Wangechi Mutu

Digital revolution has shown us a great impact on what we perceive/use as art today. Many new artworks today, are mostly created digitally. This digital revolution first started in 1980 and continues to this day. Creating digitally helps keep our workspace clean and free of any waste (from paint to paper) and allows us to even work in many different styles.

Before, I really found digital work messy and just lazy. But there's a lot more to it. It makes you think of the resources you are pulling from and what the new portrait/work is supposed to represent. There are many textures and styles to work with in this medium which can make it more difficult to stay to a particular style, as well as practice working in this medium. But there is a vast style and materials to work with digitally, as to why its become so popular.

Here are a couple art pieces I found very inspiring by Mutu. My opinion on art is that it's supposed to make you think and draw you in, which these very much do. She sticks to one style, yet use a wide range of colors and shapes. She is able to get different textures digitally and it really does these paintings justice.

Here is a digital artwork i have created, inspired by Mutu. Though I don't use the same style as her, but feel the representation is alike. I chose a base photograph of a war zone and added the elements of people having dinner, children playing and a picture taken from slavery from Somalia. I've taken all different types of elements and placed it into the artwork. representing the struggles and hardships many have gone through to have the luxury we have today. This also changes the aspect this photo is viewed in - land demolished and for what? Homeless children, the hardships of slavery... and in the foreground, a nice meal full of cheery faces. Depicting that many of those who have a lap of luxury give no thought to the struggles of current events, and what others are going through.

Looking at the photo after all the editing, it fills me with anger and disgust, though it represents reality. In the past these struggles were ignored for the longest time. This art piece is to make others think, how did we get to where we are today? What did living conditions look like back then? How were others treated? Understanding the hardships is how we don't repeat history, everyone has feelings and we need to respect one another. We are all the same.