Art has always been interpreted in the eye of the beholder. However, the ASU Art Museum's newest exhibit features three international artists, whose work transcends cultural and political boundaries, while maintaining aesthetic beauty.
The artists are from Cuba, Vietnam and Poland, and although their works reflect their differing cultural backgrounds, it is evident that their art can be applied to international and intercultural situations as well.
Art has always been interpreted in the eye of the beholder. However, the ASU Art Museum's newest exhibit features three international artists, whose work transcends cultural and political boundaries, while maintaining aesthetic beauty.
The artists are from Cuba, Vietnam and Poland, and although their works reflect their differing cultural backgrounds, it is evident that their art can be applied to international and intercultural situations as well.
Past and present
"My paintings reflect labor, value and history," Pedro Alvarez said, just a week before reportedly committing suicide by falling from a window at the Twin Palms Hotel on Apache Boulevard. "The paintings look like literature so you can make up your own story."
Alvarez interpreted his profession as an archeologist in reverse. The multi-layered paintings of his collection, Landscape in the Fireplace, signify the contradiction of history versus contemporary society.
One such example is "The Construction of Value." Alvarez mixed images of the Simpsons with famed artist Francisco de Goya's painting "May 3, 1808," which shows a firing line of Napoleonic soldiers.
For Alvarez, the texture of his artwork played an integral role, as he often pasted newspaper comics next to prints of famed art and then painted a scene over the images with oil paint. He is tagged as a landscape artist, but his work reflects religious and historical elements that are reminiscent of both Latin and American society.
Pedro Alvarez's 'Landscape in the Fireplace,' Agnieszka Kalinowska's 'Personal Doping' and Tran Trong Vu's 'Blue Memory' at the ASU Art Museum, 10th Street and Mill Avenue, Tempe. Hours vary. From Feb. 7 to June 19, Feb 7 to March 6 and Feb. 7 to May 1. Free admission. 480.965.2787.
"In Spain and Cuba, my art didn't have that big of an impact, but somehow, the same images are understood better here [in America], and I am impressed with the response," Alvarez said.
Step back
Vietnam-native Tran Trong Vu takes his art to a more participatory level.
His art physically creates the fusion of culture and also brings the concept of "art versus viewer" to a more basic form.
"When you have a painting on the wall, the public is impassive," Vu says. "I want to remove that obstacle of space so the viewer becomes part of the work."
Vu says that his centerpiece, "Blue Memory," is reflective of the world we live in. Long sheets of plastic hang around a room, depicting a smiling Asian man in a white, collared shirt and a black tie. The bottom half of each piece of plastic is an abstract blue painting.
The viewer chooses how he or she wants to interpret the art. They can view it from afar, but they can also step into the 3-D piece.
However, upon closer examination, the viewer sees that not all the faces are the same in structure or expression, and the contrast of the top and bottom halves of the painting, or memory, show a juxtaposition of truth and interpretation.
Vu's life is a sub-inspiration for his art. Although born in Vietnam, he left the country as a young man and went to study art in France. The political problems his father, who was a writer, encountered are a subject Vu has recreated in other art works.
Living in France and being distant from his homeland has allowed Vu to reflect his ambiguous identity to the rest of the world in his artwork.
Decisions, decisions
Agnieszka Kalinowska is a Polish sculptor and has her video art on display at the museum. Her centerpiece, "Personal Doping," shows individuals hanging from the ceiling of buildings or trapezes. Another display shows about 20 different construction workers using jackhammers.
Kalinowska's projects consist of observing human behavior in extreme situations, and her artwork touches upon the idea of how personal decisions affect society as a whole.
"Decisions made under such a pressure have strategic impact, not only on our nearest future, but also might influence our whole lives," Kalinowska says. "Under pressure, we expand our self-consciousness and, therefore, intensify the next choices we make in our lives."
Transcending language
The breaking of social norms and notions cannot only be seen through the artwork, but through the artists themselves. Although they all speak different languages, Alvarez said that through interpreters and appreciations for each other's work, the artists became friends.
"The most interesting thing about this art exhibit is that it features international artists," says Denise Tanguay, an information specialist for the Herberger College of Fine Arts. "This way, the social messages of the art provide for more thought provoking observations."
Reach the reporter at rekha.muddaraj@asu.edu.
