Group flyers

by ying0jiang

Audio

by killianreimers

This project took on a personal approach for me in the form of the self portrait, both in literal and figurative terms. I decided to concentrate solely on what drives me and my practice – My self and my mind. In working with my subconscious mind, I am allowing myself to rid my self of any inhibitions, thoughts, tyrants; anything. I am literally just doing, and using that concept of ‘do’ to control my work and to see it through, not limiting myself to any materials, resources, or manipulations. I am exploring the uncomfortable and the unfamiliar territory that is my self, exposing the fear and the inhibitions that I have with it.

The subconscious mind is important to me because it allows for me to recollect and attempt to understand what my conscious mind cannot by itself. It also allows for me to have a better comprehension of my conscious mind. In relation to this project, I believe that making this work is about revisiting and deconstructing my past in relation to my development as an artist thus far, and I am willing to explore that through this practice.

 

In relating my research towards my project for this term, a lot of artists I looked at mostly interested me in their theory of practice as opposed to just their final imagery. A lot of the work that I created, especially that of my drawings and my writings, was almost if not entirely created by myself without attempting to reference anyone else – Any other artists. However, after creating some sample imagery, I found that my research fits in almost perfectly well with what I was creating, in attempting to further understand my practice as well as allowing to  further develop it. Tracey Emin’s work is completely uninhibited; She allows her life’s events to unravel themselves into what she creates without too much critique or structure to manipulate it. I particularly found what she is perhaps most known for, her drawings and writings, influential to my practice for this term. Another great artist, Louise Bourgeois, influenced me with her ‘Insomnia Drawings’ that she created between November 1994 to June 1995 – 220 drawings and writings created to help the artist fall asleep. The repetitive, yet complexity of this work again aided me in my own drawings and writings. Joseph Parra is an American artist who creates abstracted, manipulated portraits of individuals through the process of screen printing and charcoal drawings. His intricacies in his ‘Braided’ series interests me deeply; Here we see the individual restricted behind this ‘mask’, of sorts, that has been created for them, creating an almost silencing factor to the portrait, the intricate ties of the braids ridding the portrait of identity and worth.

Flier/Postcard Examples

by killianreimers

Questions

by killianreimers

Helen – Is there a specific reason as to why you were so drawn to the idea of the male gaze and the dominance of the male figurehead that drove you to create your work?

Ying – Despite your film being about your girlfriend and her dreams, what do you think it says about you and your relationship with her?

Rui – In working with your subconscious mind, what do you find intriguing about it?

Misc. Random Appraisal Thoughts

by killianreimers

The subconscious mind is important to me because it allows for me to recollect and attempt to understand what my conscious mind cannot. It also allows for me to have a better comprehension of my conscious mind.

In creating this project, I have had a diverse selection of inspiration, ranging from all sorts of different media including but not limited to, David Shrigley, Tracey Emin, Joseph Parra, Louise Bourgeois, and others. They have inspired me with both their content and their contexts, why they work as well as how they perform in their work.

In viewing my work, I hope to allow the viewer to further undergo a deeply personal evaluation of my mind and what crosses through it. I hope that by viewing my work, the audience finds an inner connection to what I am creating – Even if they don’t understand or care to acknowledge why or how, I hope to get across the idea that at the end of the day, despite all of our deep-seated issues, we are the same.

Because my work for this project is so personal and so evaluative, both in content and in colour, as well as construct, I think I am, in a way, conveying a woman’s perspective. There is something deeply critical and daughterly about the work in this project for me that I believe is not entirely overtly that of a woman’s work, but does convey it in some sense.

For me, as a woman, I believe that making work is about revisiting and deconstructing my past in relation to my development. Obviously both men and women can have deeply-ridden pasts, but I am a firm believer that women carry pasts so delicate and intricate to that of men – We embrace it more, whether for better or for worse, in an effort to constantly understand and question our selves and what it is to be a woman. Throughout time, it has always been an ongoing struggle for women in development and growth, and at some points in contemporary times, it still is.

Despite my work being about my development and growth as a woman, it is also about my development and growth as a person; as a human being. My target audience is not limited; If you feel connected and drawn to my work, then you are my target audience – You are who I’m identifying with.

Image Re-manipulation

by killianreimers

Subconscious Ink Drawings

by killianreimers

Louise Bourgeois Insomnia Drawings

by killianreimers

‘Throbbing Pulse’, 1944:

“My work has to do with a defense against fervor.  People are always in a rush.  To do what?  To do nothing!  There is a kind of fervor that is completely meaningless.  This drawing is a call for meditation…. I am an insomniac, so for me the state of being asleep is paradise.  It is a paradise I can never reach.  But I still try to conquer the insomnia, and to a large extent I have done it; it is conquerable.  My drawings are a kind of rocking or stroking and an attempt at finding peace.  Peaceful rhythm.  Like rocking a baby to sleep.”

David Shrigley

by killianreimers

David Shrigley is a Glasgow-based artist that appears to work almost entirely within his subconscious. His work appears dark, humoured, and disquieting.

Appraisal Thoughts

by killianreimers

• identity – exploring myself, who I am, why I am
• subconscious
• deconstruction/decoding/unraveling
• reflection on the past
• exploring what comes to me naturally, through use of writing and ink drawings, polaroids – mediums that take as little time as possible to manipulate and use
• performative of my subconscious

In working with my subconscious, I am allowing myself to rid my self of any inhibitions, thoughts, tyrants; anything. I am literally just doing, and using that concept of ‘do’ to control my work and to see it through. I am exploring the uncomfortable and unfamiliar territory that is my self, exposing the fear and inhibitions I have with it.