The topic this time was "Art Exhibit"
RoyBuster_
The Art Critic™: RoyBuster presents us with an arrangement of 4 “pixel art” pictures on the side of a cube that fills the entire available space. On the opposing sides one can see motifs of the game series “Pokémon” and “Super Mario”. The simple yet striking pictures play on the strong nostalgic response of the observer as well as being light-heartedly cute. The arrangement stands in a strong tradition of pixel art in Minecraft and is very nicely executed.
WolfGuy_
The Art Critic™: WolfGuy_ here created a depiction of Zedwick in a moustache and beret (likely a reference to the stereotype of a french artist) with paint palette and brush in hand, who just put the finishing touches on a self-portrait on himself. With a fine feeling for detail, the artist comedically displays the narcissism of Zedwick, but on a deeper level it reflects on the innate narcissism in the observer themselves while also displaying the positivity visible on the painting; that being proud of oneself is normal and healthy, while hiding under a disguise in the real world, as reflected by the moustache and beret, is despicable and not desired.
Treiskaideka
The Art Critic™: Writing a critique on oneself is, while self reflective, not in good taste, so I will try to describe my interpretation of the topic “Art Exhibit”.
In my piece I took the prompt very literally and created a transformative work based on the comic piece of an unknown artist called “RCJ” or “RGJ”, inspired by and in spirit of the great works of Mellori_ who unfortunately couldn’t attend today’s Build-Off.
My piece consists of 2 buildings, a Portrait Gallery in the proportions of a portrait and a Landscape Gallery in the proportions of a landscape painting. The first one contains a piece of the artwork of WolfGuy_ (The Self-Portrait of Zedwick, obtained with permission of the original artist) as well as an original series of artwork on banners called “Many Faces of Dread and Fright” and further portraits that are part of Minecraft.
The Landscape Gallery contains 2 originals called “Summerhills” and “Sunset” as well as more art pieces already contained in Minecraft.
The inspiration:
SpooprJ
The Art Critic™: SpooprJ’s piece called “The Futility of Riches” refers to a collective building experience that transpired after the LVS council meeting on the 24th February 2018. The contemporary influences of the recent history make this piece unique in this contest, while the exaggeration that is allowed by the medium of creative mode lends itself to an interpretation of the piece, that criticizes the absurd riches of the old “elite” on LVS in a parodic way. At the same time it is very self-reflective on one's own desires for riches. The contemporary reference subject as well as the very short lived original medium also tell how these riches are just as fleeting as the work itself. Truly a masterful piece.
Memery
The Art Critic™: Memery’s piece is very powerful. It is true to the tradition of modern art, questioning what art is, criticising art itself. This minimalistic piece is best experienced in its original medium. The pictures don’t do the feeling of anticipation you feel when getting closer to the signs as well as the satisfaction of that powerful conclusion “This sign is art” justice.
ABParadigm
The Art Critic™: ABPardadigm’s piece evoked a very strong emotional response in me. It is very violent and chaotic. The underlying concept is not easily apparent which leads to an introspection of the observer, to make sense of the piece and then following their interpretation to make sense of themselves. This way the observer gets pulled out of his neutral position and becomes one with the art piece. Some would call it “abstract”, I call it brilliant.
Larin245
The Art Critic™: Larin245’s work depicts a boat which is threatened to be swept away by a giant wave that is looming over it. On first view this creates a great anticipation, suspension, even dread. On a second view the observer might notice that the wave does not come from water, but from the land. This contradiction creates a lot of questions, the dread in the observer disappears and slowly gets replaced by curiosity. One wonders, does this piece warn of unexpected dangers? Maybe the artist wants to show us to be vigilant and not trust our first impression.
A very curious piece that might be overlooked easily but leaves you thinking about it once you’ve given it some consideration.
tim1996
The Art Critic™: This piece by tim1996 is even more puzzling than the last. The stone box, partially covered by grass, looks unfinished but maybe that was the intent of the artist. It makes you wonder, what it could have been and this interaction and transformation of the piece by the observer is what makes it interesting while also very personal to each.
jamydonut
The Art Critic™: jamydonut’s “nether portal spiral showcase” displays several abstract pieces that together create one homogenous art piece. The topic “Art Exhibit” has been taken very much into consideration here as well. All pieces are held in black and purple and show various interpretations of the spirals that can be seen in an active nether portal and each piece is complemented by commentary of the artist on signs. The Ensemble is finished with a big nether portal in the corner that reminds the observer of the inspiration of the pieces.
Dax23333
The Art Critic™: The piece “Block Golem Frank by Dax age 3” by Dax23333 is very peculiar. It evoked strong but very conflicted feelings in me on first sight. The conflict of the artist with his inner self comes apparent when gazing upon the chaos that has been tamed to resemble some kind of creature.
At the same time it creates a strong sense of nostalgia over the one’s own, passing youth and the simplicity of the past. In the end the cacophony of colour and form creates a beautiful symphony, if only in our own emotional exploration of things past.
EliasRipley
The Art Critic™: EliasRipley created a mural on the side on a house of impressive proportion with a colourful depiction of a person. A caption expresses that an art exhibit can be anywhere which is a neat reflection of the given topic.
The shown picture itself, while on first impression seemingly happy and colorful becomes more and more disturbing the longer one observes it. The eyes of the figure seem to stare in an almost sinister way, framed by unusual markings and triangular symbols above. The nose of the person seems to spout whiskers, moving its impression further from human and the overproportional mouth with its prominent dark lips seems like it’s about to move into a diabolical grin reminiscent of the Cheshire Cat. The under proportioned and triangular body further adds to that impression.
The longer you look, the deeper the figure slides into the uncanny valley. A psychedelic trip tethering on the turning point.
Hominix
The Art Critic™: I had the privilege to see Hominix create their piece live and in person. It is a stunning insight into the human mind (of the artist or the observer? ) with the centerpiece being several silhouettes of a head in different colors. When observed from the right angle it offers one single silhouette with several border colours, hinting on the many layers of the human mind that only create a coherent unit in 2 viewpoints, playing at the duality, contrast and conflict inside us all.
Moving through it, metaphorically unraveling those layers is a colourful experience.
The centerpiece is accompanied by 3 other structures, one being a spiral that resembles the form of DNA, questioning on how much we are programmed and how much we do in our own agency. Right next to it are 4 inclining columns, similar to the symbols used to represent mobile connectivity. Maybe to showcase our dependence on technology or our need to be in contact with each other.
On the other side you can see a sphere containing another sphere which leaves further interpretations open. Those 3 accompanying pieces give the main piece context and only become meaningful in that coexistence.
A beautiful and thoughtful composition.
Pettmol
The Art Critic™: Pettmol also created a minimalist but impactful piece. A single, solid iron column on the vast emptiness of the given plain, alone, off center, small and lost. It features a framed book; a symbol of words, wisdom and endless possibility. Once the observer gets closer, already had time to form their first impressions, a caption floats above the installation: “This is not a book” .
The contradiction is staggering, unexpected and sudden. The piece played with your expectations and interpretations, challenging the observer in their assumptions while at the same time, there is no way to prove the artist wrong, no way of interaction in the medium. You can either accept or deny the exclamation but both would be wrong.
The observer starts to think, if it’s not a book, what is it? Does it matter ? Truly inspirational, thought provoking and masterful.
Additional Thoughts
It was interesting to see the interpretations on the topic. Very few artists actually took the exhibition as part of their piece and focusing on the art itself. This created a fascinating communal project and transformed the single pieces into one exhibition collectively, twisting the topic of the builds to actually take effect. The entire contest became the Art Exhibit and it created an incredible diverse but harmonious Symphony of ideas, colours, concepts and personality. A truly worthy representation of our community on Zedwork.
