Progress on Finals

Loss of Creativity : Part 2

Upon my arrival I began to notice that quantity is not always quality. Even though we have a thousand channels there is "never anything to watch", and even though the refrigerator is stuffed, there is "nothing good to eat". Artistically I find little inspiration around me, and as an art student now I feel at the mersy of the clients and the sensors. God forbid we ever challenge the public, and give them something enlightening to think about. The committees are boiling everything down to the basics, no one is funding art anymore, and no one values it as much. I have to admit though, that when I think about back home, the people did not and do not have the luxury to complain about such petty things. I guess I should be lucky to be where I am and have "too many choices". The piece I did is about an individual who thinks about things and contemplates the world. His creativity fluorishes until the "textured" lines and stripes smother his creative being. At the end things return to where they began. The title is Nostalgia because people feel this way about times past when the certain problems discussed did not exist.

Loss of Creativity : part1

Oliviero Toscani brings up a fascinating point when he says that art is dying. Because I grew up in a different country I can see the difference clearer, I see with my own eyes how creativity is beginning to rot as a result of committees and our over/under sensoring. Toscani states, " magazine editors have lost their editorial independences, and work for committees of publishers. TV scripts are vetted by producers, advertisers, lawyers, research specialists, layers and layers of paid executives who determine whether the scripts are dumb enough to amuse what hey call the "lowest common denominator." Film studios put films in front of focus groups to determine whether an ending will please target audiences. All cars look the same. Architectural decisions are made by accountants. Ads are stupid. Theater is dead." Although considering the possibilty of this being true is depressing, I seriously consider this statement, and although only partially agree with it admit that it is largely valid. My backround I think makes me look at this issue from a different perspective. Born in Kharkov, Ukraine in 1986, I lived with my parents in a one room dormitory while they attended art college. Soon after my birth an enormous explosion at a petrochemical plant in Chernobyl took place. The government covered up the embarrassing accident for months, and my family was extremely fortunate not to be effected. When I was two years old my parents and I relocated to Baku, Azerbaijan to reside with my grandparents. In a few years the political situation in Baku worsened as the conflict between the Azerbaijani people and the Armenians escalated. After fleeing the country we were lucky to be able to arrive in America.

Newspaper Piece

This project was especially interesting for me to explore. I used my artwork and some typed articles that I found in old Russian newspapers. The one article that I kept in mind throughout the project was one about sensorship and people not being able to express themselves for fear of severe punishment. This is what a large body of my work is about and this piece is a comparison between my works and the works of artists affected by what was written in the article at the time. I found some interesting similarities. The music is by Alexander Vertinsky, who was himself persecuted during the revolution.

Van Dongen Sound Piece

This sound piece was meant to be eclectic and confusing. The piece is a compilation of different french music, and sound art that I have found. I have carefully pieced it together in order for the audience to feel the same sort of tension I feel looking at the painting. The gaze of the woman at an unknown creates this sense of confusion.

Fab Boris

It has long been a practical joke between my brother and I. The assignment was to make a piece inspired by music. I chose a George Harrisson song. The meaning behind it is quite brilliant I think. "without going out of your door you can see the ways of heaven", and "the further one travels the less one knows". The images I used were mostly all photographs that I took or manipulated a great deal.Philosophically, I tried to create a flowing image that is stable and in one spot but also moving like the lyrics imply.

Peacock's & Evil Spirits

Facts About Peacocks:

* In the Middle East, the Kurduish Jezidi ("devil worshippers") viewed Melek Taus or "King Peacock" as a messenger of God.
* Muslims thought the peacock symbolized the cosmos (the sun and the moon)
* Peacocks were thought to be excellent guards. In Islamic folklore, the peacock stood guard at the gates of Paradise, but the peafowl carried Satan into the Garden of Eden, after consuming him.
* Christians thought, in early times, that the peacock's blood could dispel evil spirits.
* In Egyptian, Greek, and Roman mythology, the peacock feathers were considered much like the evil eye. They were all seeing.
The Egyptian myth about Argus is an example.
Argus was a traitor to Osiris. In Osiris's absence, Argus locked Isis (wife of Osiris) in his castle and then proclaimed himself "King." When Osiris returned he learned of the ambitions of Argus, and the kidnapping of his beloved wife. Argus had spies everywhere, in the Kingdom of Osiris. A cure was placed upon Argus that from that day forward he would be a peacock and all his spies would be the peafowl's eyes. These eyes were placed in the bird's tail.

My piece is about the different myths I have read about peacocks and their relationship to evil spirits in different cultures and religions. It was fascinating to me as I researched evil spirits that the peacock appeared as a symbol of good and evil. In every one of the three main religions, the peacock has a long history in holy books, mythology, and legends.

Equality Poster

Security

Before we enter into the world, our secure location is our mother's womb. My animation began with a baby, freely and happily moving around due to the security provided by the mother. As the baby grows it becomes more aware of it's surroundings and is naively excited about it's environment and is unaware of any danger. The baby grows and changes and eventually becomes an adult and conforms to society, wears a suit, etc. Ironically, he finally finds himself part of a different kind of security system, a prison, much like the womb from which he emerged. Trully, I think there is no real security, just the flase sense of it. Something unexpected can happen at any time that breaks a persons sense of security, but soon after they regain it.

Tied to Technology

Everyday I am surrounded by technology. There are wires and cables constantly at my feet and I am surprised at how quickly I have become accustomed to these foreign objects with which I live. When I wake up every morning the first image I see are my computer wires tangled on the floor like snakes. It is not often that I think about the physical and emotional ties I have to my computer, ipod, digital camera... , but I could not imagine getting along one day without using them for efficiency or having them constantly in my presence. These foreign objects are either attached to my waist, my arm, my back, or by wires to my ears for significant amounts of time almost every day and that makes me wonder whether or not they are becoming part of my being. As technological advancements continue to take over my personal space, and my time, they will most likely eventually become a part of my "self".

Beings Becoming Machines

The idea of humans becoming slicker, quicker, and more efficient due to new technology is absurd and frightening to me. The quirks and imperfections that people acquire or have naturally are more beautiful in my eyes than anything artificially manufactured.

As our modern world progresses the standards of beauty become much higher and natural human bodily functions and natural flaws are not tolerated. In this image I used some of my own artwork, mainly images of people who are very human and natural, contrasted with certain aspects of cyborg like creatures like cold empty eyes, smooth shapes, and technologically perfected skin.