Cindy Sherman

Although not a main inspiration of mine, Cindy plays a part in influencing me in my work. She does this by the way she uses herself within her photography, and as I've stated numerous times before, I will be using myself within my work also. The main inspiration I have gained from looking at Cindy is to use myself within my own photography. She liked to dress up and then take pictures of herself, as if becoming a whole new person, almost as you would as a child during 'dress up' play time.

Cindy Sherman, Untitled film still #14, 1978

What I like about this picture is that it's perfectly staged yet she has created this on her own, she has no assistant, just her camera and a work table with the appropriate sources. I also like the authenticity of the photo, as it is old, it shows with the grain and way the black and white also has a worn out sort of feel to it. 

Alice Anderson

I stumbled across Alice's website after looking through Kate McCgwire's. I immediately took an interest in her work, I find it extremely interesting and even more so when reading how she describes her own work. I feel as though she relates to my own work as much of her work is based on past happenings of her own life, the way she's been brought up and the people that surrounded her.

Alice Anderson, Immured, 2008

This piece is made solemnly out of dolls hair, I think it's fascinating and quirky. I personally haven't seen anything like this before now. In an interview with Maud Jacquin, Alice goes on to say that her work is 'a compulsive and obsessive production through which I explore and give shape to my child hood'. She also says that she watched a lot of films and read books where the characters had red hair, hence the use of red hair within her sculptures/architectural pieces. Another reason she relates to my work is that during this interview she starts talking about the circle symbol and saying it's another of her obsessions, and as previously stated the circle means a lot to my self, in a different manner, but it still means something, for Alice it represents anxiety and refers to enclosure whereas I see it as a symbol of eternity and warmth, almost a comfort blanket. 

Alice Anderson, Spectre, 2008

The image above is of a piece she created of a doll size model of herself, in an interview I have read (unfortunately noted that I can no longer find it) she mentioned that the doll began to take over, she felt as though the dolls was becoming more her then she was herself. Almost as if the doll was alive. So she locked it in this glass coffin casing as if to put it to rest, I suppose you can say so she feels safer, more secure knowing that it was in locked casing rather then being free. I think that this links in well with my own work as the circle being a symbol that I think is extremely important, previously stated, the circle can hold things within it, and keep unwanted things out, like a security blanket, and Alice has done the same here, by locking away the unwanted.

Bibliography

www.squidoo.com/divine-birds 

www.lindamackenzie.net/chartbird.htm

www.superstitious-minds.info/Magpie-Superstitions.html

www.katemccgwire.com/index.php?pid=1

www.juxtapoz.com/Features/fly-away-with-kate-mccgwire-exclusive-interview - KATE MCCGWIRE INTERVIEW

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuxZdrtcIfc&feature=related - INTERVIEW WITH EMIN, WHY ARE YOU CREATIVE?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi2z-zpA6gg&feature=related - TRACEY ON NEWSNIGHT

www.youtube.com/watch?v=15jVnBlt6e0 - TRACEY INTERVIEW ILLUMINATIONS

www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2003/aug/17/arts.artsnews

www.hockneypictures.com/sketch_book_london.php

www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?cgroupid=999999961&workid=26390&searchid=9498&tabview=image - SARAH LUCAS ART AT TATE TEXT AND IMAGES

www.artintelligence.net/review/?p=65 - SARAH LUCAS IMAGE ANALYSIS

www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?cgroupid=-1&workid=26305&searchid=false&roomid=false&tabview=text&texttype=10 - SARAH LUCAS REVIEW ON BUNNY GETS SNOOKERED

www.whats-your-sign.com/magpie-symbolic-meanings.html

www.vanseodesign.com/web-design/visual-grammar-shapes/

Sarah Lucas

I have chosen to study Sarah and her work as the majority of her work is 3D and within this project I want to experiment within this area. She worked along side Tracey Emin during a period of her life, they together opened a shop. Like Emin she is very sexually orientated and this comes across in some of her installations, not all, but some. What I like most is how she has the tendency to create work that's rather bawdy. Sarah also uses photography to produce her art and in addition this is another reason as to why I feel my work relates to hers.

Sarah Lucas, Is suicide generic?, 1996

This is part of several piece titled the same. These works are Sarah's realisation of self destructiveness and pleasured habits such as smoking. A lot of her work involved cigarettes, in all sorts of forms. From reading a few articles (Art intelligence, Tate collections) on this particular piece it seems as though this resembles the filthy habit of smoking and death. In one case though it seems it represents her fascination between filth and sexuality. 

Sarah Lucas, Bunny gets snookered, 1997

These 'bunnies' are a representation of the female form, the term to 'get snookered' would mean a tactic in the game itself, but Lucas has interpreted that in a sexual form, replicating the coloured snooker balls to the colour of each bunnies tights, the most important being the black, which is substantially 'skinnier' then the others, also nick named 'pauline bunny'. Quoting from a review on this installation, 'But bunny gets snookered seemed a conventionally direct shot, the abused rabbit fuckees forming a developmentally simple, illustrative diagram of the complaints of dysphoric sexuality and gender' (Frieze, Neal Brown,1997). This suggesting that, as in the game snookered would be an INDIRECT shot, the bunnies have been sexual involved in some manner and have indeed had a 'direct shot'. For me this also is suggesting that, as the game is somewhat known as a males game, Lucas is playing around with the gender of the game and involving sexual mannerism that wouldn't normally be involved. 

What I particularly like about this installation is how disfigured the bunnies are, how the bottom half of them are stuffed and the top half, the 'ears', are limp and sag.