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STUDIO ART
UNIT 1. STUDIO INSPIRATION AND TECHNIQUES
VIK MUNIZ
WHO?
WHEN?
WHERE?
WHY?
WHAT?
Vik Muniz was inspired to become an Artist after seeing the work of Postmodern Artists Cindy Sherman and Jeff Koons. Muniz is similar to these and many other Artists in the Postmodern era in that he does not believe in originals. Muniz instead believes in individuality, and seeks it by re-purposing known themes and images, showing them in a different light.
Born in São Paulo, Brazil in 1961, currently working in both New York City and Rio de Janeiro
Cupid, After Caravaggio (from Rebus series),
Photograph, chromogenic print
54 1/8 x 43 in. (138 x 109 cm)
2005
Cupid, After Caravaggio (from Rebus series), demonstrates the collage approach typical of Muniz's work. This piece takes as its' subject the 'Cupid' or boy from Amor Vincit Omnia by the famous 17th Century Italian Painter, Carravaggio. At a distance we see the subject quite clearly, but on closer inspection it becomes evident that the figure is made from the negative space created by the clearing of brightly coloured plastic toys.
Muniz's work meets the viewer in the final form of a high resolution photograph which allows for a close inspection of the infinitesimal detail created by toys.
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Cupid, After Caravaggio (from Rebus series) is the end product of Muniz's studio process which typically involves:
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- collecting and building an archive of found objects and images
- sorting these objects into categories related to scale, colour, texture and shape.
- using studio assistants to match these objects to a colour grade of an image
- assembling the collage
-photographing, scanning and printing the work
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Throughout this process he directs studio assistants who help him realise the painstaking detail of his work.
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Watch: Vik Muniz talks about the process of collage and the recontextualization of existing images
Watch: Vik Muniz delivers a TED talk on how he came to be an artist, his studio process, and the projects he has worked on
RESOURCES
Private Collection, Sikkema Jenkins, New York
HOW?
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