Aesthetic Awareness
Artworks Re-interpreted: Covers of Fine Art Magazine as a Space of Meaning Negotiation (1978-1983) View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jiayi Tian
How does a piece of visual art enter the public realm, become meaningful, and be recognised by the viewers? This study focuses on the images on the cover page of the only art magazine, Fine Art, in the late-1970s and early-1980s China, and discusses the meaning-making strategies adopted by the editors. In particular, the study primarily analyses these images’ visual contents (textual meaning), and employ the multimodal discourse analysis to examine the interactive relations between these images and the texts inside the corresponding issues (contextual meaning). The data consists of 40 issues of Fine Art from 1978 to 1983 out of the total 65 issues published during this period, which had one painting (rather than multiple or other types of art) on their covers. While existing literature on contemporary Chinese art usually discuss the human actors, this study introduces art publications and the social roles of images into consideration. It takes publications (books, magazines, etc.) not as sources of data that merely record historical and social facts, but meaningful cultural objects themselves. Based on categorisation of the 40 images and close iconographic analysis of several examples, this study argues that the textual and contextual meanings of these images are either in conflict against or in accordant with each other, revealing the ambiguous political environment. The study thus primarily contributes to studies on the development of contemporary Chinese art by introducing art publications, and also theories and methods of the sociology of arts by analysing the artworks, texts, and contexts collectively.
Featured Chengdu Biennale: From the Tool of Stimulating Real Estate Business to Branding the “Garden City” Chengdu in the Post-Pandemic Age View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Xinming Xia
This paper reviews the history of the Chengdu Biennale to explore the essence behind the popularity of Chinese biennials. Biennials have gained wide popularity in mainland China in recent decades. Along with the saying that Chinese biennials are employed as tools of the Chinese government, the private sector is also involved in organizing them. Chengdu Biennale is one example. Initiated by the entrepreneur Deng Hong, Chengdu Biennale ran for four editions with the goal of constructing a new supporting system for contemporary Chinese art. The actual running of the series of exhibitions received much criticism because it was turned into a tool to assist Deng’s real estate business. The abrupt stop of the Biennale also reflects the difficulty of running a private art biennial in China. The local government re-launched the Biennale in 2021. It served another purpose, facilitating the building of Chengdu as a “Garden City.” The resumption of the Biennale during the post-pandemic time also indicates the government’s effort to re-integrate into the globalized trend after “isolating” from the outside world for three years. The grand scale of the 2021 Chengdu Biennale showed its potential to become the leading one in the international art communities. However, the emphasis on its instrumental characteristics rather than valuing the accumulation and collision of creative ideas at the cultural feast is not beneficial for the sustainable development of the Biennale. This is also the reason why many Chinese biennials emerged while few could go on.
The Intersection of Power and Aesthetic Expressions: A Review of Foucauldian Theories in Art Curriculum Studies View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session William Zhou
This paper presentation delves into the social role of art in curriculum studies through the lens of Foucauldian theories, with a focus on discursive power and political actions. Foucault's concept of governmentality emphasizes the role of knowledge in the curriculum in shaping individuals as proper citizens, contributing to the normalization of societal norms and values. The aim of this study is to explore how aesthetic expressions in art curricula is integrated with power relations and create opportunities for public actions. While previous research has applied Foucauldian theories in museum studies to examine power relations and discursive constructions. However, few studies have examined the museum curriculum from a Foucauldian perspective. This research paper reviews literature from 1998 to 2022 on the use of Foucault in art curriculum studies to explore political and civil discourses beyond essentialized readings of Foucault. This presentation has three main objectives: 1. To revisit the Foucauldian framework in curriculum studies for discovering political and civil discourses that are embedded in museum curriculum beyond essentialized readings of Foucault. 2. To explore how curriculum can be used as leverages for fostering public actions and civic engagement in museums and other public institutions. 3. To provide tools for curriculum theorists, museum professionals, and educational practitioners to challenge issues in current educational programs and better serve politically marginalized and underrepresented groups in museum spaces.
Aesthetics of Sheikh Zayed Mosque: Creative Islamic Arts and Inspiring Artistic Landmarks View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ayesha Alketbi
This study defines the aesthetics of urbanization in the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and highlight the most important Islamic arts and artistic landmarks in it. By defining the concepts of this study and showing the urban and artistic aesthetics in Sheikh Zayed Mosque and its most important innovations. And the treasures it contains in cladding, lighting, and carpets, in addition to the inscriptions and layout of Quranic verses written on its walls. The idea of establishing the Sheikh Zayed Mosque began in the late eighties, and construction began in 1996 by building a plateau high above sea level, and work on it took about 11 years. One of the most important results I reached was that the message of building this mosque is to be a global edifice reflecting the spirit of tolerant Islam. It bears the name of the late Sheikh Zayed, his vision and message, and the outstanding contributions and achievements in the Sheikh Zayed Mosque indicate the aesthetics of Islamic arts and its great role. This great edifice and the fact that the researcher in the aesthetics of Islamic arts touches its multiplicity, reflecting the true richness of these arts. Muslim scholars are considered the first to innovate some plastic arts. We should not overlook that those Islamic arts witnessed pages of brilliance and prosperity, confirming Islam's civilizational orientation.
Women of War: Female War Photographers and Their Passions View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Rebekah Alviani
War, much like the practice of photography, has the ability to change how people view the world around them. From this, we can infer a real need for the documentation of war. War photographers find themselves in a unique role where they can influence how the rest of the world views and interprets war (Kliever). As creative photographers have the freedom to decisively frame an image, so do war photographers. Men maintain a numerical advantage in journalism over women in the field, even during the industry’s current shift, holding a majority percentage of 60-64% (Elber). With this in mind, the commentary on female war photographers and correspondents has recently been the topic of many news outlets as a diverse group of female correspondents is responsible for much of what we see of the war on Ukraine. This raises the question as to what thought process inevitably goes into the aesthetic choices made by war photographers. More specifically, is there a gendered aesthetic choice? Do female war photographers make different and unique aesthetic decisions while creating their imagery? This paper explores how the aesthetic and technical decisions made by four female photographers differ from those of their male counterparts. It will also show the contrast between the styles of these four female photographers in comparison to each other. Each of these photographers lived and worked during varying times throughout the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries, adding a deeper contrast between their creative choices.
Art, Space, Material: A Study on Art Installations Made with Sustainable and Recycled Medium and Materials by Indian Artists View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Manpreet Kushwaha
Over past few decades, art has developed new perspectives; contemporaries are not bound to use paper and canvas, wall or any other art surfaces. The undeniable fact in public art installations is that medium and materials act like a message that gives way to interaction and participation which not only allows the artist to new challenges in their cognitive process but also allows the artist to involve the participants in this process. In this period of heightened awareness of our environment, artists are increasingly turning to junkyards, and trash boxes to fulfill their urge to create artworks, whilst still being concerned for our planet. For the past few years, artists have seen innovative possibilities in cast-offs. In India we have seen artists like Mr. Chetan Raut, a world record holder; who created artworks using 4500 audio cassettes, e-waste like 75000 CDs, and 87000 keyboard buttons to create portraits of famous personalities like Mr. Narendra Modi, Shivaji Maharaj, and Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. Dr. Subodh Kerkar, founder of the Museum of Goa (MoG); created Carpet of Joy has flowers made out of 1,50,000 discarded plastic bottles raising awareness against the idea of a litter-free Goa. The research paper focuses on the installation work of Mr. Chetan Raut and Dr. Subodh Kerkar. The study investigates the methods and materials used for the conceptualization of their artworks. The choice of artist is based on their reputation and popularity. The methodology is analytical.
The Quality of Omani Dams’ Clays for Ceramics Industries: Wadi Al jizi and Wadi Mistal Clays for Glazing View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Badar Almamari
Most wadi dams in Oman reservoirs have become a major storage for sediments including clays over the last 30 years. According to statistics, wadi dams have clay fractions which range sometimes from 50% to 70% of the sediments located in these dams. ceramics clays are known to be natural and also easily engineered porous-structured materials. And the ways dams gather these huge quantities of clays are similar to the natural original ways of creating clays by rivers in other parts of the world. Up to now, far too little attention has been paid to the importance of these dams’ sediments of clays for industries in general, and ceramic industry in particular. The aim of this research project has therefore been to evaluate of clays of Wadi Al jizi and Wadi Mistal for ceramics industries applications, especially when used associated with frits to develop glazes.
