Exisiting Artworks Relating to Mine

Whilst doing some research yesterday I came across a few artists that relate to my work. Looking at the work of Gail Wright, Haruko Okano and Robert Rauschenberg instantly made me think of the moulding artwork that I have created (shown below for reference). Like me they have created artworks that decay over time and used mould to create an art piece. I am starting to see that making a moulding artwork can change people’s perception of decay. If there is a mouldy canvas displayed in a gallery it is instantly less disgusting and more appealing to the viewer. The viewer is encouraged to look at it as a piece of art rather than a horrid entity that has grown on your food in the fridge. It’s quite interesting that the setting and context of something can change how people feel about it. CreatIng time lapses (as seen below) are also an interesting concept as it allows the viewer to see a process that normally they would not.

Mould and Decay is constantly overlooked and considered to be something horrid and that should be thrown away. But in reality, mould can create homes for millions of tiny organisms and as I found out fruit flies love to live in it. Most importantly, without studying the growth of mould and its properties we would be without certain medicines and antibiotics such as Penicillin.  If we can ingest tablets that are made from it, then WHY CAN’T WE CONSIDER IT AS ART.

GAIL WIGHT

Gail Wight has produced many moulding artworks and time-lapse videos of the development of living organisms. She is highly interested in the idea of living art mediums which could not be more relevant to my project on food decay. Her work, I feel captures a beauty within the mould, something I would like to capture within my work. The work definitely changes the human perception of how you would describe mould and pushes the boundaries of what art is.

Gail Wights work encourages me to be confident in my project and not to worry about what other people think of the work I am creating. I would like to make people see that there are a lot of hidden beauties in the world that we overlook and mould and decay is included in that statement.

HARUKO OKANO

Below, are some of Haruko Okano’s mould paintings created in 1997. Okano’s pieces were among the first existing moulding artworks I saw. In this artwork, the mould was cultivated in a large 8ft by 4ft tank in a solution of black tea and sugar. His work encourages me to use tea and sugar within my work at some point to see what results I get. However, Unlike these artists I have far more limitations and do not have the facilities to leave things to mould over long periods of time.

There is a very specific colour palette to these moulding artworks and they almost do not look like mould at all. They could easily be paint or mixed media canvases. I like that the viewer here would wonder whether they are looking at actual mould which is something I have tried to capture in my paintings of mould using sugar and paint and cotton wool. I know that this is the case because my peers and tutors have had to ask me whether they are made using real mould or not. To me, this means they are highly successful artworks.

ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG

Rauschenberg – Dirt Painting (For John Cage)

Rauschenberg has used a combination of dirt and mould to produce this artwork. It was a highly controversial piece when it was produced and as it was exhibited, people were creating their own response to it and questioning whether it could really be called art at all. Personally, I feel that it is visually beautiful and interesting to look at.

All of these artist are deeply influential to my project. All see mould and decay as a medium in which to create art. I will continue researching artists that relate to my work because I feel it is highly beneficial and helps you develop new ideas and concepts.