Wk 10 – Artist Conversation – Tony Nguyen

Exhibition Information

Artist: Tony Nguyen
Exhibition: Vending Machine Peddling Happiness
Media: Copper, brass, toy containers
Gallery: CSULB School of Art, Dr Maxine Merlino Gallery
Website: Eltigresite.wordpress.com
Instagram: @elll_tigre

About the Artist

Tony Nguyen is a Vietnamese student whom is a metal smith, which is a black smith that includes jewelry. He is currently in his final semester as a super senior and hopes to build a portfolio before he continues toward a Masters degree. He plans to go to community college to get more experience as a metal smith and to hopefully get a part time job too.

Formal Analysis

The artist uses copper for the frame of the the vending machine and decorates it with brass. The copper is treated with acid to make it seem like wood and the brass is made to look like gold. I believed the work to be wood until the artist told us otherwise and explained the process of using acid to color the metal. He also collected the toy capsules and used them as a part of the piece.

Content Analysis

The artist explains the word neoteny to be the retention of juvenile features in adulthood. The purpose of his gallery is to create a sense of nostalgia for the audiences’ childhood and youth. He wanted to make people happy and to make them smile when going through each piece of work. His pieces also represented things that made up his childhood and would show the influence of his family’s culture such as the design on the toy machine.

Synthesis / My Experience

The work with the vending machine immediately sent the message of childhood to me as I entered the gallery. It made me smile and remember the toys I had gotten from them as a child. I truly believed the work was made out of wood and was really surprised when I learned it was all out of metal. I was really tempted to spin the crank on the machine but i had the pleasure of learning from the artist that it works only on the first time of setting up the machine.

Wk 9 – Art Experience – Art Care Package

Sending an ACP is similar to a Snapchat in the sense that it shows small glimpses of  the sender’s life, just as a normal picture does. The difference would be the effort that the sender must’ve put in to send the package to the recipient as well as the exclusiveness to the recipient. Ephemera have special meanings to people as a memento to the owners and can have more sentimental value than anything else. Images that are personal will hold more value between those that share the connection than the public art works in museums shown to everyone. An ACP will show that the sender wanted to share something with the recipient and had premeditated the action while a snapchat can be short and random.

The pieces I put in my ACP include some images that were done in this class as a sort of example of what work I have done. I also included an invitation I received to have my first credit card to show a small glimpse of my growth in responsibilities. The card shows a cheat sheet I used for studying toward a math exam and represents my work as a student going to college. The silly Deadpool figure is to show my childish hobbies and likes that I still have as I grow. The recipient will be an older cousin of mine in Nebraska that has not seen me since I was a little kid.

Wk 9 – Artist Conversation – Dalia Banuelos and Daniel Bonita-Vera

Exhibition Information

Artist: Dalia Banuelos and Daniel Bonita-Vera
Exhibition: Infraction
Media: Photos, one string, clothing, lighting
Gallery: CSULB School of Art, Dr Maxine Merlino Gallery
Website: Dbvphotography.com
Instagram: @daliaeffect and @dbvqp

About the Artist

There are two artists, Dalia Banuelos and Daniel Bonita-Vera. Both artists are undergraduates in the Studio Arts program. Dalia enjoys drawing and does martial arts as a hobby while Daniel is a full time student and also works. Daniel is thinking of switching to the Photography program as most of his work is photography and he enjoys taking pictures.

Formal Analysis

The artists collaborated to create a larger piece of work using photos that they had taken to place above the center figure. The string used to hang all the images is a single piece of long string that has been intertwined throughout the work. The center figure and the back figure are in positions of weakness as they are cringing due to the overhanging images. The light is used to create an overbearing focus on the center image and a shrouding of darkness on the figure in the back.

Content Analysis

The artists wanted to create a piece in the gallery that would be the opposite of what most artists had done. Unlike others that displayed their prized work this piece was done with the intention of showing the failure of the artists to do what they wanted. Specifically it shows the images the artist took that were considered failures and failed to get into the Photography BFA. The images are overhanging on the center figure that is in a position of weakness as well as the back figure.

Synthesis / My Experience

I was surprised to learn that the work only used a single strand of string to hold up all the images. It is an amazing piece that can be used as an example for people that have depression or anxiety due to certain issues and events. Each image is only a reminder of the failure for the artist and it could lead to a feeling of utter depression if they feel engulfed. The postures of the figures perfectly convey a sense of depression and isolation in the work.

Wk 8 – Art Experience – Sketching

I would have to say I enjoyed the scenery at the Japanese Garden. I am not a master at drawing but nonetheless I was happy with my sketches. Some of the more complicated views I had to shorten or do my best in filling in space with what could look natural. When I was drawing the statue I drew it shorter to make it simpler for myself but the image still is recognizable to the original. I am glad with the fact that I was able to get past the urge of constantly erasing and trying to make the drawing better. When drawing the pipe over long grass I could not even begin to replicate the grass below. I had to draw the grass in a way that I felt would still fit the image and to my own abilities.