anna's writeup on wilson herrera stockholder ritchie

All of the artist included in the readings and video deal with the rearrangement of forms and perceptions.

Fred Wilson rearranges museum pieces from different time periods and styles to create his own narrative. The pieces he chooses will reflect the venue, the surrounding area and its' history. His arangements also create historical revisions and truths, allowing the viewer to see objects and historical events in a new light. It is also about collecting and collaboration. Being that his family is of different races and ethnicity, I could see why this would be appealing to him.

Arturo Herrera's work is similar to Fred Wilson's in that he takes pre-existing pieces and rearranges them to create something new. His collage work was originally based on a need for a medium both affordable and readily available. But Herrera also expands his collages to take on another dimension in digital work and by incorporating music. He cites the composer Stravinsky as an influence, saying he admired his "combination of instruments and variety in his works." Crediting Stravinsky with a "sense of order, pulse, and release", you can see the similarities in Herrera's collages.

Jessica Stockholder's sculptures are informed by their surroundings. The materials she chooses "can be anything," and a lot of them are plastic. What stands out most is color, a riot of joyful color. The other is form and placement. The pieces really work in the spaces she arranges them in, and have a playful, sculptural presence. Some of the items are recognizable, yet they mostly all become a part of the whole. She also uses paintings in her pieces but changes our perceptions of what we usually think of as a painting.

Matthew Ritchie's large scale wall and floor installations are like that of Herrera, in the sense he takes previous creations (drawings) and incorporates them into new works. The forms are abstract shapes, with some representing figurative elements and characters. His central themes are the creation of the universe and the history of time. Ritchie's work has great energy. Like Stockholder, his pieces create a sculptural energy in their settings. Her's are playful, his are like energized movement. Like Herrera's use of music, Ritchie adds story to accompany his pieces. This complex story revolves around forty-nine characters, like some vidio action games. An undertanding of the background story is not necessary to appreciate his work. As stated in the article, "it's as much about incompleteness as it is completeness." Ritchie is using an extremely creative way to open things up both for the viewer and himself.