Intercultural Ideas
Things to think about:
Dealing with other cultures can be a political minefield. "Cherry-picking cultural elements, whether dance moves or print designs, without engaging with their creators or the cultures that gave rise to them not only creates the potential for misappropriation; it also misses an opportunity for art to perpetuate real, world-changing progress" Jeni Avens in The Atlantic. Here are some questions to help you navigate your way through this topic:
What's the difference between cross-cultural, multicultural and intercultural? [http://www.springinstitute.org/whats-difference-multicultural-intercultural-cross-cultural-communication/] How might this be achieved in a body of work?
What does "culture" mean? [http://carla.umn.edu/culture/definitions.html] We often perceive culture through visual (dress, food or jewellary) or linguistic (languages, dialects) markers, but culture is more than just an accessory. It includes values, behaviours and even music, literature and art. How might these be represented in your artwork?
Which cultures do you want to include? What are your reasons for these choices? How do you personally relate to these cultures? Are you appropriating these cultures [http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/10/the-dos-and-donts-of-cultural-appropriation/411292/] creating a site of inclusivity and exploration? If you're not sure what this means, here's an article which looks at cultural appropriation in the food industry [http://rightnow.org.au/opinion-3/cultural-appropriation-food/].
What's the difference between cross-cultural, multicultural and intercultural? [http://www.springinstitute.org/whats-difference-multicultural-intercultural-cross-cultural-communication/] How might this be achieved in a body of work?
What does "culture" mean? [http://carla.umn.edu/culture/definitions.html] We often perceive culture through visual (dress, food or jewellary) or linguistic (languages, dialects) markers, but culture is more than just an accessory. It includes values, behaviours and even music, literature and art. How might these be represented in your artwork?
Which cultures do you want to include? What are your reasons for these choices? How do you personally relate to these cultures? Are you appropriating these cultures [http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/10/the-dos-and-donts-of-cultural-appropriation/411292/] creating a site of inclusivity and exploration? If you're not sure what this means, here's an article which looks at cultural appropriation in the food industry [http://rightnow.org.au/opinion-3/cultural-appropriation-food/].
Artists who have used other cultures
Robyn Beeche [http://blackeyegallery.com.au/blackeyegallery-artists/robyn-beech/] is an awesome photographer who began work as a fashion photographer in London and ended up photographing and videoing religious celebrations in India. This documentary from Artscape [http://www.abc.net.au/arts/stories/s3785173.ht
Artists who comment on colonialism and appropriation
Sanaa Hamid [http://sanaahamid.com/Cultural-Appropriation-A-Conversation] has a number of projects which comment on cultural appropriation, including this one which you are invited to become part of. You might also wish to examine the bodies of work titled Ethnographic Selfies and Colonialism Sux.
Artists who create cultural expressions of spirituality
This year's biennale inlcuded the Embassy of Spirit [http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/spiritofthings/artists-share-their-spiritual-stories-in-the-embassy-of-spirits/7328914] at the NSW Art Gallery. You can also listen to artists from this show answer questions about their work [https://soundcloud.com/artgalleryofnsw/sets/20th-biennale-of-sydney-the].