Contemporary Art Analysis

I enjoy the complexity of art.  It is one of the only things in the world where the same picture or image can be seen by everyone, but different conclusions are made.  In the exhibit we visited at the Contemporary Art Museum, this aspect of art was intensified.  This was a result of the "limited visibility" present in the art that was presented.  This gave the art a unique edge that I really enjoyed.  There was no piece of art at the exhibit that you could take for face value.  All the art had something unique and puzzling about it that allowed you as the viewer to make your own conclusions on the social issues it presented.

Although it is difficult to pick a favorite piece from this exhibit because there were so many fascinating ones, the most influential and interesting piece of art I saw was also the first piece I saw in the exhibit.

My VERY abstract sketch of the Shape Shifter

Allora & Calzadilla - Shape Shifter, 2013, Mixed Media: used sand paper on linen,
99.5 x 73.8 x 2.3 in

When I first laid eyes on this piece of art, I immediately dismissed it.  I took it for face value (a bunch of sand paper) and didn't give it another thought.  It wasn't until the end of my visit did I really begin to look at this piece of art for more than its face value.

The art is composed of used sand paper that was collected by the artists from varying construction sites around the world.  This is the concept that is driving the meaning of this piece.  The abstract piece of art represents the hard work (or not so hard work) done by labor workers around the world.  The artwork is very organized, using the same size and color sand paper from all around the world.  The media enchances the meaning of the art by showing the unknown.  This art takes an everyday item that people all around the world are familliar with and puts them all together.  This technique used by the artists makes audience wonder what the sand paper was used on. 

With that being said, the meaning of this piece is to connect laborers all around the world.  The artwork shows the economic struggle of some areas (represented by the well-used sand paper) and the economic prosperity of other areas (represented by the less used sand paper).  This piece of art was added to the exhibit because there are three aspects to the sand paper that the viewer cannot see, the object, the location, and the person.  The object the sand paper was used on is kept a mystery so the viewer must guess what objects it could be.  The location where the different pieces of sand paper was kept a secret as well so generalizations about different places could not be made by the viewer.  The same goes for the people it was used by.  All of this comes together to create a piece of art that shows the significance a simple object for work has on a person or place.