannah Höch once wrote: “Photomontage could be used not merely to produce things heavy with political meaning . . . but . . . one could also regard it as a means of self-expression and eventually arrive at purely aesthetic works.”

Reaction 

 1.I learned that photomontage, which is an artistic technique that combines images or parts of photos to form a single, cohesive image, is a more inventive way to express yourself in a variety of ways.

Quote 

2. "Mutu incorporates elements of the ana­tomical diagrams into whimsical portraits—using a prolapsed uterus for a nose, for example—as if to bring some levity to these female afflictions"

Answer 

2. What I took from this was it challenges the viewer's idea of female anatomy, but also turns medical drawings into symbols of creativity and empowerment. It gives a vision of reframing previously forbidden or painful issues, frequently connected with pain or vulnerability, to make them more approachable and even amusing.

Wangechi Mutu:An Imagined World Made Possible 

By: Roberta Smith 

 

Quote

1. "It has become an enveloping, shadowy place shot through with flaming color, incalculable beauty, but also disease and violence". 

Response 

1. This remark taught me that art depicts both the positive and the ugly sides of things. Art is really unique; even disease and murder can appear creative. 

Quote 

1. This observation made me realize that she enjoyed making the audience feel, see, and have a complete experience through her art. She expressed herself in a variety of ways, including with animals.

"Beauty in all Shades" 

I choose to this type of collage because I wanted to represent women from different cultures, and I just want to show the things women have to do on a daily basis. For example, we have to carry the child, still work, and balance all of that and make sure the kids are okay at all times, and the make- up is something takes women at least 30 minutes depending how deep you want to go. With all these obstacles we still have to show up no matter what, for example, I am a single mother, and even when goes to her dad, I have to be there; vs the father who never really around. I want to represent women and show how much we have to dedicate ourselves to everyone else, and then take care of us.