Art Essay Ricky Swallow and Patricia Piccinini
Compare and contrast bodies of works by two artists you have studied. In your discussion, address the significance of intentions to their practice.
The key element for artist’s in shaping their practice is their understandings of what is important to them and significant issues in the world around them. Ricky Swallow and Patricia Piccinini are artists whose works are symbols of their values and perceptions on differing subject matter. These artists’ works are intended to position the audience and compel them to question their own viewpoints.
Ricky Swallow is a contemporary Australian sculptor whose works address the issues of our modern generation and technology which engulfs it, not only youth but adults. Swallow’s works are ironically humorous however are also tempered by issues of human transformation. His works combine symbols which the audience is accustomed to however they are manipulated to convey deeper meanings. ‘I am an artist interested in the longevity of things’ he claims which is supported through works such as iMan Prototypes and Come Together. In iMan Prototypes Swallow plays on the idea that technology and the dependence on it which society holds, leading to long term problems or death, symbolised by the skulls. The skulls in his work resemble iMac computers through their colour, translucent texture and features. As the iMac computer is a symbol recognised by many in this western culture, the audience is drawn in and obliged to reflect on the work. Swallow’s intentions behind the works are blatantly presented as he sculpts the most iconic part of the iMac computer into the back of the skull, taking the place of our brain. Through his positioning of vital features, Swallow successfully proves society’s addiction to technology and forces the question to be asked, where would we be without it?
Further supporting this notion is another of Swallow’s works, Come Together. Similarly this work utilises a skull to suggest the idea of death. It creates an
The key element for artist’s in shaping their practice is their understandings of what is important to them and significant issues in the world around them. Ricky Swallow and Patricia Piccinini are artists whose works are symbols of their values and perceptions on differing subject matter. These artists’ works are intended to position the audience and compel them to question their own viewpoints.
Ricky Swallow is a contemporary Australian sculptor whose works address the issues of our modern generation and technology which engulfs it, not only youth but adults. Swallow’s works are ironically humorous however are also tempered by issues of human transformation. His works combine symbols which the audience is accustomed to however they are manipulated to convey deeper meanings. ‘I am an artist interested in the longevity of things’ he claims which is supported through works such as iMan Prototypes and Come Together. In iMan Prototypes Swallow plays on the idea that technology and the dependence on it which society holds, leading to long term problems or death, symbolised by the skulls. The skulls in his work resemble iMac computers through their colour, translucent texture and features. As the iMac computer is a symbol recognised by many in this western culture, the audience is drawn in and obliged to reflect on the work. Swallow’s intentions behind the works are blatantly presented as he sculpts the most iconic part of the iMac computer into the back of the skull, taking the place of our brain. Through his positioning of vital features, Swallow successfully proves society’s addiction to technology and forces the question to be asked, where would we be without it?
Further supporting this notion is another of Swallow’s works, Come Together. Similarly this work utilises a skull to suggest the idea of death. It creates an