Wangechi Mutu

One Hundred Lavish Months of Bushwhack

2004

 

1. Is Mutu's artwork an example of Representational Art, Abstracted Art, or Non-Representational Art? Explain your reasoning

• Personally, the art is in between abstract and non-representational.

2. What media does Mutu use to create her artwork?

• Mylar.

3. How does the use of a specific material in a work of art affect its meaning?

• The usage of different medium based around plastic film made the collage interesting and astonishing. 

4. Does the medium of Mutu's work affect the way you value the artwork? How so?

• Not necessarily.

5. Analyze the themes of art present in Mutu's, One Hundred Lavish Months of Bushwhack .  Please be thorough and explain your reasoning.

• First of all, the artwork is full of fantasy.
• Femininity.
• Collage of meanings. 

 

Step-by-step explanation

Wangechi Mutu

One Hundred Lavish Months of Bushwhack

2004

 

1. Is Mutu's artwork an example of Representational Art, Abstracted Art, or Non-Representational Art? Explain your reasoning

• Personally, the art is in between abstract and non-representational. It's not representational obviously. It's non-representational since the subject matter does not resemble a real figure in physical nature. Thus, abstract because it does not attempt to represent an accurate depiction of reality.

2. What media does Mutu use to create her artwork?

• Mylar. It's plastic, particularly polyester film made from stretched polyethylene terephthalate. It has high tensility making it flexible. Aside from the obvious plastic, the artist utilized cut-and-pasted printed paper with watercolor and stickers on paper.

3. How does the use of a specific material in a work of art affect its meaning?

• The usage of different medium based around plastic film made the collage interesting and astonishing. The material effectively matches the reptilian, unnatural, unrealistic figure in One Hundred Lavish Months of Bushwhack. The plasticity of the medium juxtaposes to the creepy creature even highlighting it more through the mediums shiny nature.. The subject and the medium jive together.

4. Does the medium of Mutu's work affect the way you value the artwork? How so?

• Not necessarily. Although the artist used Mylar, a plastic film, the artistic merit of an artwork does not limit to its medium. Yes, plastic may be cheap or relatable but its usage can mean deeper symbolism, representation, etc.

5. Analyze the themes of art present in Mutu's, One Hundred Lavish Months of Bushwhack .  Please be thorough and explain your reasoning.

• First of all, the artwork is full of fantasy. Again, it's not representational of reality and natural subjects in physical world.
• Femininity. Although the subject is an unknown creature, the artist used this as a metaphor for women and their body under societal issues.
• Collage of meanings. The usage of different materials to form a collage is representation of the artwork's deeper meanings. The themes range from feminism to social issues. Also, it ties in culture, history, globalization and post-colonialism.