Last week in class we were leading into a discussion about the American flag and its use in Contemporary Art. Based on that discussion I did some internet browsing and discovered David Datuna and his Emblem and Image Exhibit. Datuna is a Georgian-American artist whose use of lenses has brought him lots of attention. This specific exhibit consists of 12 remarkable pieces that force observers to closely examine what's behind the lens.
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| Portrait consists of small images of Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King Jr. |
Now, does this mean that I prefer Datuna's pieces over Dread Scott's? Not necessarily because I think each piece suits a different purpose. However, I will say that I find Datuna's exhibit much more provoking .
For more on Datuna's Emblem and Image CLICK HERE.
I really enjoyed the way Datuna uses the lenses that are actually eyeglasses to convey his message. We are looking at world around us without seeing it from all possible angles. Datuna gave his works different meanings. Depends on what viewers can discover through the lenses, the piece could give them different meaning and emotion. That said, I like to vote for the artwork;” Mr. President: Legacy” more than flags. May be it is because of my personal feelings toward flags. To me a Flag should always be above reach, as a symbol of the country that can’t be reached and taken over. In his exhibit, in order for the viewers to see through the lenses, flags had to be at the eye level and not high above; also by looking into the lenses, each viewer starts having different emotion and feeling depends on what they see through that specific lens. For me, I don’t want to interpret and have different emotion regarding the country’s flag. Flag, should always create one single emotion through out the nation, artist or not, and it should be Pride and Respect. I am sure there are many of you disagreeing with me, but this is how I feel about it.
ReplyDeleteI think the major difference between David Datuna's work and Dread Scott's is that Datuna's work does not force audiences to debase the flag (by stepping on them) that can make them feel a strongly negative emotion. No matter what negative information Datuna hides behind renses, audiences are still passively reading what the artist tries to communicate.
ReplyDeleteI drew the same conclusion as Yu Ueda in regards to the difference between David Datuna's work and Dread Scott's work. Though they both utilize an image of the American Flag in their pieces the reaction upon first inspection is completely different. Scott' work invokes extreme feelings of passion and anger while Datuna's work is more passive. I never felt an immediate sense of shock! I could simply sit back and enjoy the art for the aesthetics before dissecting the artist's message. However I must say that the image of Obama made up of miniature pictures of Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks and MLK moved me. It is symbolic of the fact that without these individuals Obama would not be in the position he's in today.
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