Unfair
Exhibition Text
Unfair symbolizes the discrimination that has and is currently going on in the world today to Mexicans. Unfair, a gallon of milk is a symbol of this act of racial discrimination. The milk gallon has beans inside it, instead of white milk. There are beans of all kinds in it; black, white and tan beans. These beans symbolize the Mexican people. In addition, a lot of racist people have given Mexicans racial slur names such as wetbacks, beaners and a lot more. In this case, I decided to use the racial slur, beaners. Back to the point, milk is used worldwide and is distributed and processed all over the world. However, many of the people who are racist or discriminative drink milk that was made from a Mexican farm, processed by Mexican hands and distributed by Mexican companies. The meaning of Unfair is that it represents the Mexican community, and that together, of all colors we stand strong because we are everywhere, even in your food.
Unfair symbolizes the discrimination that has and is currently going on in the world today to Mexicans. Unfair, a gallon of milk is a symbol of this act of racial discrimination. The milk gallon has beans inside it, instead of white milk. There are beans of all kinds in it; black, white and tan beans. These beans symbolize the Mexican people. In addition, a lot of racist people have given Mexicans racial slur names such as wetbacks, beaners and a lot more. In this case, I decided to use the racial slur, beaners. Back to the point, milk is used worldwide and is distributed and processed all over the world. However, many of the people who are racist or discriminative drink milk that was made from a Mexican farm, processed by Mexican hands and distributed by Mexican companies. The meaning of Unfair is that it represents the Mexican community, and that together, of all colors we stand strong because we are everywhere, even in your food.
Critical Investigation
My inspiration basically came from my junior year project, mixed media. A mixed media is basically a gathering of found objects that will unfold a meaning towards the end of the completion. My found objects were beans that my mom no longer wanted and a milk gallon in the trash can. I washed the milk gallon, put the beans inside and close the gallon with the tap. I later found a name tag and placed it on the gallon. My artistic inspiration however was Andres Serrano who was born in 1950 in New York and attended Brooklyn Museum Art School in 1967 through 1969. Andres Serrano is an American photographer who takes photos of corpses, feces and bodily fluids that can be very controversial worldwide but can also be very admired and appreciated. Andres Serrano was the creator of the famous and controversial art piece, Piss Christ. This piece was created with Serrano's urine and a crucifix. Andres Serrano once said, "I’ve never called myself a photographer. I studied painting and sculpture and see myself as an artist with a camera. I learned everything I know about art from Marcel Duchamp who taught me that anything, including a photograph, could be a work of art." I wanted my piece to evoke the same emotion as his piece. In addition, his piece and my piece have something in common; both of our pieces are mixed media and controversial. His is a mixed media piece because he used urine and crucifix he found. Our pieces are controversial because his is basically making fun of Jesus Christ by putting him on urine. This made the Catholic community and Vatican furious, while other artists found this amazing and creative. My art piece was controversial because I am basically calling my people, the people with my culture and the Mexican community beaners. However my overall meaning is that it represents the Mexican community, and that together, of all colors we stand strong because we are united as one.
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Planning
My planning started off with a list of items my mom no longer needed in the house. After I gathered the idea of beans in a milk gallon, I sketched a gallon with beans, a gallon with milk and beans and a gallon with frozen water and beans. In the end, I chose beans in the gallon only, because my mom kind of still wanted the beans, so I found a compromise to save them and still create this project.
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Process, Ideas and Intentions
The process of this project was simple but difficult at the same time. The first step I did was that I found the milk gallon about to be thrown in the trash can and cleaned it. While the gallon of milk was drying up, I found some beans my mom no longer wanted. After the gallon of milk was dried up, I removed the milk sticker and rubbed alcohol on the side of it where it was sticky due to the sticker. After that, I turned on the blow dryer and dried the inside of the gallon since it was not drying. It still would not dry up, so I decided to let it dry for a day upside down, so the water would come out the other end. After the water was gone, I poured the beans in layers. The first layer I applied was the black beans, then the white beans, then the tan beans and so on. After I finished layering the beans in the gallon, I washed the tap to seal the gallon and it was sealed. The final step was applying the white sticker where the old sticker was; in the sticker I wrote, "Milk by Mexicans." My development of skills in this project were that it increased my balancing skills when creating the bean pattern. The development of my technique was that it increased due to my techniques being more sufficient and quicker. In this project, I reflected what it is like to feel discrimination and racism through it. However some people might be confused and might not see what I am seeing and that is fine; however, like I said before my meaning is focused on representing the Mexican community, and that together, of all colors we stand strong because we are united as one. In addition to this section, the critique went well due to having my piece done and website almost done too. The work of others were very well done, very efficient and well created. However, some did not finish. The evaluations between my peers was that I did a good job, but my mixed media could have had more meaning to it or elaborate more to it. I see where they are coming from, but as an artist I have my own definition of this piece as they can have their own. This piece was just right how I envisioned it since the beginning; it means a lot to me and the situation going on right now in America. The difference between my process and my artistic inspirations process was that his involved a type of bowl with urine and crucifix; a simple and easy project that made a huge statement. My process involved an empty gallon of milk, beans and a sticker; easy and hopefully creates a statement. Some brainstorming ideas I had before I did the process I mentioned before was that I was thinking of keeping the milk in the gallon, or pouring boiled water and then pouring the beans into the gallon; after this, I would have put this gallon into the freezer and have created a sort of metaphor insinuating cold Mexicans after racism and discrimination. Cold Mexicans in this case would mean that all the racism, the discrimination, the inequality, the disrespect, the inhumanity, the pain, the hurt, the tears, the families torn apart and the time lost with families made them cold. Also, some experimentation I had in this piece was that I created a sticker with it saying, "Milk by Beaners." I showed my mom and asked for her opinion and she was not fond of it. She preferred Mexicans, instead of Beaners. Therefore, I changed the sticker and that was my experimentation.
Critique
The difference between my process and my artistic inspirations process was that his involved a type of bowl with his urine/ blood and a crucifix; a simple and easy project that made a huge statement. My process involved an empty gallon of milk, beans and a sticker; easy and hopefully creates a statement. Even though the process is different due to the difference in materials, it does not change that this piece is very similar by putting the pieces together. Our processes involved adding things to one thing; his was adding things to his bowl and mine to my gallon.
Experimentation
Some experimentation I had in this piece was that I created a sticker saying, "Milk by Beaners." My plan was to put this sticker on the gallon, but my conscious was reluctant to apply it so I showed my mom and asked for her opinion and she was not fond of it. She preferred Mexicans, instead of Beaners. Due to my family originating from Mexico, we are sometimes called by that slur name, and with everything going on in America, she thought that I shouldn't use that word. Therefore, I changed the sticker and that was my experimentation.
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Reflection
This project was easy; it was simple washing the gallon and adding the beans and the sticker. However, it was difficult finding the words to put my meaning together. This topic is really controversial, depressing and unfair in America to all Latinos, especially Mexicans. Mexicans are living with fear everyday due to the threats of a wall, ICE and so much more. Mexican - Americans may be safe, but what people do not understand is that if they have family that are undocumented they will be leaving too. This situation is terrifying, and in a way this project reflects on how dependent Americans are of the Mexican community and country. Mexicans united stand strong.
Connecting to the ACT
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork:
My inspiration, which was mixed media and Andres Serrano as you can see in my artistic inspiration section had a lot of effect in my project due to its meaning and representation. I believe that this project will have an effect on me because it defines the significance that Mexicans make in America.
What is the overall approach (pov) the author (from research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The authors overall approach regarding the topic of my inspiration is that it covers the racism and inequality to Mexicans.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Some generalizations and conclusions I have discovered about this certain topic is that there is not many artists who are known to make awareness of this situation, and the ones that do make one piece and are forgotten with time.
What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around my inspirational research was Mexicans and inequality.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I believe that Mexicans are filled with sadness due to people being unfair to them. Mexicans have the same value as any other human being in this planet, and an inference I made while doing my research was that only a few people see this out of all the people in this globe.
Biography
http://100photos.time.com/photos/andres-serrano-piss-christ
http://andresserrano.org/biography
My inspiration, which was mixed media and Andres Serrano as you can see in my artistic inspiration section had a lot of effect in my project due to its meaning and representation. I believe that this project will have an effect on me because it defines the significance that Mexicans make in America.
What is the overall approach (pov) the author (from research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The authors overall approach regarding the topic of my inspiration is that it covers the racism and inequality to Mexicans.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Some generalizations and conclusions I have discovered about this certain topic is that there is not many artists who are known to make awareness of this situation, and the ones that do make one piece and are forgotten with time.
What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around my inspirational research was Mexicans and inequality.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I believe that Mexicans are filled with sadness due to people being unfair to them. Mexicans have the same value as any other human being in this planet, and an inference I made while doing my research was that only a few people see this out of all the people in this globe.
Biography
http://100photos.time.com/photos/andres-serrano-piss-christ
http://andresserrano.org/biography