Basquiat Boom for Real

Went to the Barbican Centre to visit the new Basquiat Boom for Real exhibition. 

As an artist, Basquiat's work has rarely been displayed to a large public audience, especially in the UK, so seeing his work in the flesh was a real privilege and definitely put him on my radar of artists to reference in the future.  

Inspirations to take away from visiting his exhibition:

His way of working

- Basquiat surrounded himself with source material in his studio which was from everywhere and anywhere, from books to cigarette butts. 

- He worked collaboratively and fluidly across media. 

- Much like the approach by Gursky with digital photo processing techniques, Basquiat used new technology such as the Xerox at that time to elevate and enhance his work

His work was a reflection of the environment he was in

- Basquiat's recognisable gritty style was a reflection of the dire state New York was in after the city was on the verge of bankruptcy. 

- Could this be a technique used in the future to represent my work? To incorporate Western techniques with my upbringing in an Asian country?

Being surrounded by other New Wave creatives in New York

- Having being surrounded by hihgly influential figures during the emerging New Wave scene in New York allowed his work to be constantly reevaluated and reimagined

Being a multidisciplinary artist

- The multiples areas within graphic design has the potential for me to venture into new disciplines and to incorporate techniques learnt from others

*I was unable to take photos in the exhibition hence the lack of primary research

Andreas Gursky

Went to Andreas Gursky's exhibition at the Southbank Centre. 

What makes his photographs particularly alluring is how his compositions are often uniform in focus, creating an 'all over' composition. This creates an image without a central focus, forcing the viewers eye to dart across the photo. 

This technique in photography, that of which has made a name for Gursky, can be taken into my design approach, especially within poster design.

More often than not, there is a clear attempt to establish a central figure in the compositions. To adopt Gursky's style of photography into poster design would mean a more complex and less direct means of communication. 

Gursky's approach to digital techniques is also one that can be taken into my design practice. He makes use of the possibilities offered by digital processing to emphasise formal elements to enhance the picture or to combine different images or details to make a single work. Yet despite these advances, Gursky has not 'lost sight of analogue photography.'

This can be taken into my practice by using digital technology to enhance and emphasise the printed medium, rather than to limit it to digital design.