Activism, History & Culture

The topic for my final project will be what mental health is and how it is viewed in America. The topic of mental health is still stigmatized today and I hope to improve this stigma by providing information that is easy to follow and understand. Mental health can be viewed in various aspects. In the text,

Seeing Power, Nato Thompson states:

“What we like, what we do, what we listen to, what we dream about, the world we hope for -- even the terms by which we define ourselves and the world around us -- is increasingly controlled by huge and complex economic forces (Thompson 3).

This can represent the socio-political aspects of mental health. Our wellbeing is constantly trying to be changed by social norms, as well as political views. Everything we do tends to try to fit a standard of living, and if it does not fit that standard it is perceived as weird. This can relate to the mental state of individual regardless of illnesses.

Nina Katchdourian

Nina Katchadourian

Natural Crossdressing, Nina Katchdourian

I have chosen various artists which represent the topic of mental health and have selected a few artists from the Persistence of History exhibit.The first artist I chose to connect my topic to is Nina Katchadourian. Her portrait, Portrait as Sir Ernest Schackleton can represent a lot of things. An obvious aspect of this portrait is that she is a female dressed as a man. This piece represents crossdressing and how it is viewed as unnatural. She uses two caterpillars instead of fake hair for a mustache to represent a natural aspect of the portrait which I think is clever. I believe Katchadourian is addressing the norms of how gender is viewed. She is addressing the topic of crossdressing and challenging it by portraying it in a unique way. I believe her work connects to my topic because it reflects the idea of standards help by politics as well as social details. Nina Katchadourian uses the medium of photography to capture her artist due its realistic features. In Seeing Power, Thompson states:

“The work of artists, in fact, dwarfed in comparison to the scale and scope of the creative industries. Which means that artists must be all the more resourceful when it comes to cutting through the haze of cultural production (Thompson 15).

I believe Nina Katchadourian did cut through the culture norms by presenting this distinct imagery. She shows power and activism by providing such a piece of art and titling it Natural Crossdressing.

Jaune Quick-to-See Smith

Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Native American culture 

The next artist I chose that represent part of my project is Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. Her work focuses on Native American identity and their culture. Not only is she an artist, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith is also a political activist about Native Americans as well as culture appropriation. I think her artwork represents part of my project because she is challenging the idea of various cultures. She is showing her culture and how it is viewed and how others see it.

Trade Canoe, The Dark Side (2017-2018)

Juana Quick-to-See Smith uses different medias to capture her audience. She uses different types of mixed media on canvas, but besides her art she also works in social and political movements. She is not simply an artist when it comes to painting, but an artist of her words and talents. Her work is important because it shows an aspect to a culture that is viewed differently from different individuals to others. She is also challenging to issue of cultural appropriation today for standing up to it. Her critique is important because it shows how strongly people feel towards these ideas.

Roger Shimomura 

Great American Muse (2013) 

The final artist I chose to connect to my project is Roger Shimomura. His work connects to different socio political issues such as race and ethnicity. He was born in Washington, but spent some of his childhood in Japan. His work is significant because it also represents the identity of an individual which can reflect back to my project of mental health and an individual's thought process. His work is crucial because it shows different aspects of culture and tackles the issue of racism as well. Roger Shimomura is actively provoking different ideas from his artwork by incorporating Asian culture into American culture. He tackles this socio political issue differently because he is not using his words but his talent to represent these ideas. It is a different form of media because it forces a viewer to think of what the artist is trying to portray.

“After watching most of our cultural experiences sacrificed to various kinds of consumerism, a generation is emerging that is learning to see through the smoke and mirrors of cultural production (Thompson 116).

I believe Roger Shimomura is representing the importance of culture and how it is viewed by various people. It is a socio political problem because culture is different to all and not the same to one person. Shimomura is showcasing this through his art and combining two important aspects into it. He is also challenging ideas of racism in his work which is important because this is a current issue until today. His artwork can be considered activism because it is still trying it get the message of racism and how it is today. He is a successful artist because he knows how to capture his audience by showing relevant ideas today in American culture and others.

American Guardian (2007)

Overall all the artists I have selected from the Persistence of History exhibit deal with the ideas of culture and socio political problems. Nina Katchadourian challenges norms such as cross dressing and how it is viewed today. She portrays herself as a man and calls in natural to critique those who see it as unnatural and wrong. She uses her photography to represent these ideas to her audience and she is challenging the various social norms of our time today. Her work reflects upon my idea of mental health since the idea of mental health is about a person and their identity. She is showing how someone’s identity is their own and not someone else’s to critique. The next artist from the exhibit is Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. Her work reflects culture and its importance. Not only does she use her artwork to get the point of Native American culture across, but she is also a socio political activist. She stands for the beauty of bee culture and how people misuse it through cultural appropriation. Her artwork is significant towards my project because again it represents the identity of a person and their mental state and thoughts. Without culture, a person is not who they are. Finally, Roger Shimomura is an artist who represents the ideas or ethnicity and challenges racism. His artwork is successful by engrossing his audience to familiar figures from American culture and portraying it with Asian culture. He uses his own person experience to represent his work which is important to give meaning to it.

“Globalism and the culture industry combine to form a fertile ground for the growth of interventionist practices (The Interventionist).

This quote symbolizes the works of these artists because they are using their culture to bring new ideas forward in the world. A big part of all these creators work is the idea of culture and it is significant for my project because culture is where mental health can come from and the ideas and views it has formed.