WEEK 2

1) The five artist I chose are Cao Fei, Michael Rakowitz, Sarah Sze, Berry McGee, and Julie Mehretu. Each of these artists explores different themes and approaches that influence how I think about my own artwork.

2) Cao Fei explores themes related to hip hop culture, cosplay, avatars, and fantasy worlds. Her work focuses on how digital spaces and virtual identities come together to create imagines realities. One of the challenges she face was working in the 21st century, where critique and expectations are more advanced, as well as building her digital environment to match her vision within the limitations of game design. What inspires me most about her work is the way she created avatars that look 3D while still having an old school digital style. From her work, I want to incorporate digital art into my photography by combining edited digital elements with photographs to tell a stronger story.

3) Michael Rakowitz addresses history, loss, and cultural memory in his work, especially in his project The Invisible enemy Should Not Exist, which focuses on artifacts from Iraq. He recreated that were destroy or stolen to bring attention to histories that many people do not had access to.  One challenge he faced was continuing collaborative work during COVID due to distance and safety concerns. Another difficulty was finding an Iraqi museum willing to display his work. What inspired me most was Enemy Kitchen, where he shares his family Iraqi recipes. I admire how he connects food, culture, and history. From his work, I want my artwork to carry more historical meaning and reflect where I come from and what I represent. 

4) Sarah Sze's work focuses on space, movement, and how people understand three dimensional environments. She often uses everyday materials and installation  to guide viewers through space, similar to navigating a subway or architectural structure.  One of the challenges she faced was choosing the right materials and tiles to support her concept. What inspires me about her work is how she uses flow of an environment to tell a story about movement and travel. I want to incorporate this idea into my own work by creating images that feel smooth, connected, and in motion.

5) Berry McGee theme focus on graffiti and street culture. His work mostly focuses on tagging as a way to make his name and presences be known,especially while surviving in urban environments. One of the main challenges he face was avoiding getting caught while finding the right places to put his work. What inspires me about him is how difficult it is to make art visible in public spaces. From his work, I want my own images to stand out, catch attention, and speak directly to viewers.

6) Julie Mehretu work focuses on abstraction and painting, combining shapes, lines, and different media to create layered compositions. One challenge she face was avoiding a single specific narrative, allowing viewers to interpret the work in their own way. What inspires me about her work is how powerful her work feels without words just by looking at it. from her work, I want to create meaning, similar to how a story unfolds when reading a book.