Essential Questions and Key Concepts

                                                        Kiki Smith

Essential Questions

How do our hero's reflect on who we want to become or relate to?

How can the material we work on, and the techniques/manipulation of material represent a part of who we are?

How does gender create pre-determined implications of our identity?

How does family have an impact on how we see ourselves, and can we incorporate that into how we project our identity in our art?

How can a physical place represent an identity?

Key Concepts

Our overall identity and the people we surround ourselves with, effects who we become.

Identity can be represented by something more subtle then just symbols and images. Textures, materials and process's can have a great impact on representation.

Gender is subjective.

Morals and beliefs have a large impact on people's overall identity.

Humans can identify with almost anything.

Kiki Smith and her Identity.

Free Fall,1994. Photogravure, etching, and sanding.

My Blue Lake. 1995. Photogravure, a la poupee inking, and lithograph.

Pool of Tears 2 (after Lewis Carroll). 2000. Etching, aquatint, and drypoint with watercolor additions.

Puppet, 1993-94. photogravure with collaged etching and aquatins and string additions.

Constellations, 1996. Lithograph and flocking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Kiki Smith had a phase in her art making where she discovered she could use herself as an object to convey her art and expression. She enjoyed doing this mostly through prints. She chose to define herself, with photos of herself, photos of members of her family intertwined with her image and other objects. She also would define herself through things she enjoyed like folk lore, mythology, astrology, and fairy tales. She went through a period of time where she was focusing on female hero's of her's from the past and present. I believe this also another way she is depicting herself; through gender, and what she viewed as powerful.