Subversion as a device/concept - AS 90913 || Art (BLOG POST 1)

Part 1: 

Subversion in Art - Site Link: https://brettjc.medium.com/art-is-meant-to-subvert-9c730595d432

Notes:

- Art is meant to subvert, that is the reason for it.

- Art didn't come into the world to necessarily make people happy, as it can spark many emotions. 

- Subversion in art was to make people feel angry, disappointed, or something akin to it. 

- Subversion is undermining of something that should be dominant by something else.

- It is to start a conversation about something that is controversial.

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Thumbnail with Notes

(kind of hard to read)

Part 2: 

Tracey Tawhiao Art Work - All Share Space, 2019

- If you focus on the top layer of the painting, you can see fish and heart-shaped figures and diamonds on both panels. Looking further into the work, there is newspaper writing in four spots of this work, one saying All Share Space and another saying Blessed With Nine Lives. The two on the top panel, however, are not easy to read. 

- The artwork is compromised of bold, black or gold lines, with white on the lower panel and darker blue on the top. They are very bold colours, almost distracting from the newspaper headings, but in a good way.

- The focal point in the artwork seems to be the dark blue part of the grid; as it quickly drew my eyes to it. It then leads to the golden heart-shaped symbol in a koru pattern. Then it leads me to the rest of the artwork; to the last two rectangles in the upper section, the white boxes, then to the last three blue parts of the grid.

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Part 3: 

Choosing one artwork - How is subversion demonstrated?

- Subversion is demonstrated by the newspaper text "Honey," and "Your next meal just got more delicious". To myself, this seems to give shade on people who have access to plentiful amounts of food, remarking on the unfairness of people who don't have much money for food vs. people who get too much and/or just waste it. 

- For the Maori words; the word Rekareka means to be enjoyable or pleasurable. Whenua means land, or territory. Kai means food, ate means the heart or the seat of emotions, atua means god. I could not find a definition for the third word. Tangaroa means the atua/god of sea or fish.

- Using these definitions, my initial thoughts about the artwork seem to not be very correct. Now understanding the work, I feel that it means that people are using the land for food, or more specifically, excessively taking the seafood away from Tangaroa.