Assignment 1
Select one of the lecture topics from Semester One from which to explore and analyse the work of a single artist. You should restrict your analysis of their work to a key period and consider how it could be analysed and discussed from different perspectives.
Modern Trends: Social Media and the Activist Artist
Modern Trends: Social Media and the Activist Artist
Synopsis
Since the introduction of Social Media into the modern world the Activist Artist has been able to promote social, political, economic or environmental reform to a global audience.
Ai Wei Wei
Since 2005 Ai Wei Wei, in particular has used Social Media platforms to communicate his political and social messages to a global community with the intention of bringing about social change.
However this global attention to his work has placed him personally at great risk and brought about a difficult relationship with the Chinese government, who censor the availability of Social Media within their geographical borders.
Ai Wei Wei uses his popularity on social media to bring the world’s attention to ongoing refugee crises and uses somewhat shocking imagery to evoke a psychological response from his audience, the concept of which has been considered by artists for some time, but is even more prevalent today’s world with the continued use of Social Media and the Internet to campaign for political or social change.
She's a Fine Artist 