The Arts in New York City » Steven Chang

Steven Chang’s Final Podcast

admin — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 16:12:23 +0000

Remembering 9/11 at the NY Historical Society

Steven Chang — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 19:17:27 +0000

As I walked through the 9/11 exhibit in the NY Historical Society, I saw the different perspectives of the tragic event through the powerful medium of photography. The exhibit reminded me of the Snapshot of NYC Common Event we had attended earlier. Although we had all taken pictures of NYC on the same day, the perspectives varied, as did the content of the photos. The photographs in the 9/11 exhibit expressed the mixed range of emotions and reactions to the tragic event: sadness, frustration, disbelief, solidarity, vengeance (one photograph said “Nuke them all”), a calling for peace. The whole human range of emotions is very expansive and the medium of photography portrays these emotions very well. I would recommend a visit to this exhibit to those interested in commemorating those lost on that tragic day.

Steven Chang’s Podcast Review

admin — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 20:23:37 +0000

Art in the park (and everywhere else)

Steven Chang — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 18:55:14 +0000

Conceptual artist Roxy Paine took ideas about nature and industrialization to create steel trees and a steel rock, artworks housed in the museum called Madison Square Park. The tension between nature and industrialization were obvious in Paine’s works: the real trees and rocks surrounding the artificial trees and artificial rock; the material used to make the artworks, steel, which is made from natural raw materials but becomes steel through a man-made process. The artist sought to contrast nature and industrialization in his works, a theme we are all familiar with in this city. The whole city can be seen as a museum, with its many parks and trees and its many skyscrapers as artworks depicting this tension between nature and man. This tension is everywhere around us: when we walk on a sidewalk with trees on the side, when we are in Central Park and we look up to see skyscrapers in the backdrop, or when we admire the blue sky, lost in a daydream only to come back to our city life. Although Paine did an admirable job in portraying the tension between nature and man, the audience did not have to look any further for this tension than in their everyday life as a New Yorker.

Japan Society’s Making a Home: Japanese Contemporary Artists in New York

Steven Chang — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 18:27:01 +0000

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN- Japan Society’s exhibit titled Making a Home: Japanese Contemporary Artists in New York showcased the artwork of 33 contemporary Japanese artists who emigrated to NYC from Japan. One of the themes the exhibit dealt with was the theme of identity; the artists had two separate identities to reconcile, as Japanese and a New Yorker. The exhibit was a very intriguing look at the artist’s relationship with their former homeland, Japan.

Hiroyuki Nakamura’s acrylic on canvas titled “everybody loves remotes and detachable penises, and so does a cowboy-LANDMINE JUNKIE is gonna hit another head” (2007) was a provocative piece showing an extreme side of human sexuality. My first gut reaction when I saw this piece was shock. The piece, which had a creepy cartoonish quality, featured a Japanese girl who was wearing what seemed to be a small detachable penis and was striking a suggestive pose. In addition, I noticed that the girl wore a very tight corset around her waist which created an exaggerated hourglass figure. This was a very provocative and unusual work. Nakamura’s other works featured in the exhibit contained Western and Japanese elements. From that observation, I tried to look for any conflict of these elements in the work. The only interpretation I could come up with was that Nakamura’s work was an expression of a suppressed sexuality. Japanese culture was stricter and less open about self-expression than American culture. Perhaps the artist felt liberated sexually in America, knowing that judgment would not be as harsh. The binding corset reminded me of the old Chinese practice of feet binding- both attempts at achieving physical perfection through artificial ways. The tightening and binding perhaps expressed the artist’s idea about Japanese society- strict and suffocating.

Another work conveying a negative view of their past heritage was Hiroyuki Nakamura’s photographs of his mom, his two aunts, and their dog. There were several photos which each featured his mom and his two aunts (they were all sisters). In all but one picture, the dog was present. The photographer took these pictures when he came back to visit them in Japan. The photos which were placed on a board together were very sad. The facial expressions of the three sisters were very stern and emotionless. The three sisters in each of the pictures were standing or sitting in line with each other, conveying a sense of order. Perhaps it was the order and strict ways of society that made them this way. The dog, which was a Yorkshire Terrier, seemed to be the happiest one in the all of the pictures. Nakamura’s photographs showcased the negative effects of a suppressive culture.

One work that was not so condemning of Japanese culture was Katsuhiro Saiki’s visual representation of origami-like buildings. They were chromogenic prints mounted on acrylic and paper board. The prints were illustrations of NYC skyscrapers but with a twist- they seemed to be folded and had the qualities of an origami figure. Origami is a Japanese art form. The origami buildings were very beautiful and graceful. The work symbolized the peaceful coexistence of two identities in the artist. We see both elements of the artist’s past and current identity.

The Japan Society’s exhibit titled Making a Home: Japanese Contemporary Artists in New York, although very confusing and strange, provides a good view on the internal identity conflicts we all face. Not only does it provide a good insight on such conflict, but it is also an interesting record of the arts and culture of a particular group in American society, Japanese Americans.

Saddie Benning’s Art Exhibit “Form of a Waterfall”: An esoteric exhibit saved by the artist

Steven Chang — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 01:44:50 +0000

LOWE EAST SIDE- Saddie Bening showcased her side work as a musician in her art exhibit titled “Form of a Waterfall.” Bening was known for her works with “play/pause” audio works which were audio snippets from various musical genres put together to create wild fluctuations in tone. The focus of the exhibit were her colored pencil on Davey Board drawings consisting of simple solid colored shapes that were almost touching. These drawings were accompanied by music the artist created which were playing from a vinyl record. In addition, the exhibit featured a sketchy black and white video of a hand sketching lines with a pencil. My initial impression was that this exhibit was pointless. Thankfully, the exhibit was salvaged–the artist was on the premises to explain the works. According to the artist, she chose simple materials in order to invoke a vintage and more childlike feeling to the exhibit. She mentioned the drawings were meant to look like an arcade. Although I did admit that the drawings did have a video-game quality to them, I felt that her main points would have been incomprehensible if it were not for her help. To make it worse, she added that gender identity was also a theme in the exhibit which I totally did not understand. Unfortunately, Saddie Bening’s “Form of a Waterfall” was only an engaging experience with the artist and not the art itself.

Discounts!

Steven Chang — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 21:01:42 +0000

The Halloween Art Show, A Frightful Experience

Steven Chang — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 06:08:02 +0000

In America, Halloween is seen as a day of mischief, fright, and fun. Children, teens, and adults alike take part in this scary tradition on October 31. We all have an urge to behave badly whether it be pulling silly pranks or dressing more provocatively than usual because we are free from ourselves under the guise of a costume. We are allowed to be someone else for a day, a welcome relief from our everyday lives. Most of all we associate Halloween with terror and fright (not to mention candy). The MF Gallery’s Fiftth Annual Halloween Art show on the Lowest East Side was an attempt to articulate the essence of Halloween through art. My visit to the Halloween Art Show was the quintessential Halloween experience: full of terror, and fun (unfortunately minus the candy).
The artworks were gory and frightening creations of the artists’ imagination meant to make the viewer shudder in fear. Several of the artworks were drawings or framed prints of ghouls and monsters with grim facial expressions only found in the worst nightmares. Georgio Santucci’s acrylic on canvas board titled “Mike Myers” was particularly scary which featured a man with a grim expression and dark black eyes wielding a large kitchen knife. Mark Riddick’s framed print titled “Unholy Union” had skeletal figures carrying the cross in ragged priestess garb. The artist Porkchop whose acrylic on canvas titled “Peer Pressure” was a twisted and hellish view on peer pressure. In the work, a pale and rather gaunt looking young lady is picking an apple from a cauldron filled with a dark murky liquid using her mouth. In the background there’s Satan, a skeleton in a suit, and a young lady laughing sadistically. As one can see, the works depicted served to instill a sick and uneasy feeling into the viewer.
The décor and music of the Halloween Art Show created a dark and chilling atmosphere which enhanced the creepiness of the show. The first thing that I noticed when I stepped in the museum was the loud heavy metal music. The music was full of screaming and was so loud that the sounds made the floors vibrate. In addition, the furniture and the walls had an eerie haunted feeling to them. These elements were meant to create a dark mood for the Halloween artworks. The venue for displaying the artwork was just as important as the artwork itself in creating a Halloween experience. Halloween would not have been Halloween without creepy music and a creepy setting. After all, it would not have made sense to play some jolly music in such an exhibit. The surroundings, in combination with the artworks, created a Halloween feel.
Is there any point to the Halloween Art Show besides to entertain and frighten people? I think the main point was to entertain and frighten but the artworks probably had some other minor points or messages. However, I don’t think these points can be figured out without the help of the artist. So in conclusion, I would strongly recommend those who want a good Halloween scare, and nothing more, to go to the Halloween Art Show in the Lower East Side (and bring your own candy if you like).

Watercolor paintings from the Great Depression- Is it Art?

Steven Chang — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 17:30:01 +0000

QUEENS CENTRAL LIBRARY- The exhibit titled “Preserving Our Cultural Heritage: Newly Conserved Work from the Queens Library’s Holdings in the Index of American Design” featured watercolor depictions of dresses and house ware from the American colonial period to the 19th c. The watercolor paintings featured in the exhibit were part of the Federal Art Project (FAP) of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) of the Great Depression. The project employed 1000 artists over a span of 6 years who created over 18,000 watercolor paintings. The project was started to create much needed jobs and also to serve the growing public need for information on American design at the time. The exhibit displayed watercolor paintings of rather mundane and ordinary objects of pre-19th century life- quilt spreads, napkins, dresses, and chairs. Expecting an artistic experience, coming to this exhibit was a waste of time. If the government was really concerned about preserving the ways of American pre-19th c. life, they should have preserved the actual quilt spreads, napkins, dresses, and chairs of the time, not produce watercolor paintings of them. I don’t have a problem with the government trying to boost the economy with jobs through the FAP but I don’t think ordinary watercolor paintings like these can be considered art. These paintings cannot be appreciated for their aesthetics (almost anyone could have painted these). Rather, these paintings can only be appreciated for their historical significance.

Visit to the King Manor Museum: A look into the 18th century lifestyle and life of Rufus King

Steven Chang — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 17:09:25 +0000

My visit to the King Manor Museum, history right in the backyard of Jamaica, Queens was a surprisingly enjoyable and informative experience. It shed light on the oddities of late 18^th century high class American culture as well as the significant works of one man’s post-American Revolution political career, Senator Rufus King.

Although the King Manor Museum was extremely uninviting and a little intimidating at first (the house looked a little haunted to me), it was well worth the daunting trip past the doors of the King Manor, the house Rufus King lived in. The first thing I learned when I stepped inside was that the museum was not well known gathering from the small museum staff of three, one of whom was a teenager in high school who would be my tour guide. In addition, I was only the second visitor of the day. However, the low-key profile of the museum made the experience especially enjoyable with an intimate and cozy setting free of crowds and chatter, which allowed me to fully appreciate the history of King Manor.

My main impression of Rufus King was that he was very a cultured man. In addition, he liked to show off his wealth but jumped at every opportunity he could to be cheap. His home décor showed that he was of high class. For example, one end of his dining room was shaped like an amphitheatre in order to get the best acoustics for his private mini-concerts during dinners in which he had guests over. In addition, the house he lived in had fancy wall designs, which, according to the tour guide, showed that he was very stylish. I did not find the walls stylish at all being that they were just teal with dental moldings and Greek key designs. However, the tour guide told me that back then this wall style was atypical because the wall designs of the rich were usually drabber; that put things into perspective for me. Although the King Manor may not be stylish in modern terms, it definitely was stylish back then. I guess what’s stylish depends on the context of the situation. Although Senator King liked to show off his wealth, he always found discrete ways to be frugal. For example, one set of stairs had a big carpet along the center to cover up the part of the stairs that did not have an expensive finish (he was trying to save money here but his peers would not have known this). It was amusing to see that frugality transcended class and economic status here.

Rufus King’s relationship with his wife revealed a lot about the time period. Marriage is a significant cultural construct that can tell us a lot about that culture. During that time period, people more often married out of duty and for maintaining class status and less often out of love. King’s relationship with his wife supported this traditional idea of marriage. Although King was rich to begin with, his wealth increased immensely when he married into his wife’s family. Their marriage improved his economic status. In addition, the museum showed that there were separate bedrooms for the King and his wife, far different from our modern set up of bedrooms for spouses.

The most surprising and most pleasant fact about Rufus King was that he had hired servants instead of slaves because he was against slavery. It was very refreshing to see a man practicing what he preached. He was not like other typical politicians of his time who would believe in God-given, inalienable individual rights and still practice slavery. Senator King hired servants and was an outspoken opponent of slavery. These servants were able to enjoy their own lives and live on their own, outside of work. King’s work against slavery was so influential that Abraham Lincoln borrowed some of his speeches for his own work.

I had passed the King Manor many times before thinking it was just an ordinary public park but little did I know that it used to be an estate belonging to a rich white Senator named Rufus King. The estate belonging to Rufus King spanned the whole park, which was a good two blocks. I found it fitting that a senator who did not own slaves and was against slavery used to live in a section of Jamaica, Queens that today is a predominantly black neighborhood. I would strongly recommend a visit to the King Manor museum to see what you can learn about a person and their time period through analysis of home décor.