CONTEXT
"Yoshitomo Nara is a pioneering figure in contemporary art whose signature style—which expresses children in a range of emotional complexities from resistance and rebellion to quietude and contemplation—celebrates the introspective freedom of the imagination and the individual."
In terms of drawing style, I am influenced by Yoshitomo Nara. I also try to use a naive drawing style to contrast with the brutal facts, creating a great sense of dramatic conflict and leading the viewer to think about the severity and reality of it all.
Paula Rego / ARTIST
"Paula Rego, one of the world’s most celebrated living artists, has said the anti-abortion movement “criminalises women” and believes recent legislation banning the procedure in some US states is dangerously regressive and will force women into finding potentially deadly “backstreet solutions”."
I was influenced by the expressions from Paula Rego. She pushes for the legalisation of abortion through her paintings of illegal abortion, which I admire. The whimsical atmosphere of her images allows one to quickly empathise with the characters. She is also very concerned with women's rights, and her focus has always been on women's joys and pains, triumphs and trials. I can see her concern for the situation of women in her images, and that is what I want to put at the heart of my images.
Simone de Beauvoir / PHILOSOPHER
"She was a writer, existential philosopher, political activist, feminist, socialist and social theorist of French origin. Her ideas and doctrines, among others, have had a major impact on both feminist-style existentialism and feminist theory."
I was influenced by her theories on the second sex and her research led me directly to an awareness of the disembodied position of women in a patriarchal society. The quote "One is not born a woman, but rather becomes one" made me realise that the stigmatisation of abortion is in fact also essentially a traditional social discipline of women. (The extreme stigmatisation of abortion is used to emphasise the subordinate status of women and to force them to make decisions that are contrary to their subjective wishes.) Therefore, if we want to reshape women's discourse and gain female subjectivity, we must first change the way we view abortion。
Judith Butler / SCHOLAR
“American post-structuralist scholars whose fields of study include feminism, coolie theory, political philosophy, and ethics.”
I was fascinated by her discourse on gender deconstruction, where the performative aspect of her view emphasises that female identity is constructed in consensus and habit, and that the subject cannot be formed without discourse and culture. Although I do not fully agree with her view that human beings are merely superimposed symbols, I do think that reconstructing a new perspective on abortion through the liberation of traditional norms is indeed a reshaping and restructuring of female identity.
Tracey Emin /ARTIST
“Her work is also explicitly feminist. Viewing her work generates a experience of intimacy as a result of Emin’s emotional honesty in reflecting on meaningful moments from her life. "
Tracey Emin's way of expressing herself had a great impact on me. She dissects herself in an honest and almost naked way to the public, and this is the kind of courage I wish I had. Also, I think her work My Bed is more complete when the viewer tries to come and clean it up with cleaning tools. The artist is half finished and the viewer's own reflection is the other half of the artwork. I hope that my work will resonate with the viewer while recording their reactions and fleshing out my work.
Roy Ascott / ARTIST
"Roy Ascott is a British artist, who works with cybernetics and telematics on an art he calls technoetic by focusing on the impact of digital and telecommunications networks on consciousness. Since the 1960s, Ascott has been a practitioner of interactive computer art, electronic art, cybernetic art and telematic art."
Roy Ascott's cybernetic vision has greatly influenced me, and his emphasis on interactivity, such as engaging the audience to actively participate in the act of creation, empowers and enhances the audience experience. This direction is something I want to develop, and I hope that part of my work will be refined or fleshed out by the audience.