Weekly Selfie 4: Vee Hughes

A kiss with a fist is better than none

A performance Piece 

Untitled Vee Hughes 2024

Untitled Vee Hughes 2024

Untitled Vee Hughes 2024

Untitled Vee Hughes 2024

Yoko Ono - A Groundbreaking Artist, Activist and Fighter behind the Myth of her Name

1. “Cut Piece was one of the best examples where the visceral presence of the author confronted the tension between exhibitionism and voyeurism, masochism and sadism, between victim and assailant. The piece was lauded as an enactment of the physical vulnerability of women in a world where they are reduced to mere objects for looking at. This groundbreaking artwork is hailed as prophetic of feminist activism and of performance art as a form.”

1. We had just discussed Yoko Ono, the fluxus movement and Cut Piece in my contemporary art class so it was interesting to get to explore it again, and through a more feminist lense. My first thought with this piece is always to question how men interact with this performance art. The fact that the art speaks on men objectifying women, and then the act of men aiding in that objectification by cutting off her clothes is a very interesting commentary and makes me wonder if those men are aware of the way it comes off. Especially because I believe that the last cut was made on her bra straps by a man. 

2. “Ono truly believes that despite the rising terroristic activities, we are finally on our way to world peace, and she predicted that we will have heaven on Earth in 2050. If her hopes, aspirations and dreams will come true, we cannot know, but only time will tell.”

1. It is disheartening to think of how much suffering Yoko Ono has seen in her life and it is admirable how much advocating she has done through her art in her time. The parallel’s between the vietnam war and the genocide in gaza are aparent, specifically in the juxtaposition of the United States involvement. In both cases the government is immensely pro-war, while a large number of the population is against it. I also admire her optimism for the state of world peace which I sadly don't share. 

Performance, Pedagogy, and Philosophy

1. “I think the larger challenge surrounding not only the pandemic but also the converging crises of racial justice, reproductive rights, and everything else is the immediacy with which we are being called upon to act. This is infiltrated and influenced by social media and the sort of commotion and chaos of the news cycle: we feel compelled to act, act, act—to respond, respond, respond—and artists don’t operate best in that rhythm. Artists need to take in, to process, to decipher, to separate from the noise and create things that are beautiful and impactful to the spirit. Artists have to offer a different type of slowness to work against the speed of today.”

1. I feel like this quote is very relevant to the theme of our class. Two things can be true at once; a) there is a massive rise in cases of racial, socio-economic, gender and sexual injustice and b) social media exacerbates this. Being on websites like twitter have become exhausting with the constant feed of news. I also believe that when you do take in that great deal of content constantly in such short cycles it can drain you if you’re not careful, it's understandable that Soto feels that way. 

2. “For a white student, particularly a young white student, seeing the mode of expression of an artist of color can shift as much of their worldview as it does for a student of color.”

1. I agree with this quote entirely. Exposure to diversity is pivotal in everyone’s lives but especially for those who have historically- and for some currently- execute it. I grew up in a predominantly black and hispanic neighborhood, went to predominantly black and hispanic schools and my parents have ensured that I was raised around diversity and equality. I grew up understanding how important representation is and I think being an activist goes hand in hand with being an artist. 

Khan Academy Performance Art An Introduction webpages 

1. Shiraga Kazuo, Challenging Mud (Doro ni idomu)

1. This piece stood out to me quickly just from the intense emotions radiating from it. As I read on and found out the history and intention behind it, the interest only deepened. What is commonly taught about the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is nowhere near how tragic it was. The piece is visceral and raw and demands to be seen. It is almost uncomfortable to look at, which is exactly what we want from art. 

2. Gordon Matta-Clark, Splitting

1. The first thing I thought of when I saw this piece was the separation of a family. It has this eerie and hazy look as if it's a half-forgotten memory. It's a very unique form of art, something I would never think could even be considered art until seeing it executed.