The Questions I Asked Myself During the Creation Process

  • What materials can be used instead of canvas on the frame?
  • How can the back of a canvas be exposed to become part of the art?
  • Does a canvas have to be used for something flat?
  • How can I combine multiple forms of creating into a cohesive piece?
  • Why are the back of the canvas and the frame itself usually hidden?

For my piece, I studied a young German artist who I follow on Instagram, as well as the two artists in the videos. This artist, Lukas Zimmerman challenges how canvases are used by building them in unique shapes, having holes through the canvas, and using jean in some of his paintings. I used elements of his use of jean and constructing canvas into a unique shape.

My workspace

I am exploring the idea of “exposure” through this piece by displaying elements of painting, construction and sewing that would generally be concealed like using the back of the canvas, boldly showing messy stitches and the knots holding the string with a bow instead of a small knot, and by allowing the screws holding the canvas to be visible. As my dad helped me with the screwdriver, he was sceptical about showing the screws on the outside of the canvas, so I attempted to explain that the screws were a part of the art. I also used the wire hand I created to make and hand that can “cling onto” other objects. To keep part of the creating process “exposed,” I did not sew up the bottom of the jeans, but kept it possible for viewers to see the wire and newspaper within. These hands are incorporated to add a level of humanity to the sculpture.

Relearning how to sew

The wireframe covered with newspaper to insert in the jean glove

The fact that the canvases are nearly bare from paint, and partially covered by jeans emphasizes the idea of exposure even more because canvases are usually the bearers of art, not bare and considered as art themselves. Jeans are usually something that is used to conceal, but these jeans are cut and not fully covering the canvas. The nakedness that this brings viewers to consider demonstrates a level of human vulnerability along with the vulnerability of the “imperfect” materials themselves.

 

This project helped me challenge and expose my own fear of what I “can’t” do because I’m not good at it or it is too childish or strange. I don’t have much experience sewing, building or sculpting with wire, so I went into the project not aiming for perfection, but for art. I decided to be ambitious by improvising on how to sew a glove and screwing canvases together at odd angles. I also had fun allowing myself to use the “childish” process of paper mache, which I hadn’t used since elementary school. This project exposed techniques of art that I had set aside as “not something I can do.” As I created the piece, I continued to say “yes” to visual ideas until I was left with the finished sculpture.

Me fooling around while waiting for the paper mache hand to dry

I have chosen to display my sculpture in places that demonstrate the idea of exposure.

Firstly, I placed my sculpture in the middle of the kitchen floor, where it would be obvious to see and is not protected from judgement, people tripping on it or my cat playing with the loose strings.

Secondly, I placed my sculpture on the front step of my house where it is exposed to the weather, it might be judged by guests who come to the door, and it is also vulnerable to being stolen.

And lastly, I hung the sculpture in my garage. This act of hanging the piece reveals all of its sides to be seen by viewers and leaves it ungrounded. Although the is an inanimate object, if a person hung like this, unable to reach the ground, they would feel vulnerable and out of control. They are on display and cannot hide. The background of the picture in my garage also displays the idea of exposure because the messy reality is not hidden and a garage is not usually a room the hosts proudly show to their guests. The garage also reveals the origins of my sculpture because several tools to make it came from this room including the drill, screws and scraps of jean.

Here is a link to a video of my sculpture in motion!