TASK:

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What is appropriation in art?

 

http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/a/appropriation.html

 

"Appropriation - To take possession of another's imagery (or sounds), often without permission, reusing it in a context which differs from its original context, most often in order to examine issues concerning originality or to reveal meaning not previously seen in the original. This is far more aggressive than allusion or quotation, it is not the same as plagiarism however. An image reused in collage is an example, but more complete are the photographs that Sherri Levine (American) made of photographs by earlier photographers."

 

Find some contemporary photography work that uses appropriation in some form.  Why do you think artists use appropriation in their work?  What statement do you think they are trying to make?

 

http://www.lensculture.com/curtin.html

The above artist has used images from the early 20th century to create sculputral, architectural forms.  Write a critique of the work, focusing on how the use of old photographs has influenced the way the work is interpreted.

 

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Julia Curtin:

 

"Resettlement focuses on the vernacular architecture, the transient, makeshift structures inhabited by the migratory victims of the 1930s Great Depression.

By sampling images from the Farm Security Administration catalogue, a vast collection of works by photographers (e.g. Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange) that became central in defining aspects of the Documentary genre, and images that are embedded in the history of photography, I have deconstructed and subsequently reconstructed these buildings to form a three dimensional model of the settlement depicted in the original image.

Through this process I attempt to open up a contemporary space for the interpretation of this work."

~ Julia Curtin

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Why do you think artists use appropriation in their work?  

I believe artists use appropriation in their work because of the controversy it attracts. As the saying goes, any publicity is good publicity. If an artist's work is being talked about, whether positively or negatively, their work is nevertheless out there and being looked at. 

Another reason would be to address originality and ownership of photographs. Or to find deeper meaning in other photographs.

What statement do you think they are trying to make? 

I think they are trying to say many things: 

That an image should be the property of the community rather than a sole person. 

That nothing is completely original anymore.