The Voice of Art
This is my third and final action project for my humanities class called Rhetoric. In this class we learned and discussed different way of presenting arguments, ideas and truths. We talked about how rhetoric plays into not just campaigns and in politics, but how everything is a form or rhetoric. In this unit we focused mainly on the rhetoric and meaning of art. We talked about outside artists, who are people who are not part of the mainstream or the art world elite nor conform to the confines of the typical art form. For this action project we had to create a piece of art that related to a social issue of our choice that we felt that we had something to say about. After creating it we had to explain why we created what we did and what we were trying to express and start a discussion about. In the images you can see images of the two pieces of art that I created for this project.
You may notice that I am using the label survivor not victim. I made this choice very intentionally, as ‘victim’ comes with the association of being broken and weak. However I very much believe that survivors of rape are stronger than that label. They have survived one of the most traumatic experiences that any human possibly could and are still standing here today. The survived not only that but the aftermath and stigmatic response from others.
I knew I wanted to cover this topic, but I had to choose a medium that I felt could accurately convey my message. Since I paint and draw quite a bit I decided to work with black liquid sumi, a plant based ink, and red gouache, a water based paint. The result was two abstract portraits, each with serious and heavy message, that I presented in a more symbolistic way.
The first work that I did is a little more self explanatory than the other. It depicts a woman with her mouth taped shut and the text ‘I will not be silent’ written on her face. By using these words I think it is almost ironic to have her literally being silenced by the tape. In today's world there is so much good that can be done by sharing one's experience and story. An example of this is the newly popularized hashtag: ‘me too’. However, because of how the reporting system is currently set up when a someone does say something they are often dismissed as making a false claim. If they are lucky enough to be believed, even partially, nothing is ever really done: other than the occasional pay off, in exchange for the survivors silence.
The second work that I made is blunt and ironic, like the first. The text ‘be your own f**kin hero’ I am trying reflect the system that is supposed to be helping people seek justice and healing. In order to get any legal compensation a person is required to go through a grueling and degrading process without support. The only time anything has truly happened is when survivors and allies band together for everyone's voices to be heard. That also brings another meaning to the text I chose to use, it doesn’t address just one person but all people. Everyone who can needs to speak out truthfully to see the necessary steps towards change taken.
Another way I chose to present my message was through my color choice. The black ink was used to show both the darkness that comes with dealing with rape and the aftermath, but I also used the color to show power and bold strength that is needed to move forward. I used the red, because the color is seen as a color of blood and suffering. It is safe to say that those words can be used to describe both the pain and strength of a person to keep living after through the trauma and the aftermath.
After looking at the meaning I tried to bring into the piece of art itself I had to consider who this message is even for. It is such a big issue that in the ideal world I could use this to start a conversation with everyone. It is somewhat well known that college campuses are one of the most common places sexual assault occurs. In fact 11.2% of all students experience rape. It is both that and a place with lots of potential viewers, so if I could I would choose to put my work up there. I would put them up on walls, bulletin boards, and in other public spaces. I don't think any one piece of art can change the entire world, but perhaps it could start a conversation that might.
I very much have my idea of what I created and the meaning behind all of it, I also want to leave some of the meaning up to the viewer. That is one of my favorite thing about art, the interpretation of the message is so subjective and can turn into anything all because of perspective. I think that it would be incredible to display the art I created out of or without any context and get feedback from others. I do not know how this would be done, but if I could expand on this project I would do that.
After completing reflecting on the work that I did and the final product I am really proud of the final product. The idea that I had when starting this project turned out just as I had wanted and I was really about to convey what I was attempting to. Thought when finishing the paintings I did make the overly tired mistake of setting one of them on my paint pallet, nearly ruining it, I was able to quickly fix it without much difficulty. I really enjoyed the act of actually doing and creating this project. Drawing, painting and creating art is something I hope to pursue in the future and is definitely something I consider a skill of mine this project allowed me to work in my element.
The only thing that I would redo about this project if given the chance would be to take my time when creating it, since when starting this I didn't know that I could.
Park, Andrea. "#MeToo Reaches 85 Countries with 1.7 Million Tweets." CBS News. CBS
Interactive, 24 Oct. 2017. Web. 25 Oct. 2017.
"Victims of Sexual Assault: Statistics." RAINN. RAINN, 2016. Web. 25 Oct. 2017.
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| MN ("I Will Not Be Silenced" Art #1) 2017 |
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| MN ("BE YOUR OWN F**KIN HERO" Art #2) 2017 |
Artist Statement
I chose to create an art piece about rape, rape culture and normalization of it. This is an incredibly touchy and taboo topic for many. It is hard for survivors to relive it and expose themselves through discussion. It is also kept quiet by those who wish to not deal with such a difficult and serious subject. However tough it is for people to talk about, it is something that needs to be discussed. At the moment I was creating the paintings the hashtag ‘me too’ was trending on social media. It was a hashtag that was used for survivors to share their stories or just to stand in solidarity with other survivors. As of October 24 there have been over 1.7 million posts using the hashtag, hailing from more than 85 countries. Even that high number it doesn't begin to describe the scope of the problem rape is in our world today, 1 out of every 6 women experience rape at some point in their lives. Are those numbers not reason enough to speak about it?You may notice that I am using the label survivor not victim. I made this choice very intentionally, as ‘victim’ comes with the association of being broken and weak. However I very much believe that survivors of rape are stronger than that label. They have survived one of the most traumatic experiences that any human possibly could and are still standing here today. The survived not only that but the aftermath and stigmatic response from others.
I knew I wanted to cover this topic, but I had to choose a medium that I felt could accurately convey my message. Since I paint and draw quite a bit I decided to work with black liquid sumi, a plant based ink, and red gouache, a water based paint. The result was two abstract portraits, each with serious and heavy message, that I presented in a more symbolistic way.
The first work that I did is a little more self explanatory than the other. It depicts a woman with her mouth taped shut and the text ‘I will not be silent’ written on her face. By using these words I think it is almost ironic to have her literally being silenced by the tape. In today's world there is so much good that can be done by sharing one's experience and story. An example of this is the newly popularized hashtag: ‘me too’. However, because of how the reporting system is currently set up when a someone does say something they are often dismissed as making a false claim. If they are lucky enough to be believed, even partially, nothing is ever really done: other than the occasional pay off, in exchange for the survivors silence.
The second work that I made is blunt and ironic, like the first. The text ‘be your own f**kin hero’ I am trying reflect the system that is supposed to be helping people seek justice and healing. In order to get any legal compensation a person is required to go through a grueling and degrading process without support. The only time anything has truly happened is when survivors and allies band together for everyone's voices to be heard. That also brings another meaning to the text I chose to use, it doesn’t address just one person but all people. Everyone who can needs to speak out truthfully to see the necessary steps towards change taken.
Another way I chose to present my message was through my color choice. The black ink was used to show both the darkness that comes with dealing with rape and the aftermath, but I also used the color to show power and bold strength that is needed to move forward. I used the red, because the color is seen as a color of blood and suffering. It is safe to say that those words can be used to describe both the pain and strength of a person to keep living after through the trauma and the aftermath.
After looking at the meaning I tried to bring into the piece of art itself I had to consider who this message is even for. It is such a big issue that in the ideal world I could use this to start a conversation with everyone. It is somewhat well known that college campuses are one of the most common places sexual assault occurs. In fact 11.2% of all students experience rape. It is both that and a place with lots of potential viewers, so if I could I would choose to put my work up there. I would put them up on walls, bulletin boards, and in other public spaces. I don't think any one piece of art can change the entire world, but perhaps it could start a conversation that might.
~~
I very much have my idea of what I created and the meaning behind all of it, I also want to leave some of the meaning up to the viewer. That is one of my favorite thing about art, the interpretation of the message is so subjective and can turn into anything all because of perspective. I think that it would be incredible to display the art I created out of or without any context and get feedback from others. I do not know how this would be done, but if I could expand on this project I would do that.
After completing reflecting on the work that I did and the final product I am really proud of the final product. The idea that I had when starting this project turned out just as I had wanted and I was really about to convey what I was attempting to. Thought when finishing the paintings I did make the overly tired mistake of setting one of them on my paint pallet, nearly ruining it, I was able to quickly fix it without much difficulty. I really enjoyed the act of actually doing and creating this project. Drawing, painting and creating art is something I hope to pursue in the future and is definitely something I consider a skill of mine this project allowed me to work in my element.
The only thing that I would redo about this project if given the chance would be to take my time when creating it, since when starting this I didn't know that I could.
Sources Cited
Park, Andrea. "#MeToo Reaches 85 Countries with 1.7 Million Tweets." CBS News. CBS
Interactive, 24 Oct. 2017. Web. 25 Oct. 2017.
"Victims of Sexual Assault: Statistics." RAINN. RAINN, 2016. Web. 25 Oct. 2017.
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