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Cat-in-the-Stock [2008-08-28 16:52:10 +0000 UTC]

I have not read the comments above, because I like to form my own opinion.

Let's first start by the beginning: the nature of the art itself: it is a texture. Claiming that this picture is a texture is an effort to devoid the piece of any meaning, grounding it in the realm of the tactile, the touchable, the very essence of the superficial. The 'texture' label seems to mean it does NOT have any hidden meaning and that it is art for art's sake. Of course, such a romantic notion cannot be seriously considered in the beginning of the twenty-first century, which is why I should ignore this label and endeavor to analyze this piece of art deeper. Maybe we could find some answer to this problem of texture in the post-modern approach which tells us that there is always something behind the apparent minimalism.

Now let’s first move on to what the picture here depicts. It seems to be a wall in some derelict place. We understand there that this wall is a picture of an obstacle, something that prevents us from moving further. It takes up the whole surface of the picture, leaving no light whatsoever find its way to the lens of the photographer. We can see here desperation, gloom, but also impotence. The artist feels lost in this world that does not understand her. She is struggling against society, trying to assert her independence, her very own existence. She does so by taking a picture of a red, blue and grey wall. Because this wall is only a wall in its literal sense. The artist transcends the usual relation between the signifier and the signified to show us that even if “wall” is the coined term to depict what is on this picture, it is essentially much more than a wall. It is a medium on which art is done. The commonly used post-structuralist device of defamiliarization is here at work, by posing a common wall as another entity altogether. We do not recognize a wall there, we are faced with something outlandish, colourful and derelict, that sends us back to our own mortal condition. Because what else could it refer to? Indeed the downward flow of red can only remind us of the figured river of blood in Delacroix’s Death of Sardanapalus: [link] .
But by and interesting twist, this flow of red is set on a grey background, and underlines the fact that blood is life, vibrant against the dull background. This translates the artist’s anguish, the fear not to be alive, and the need to bleed to check if she actually exists. The dereliction here is a typically urban feature, so this gives a context to this desperate yell of the photographer. In our metropolis, we are reduced to a mechanical state, trapped in daily routine. So there is a need for the biological (blood) to show up and destroy the mechanical aspects of our lives. The title abounds in this sense. Cowabunga is the primal scream, the ultimate rejection of our routine and yet sophisticated lives. It appeals to the beast in us, to our Neanderthalian instincts, and invite us to reject the conventions of modern life.

A more political and less purely artistic analysis would show us many things. Red is obviously the colour of Communism, and it would be foolish to dismiss the Olympics contest. This piece of art is a vibrant plea against China and its regime. The overwhelming red presence leaving splatters of red on nearby countries is a warning against China’s aspirations on the world stage, and also a gloomy reminder of the fate of Tibet.

And, since no analysis can be complete without the psychoanalytical aspect, let’s get this done. It is here pretty straightforward: the red flow represent the girl’s periods. It is taking over the grey representing age, and more especially, the mother. It is a need for the young and newly menstruating girly to “smother” any representation of the mother to accomplish her oedipal complex.
Some might actually argue against this and refer to the grey background as the male frame of today’s world, which would place the analysis in the scope of feminism. Then, as Julia Kristeva describe, the artist is trying to find a “female language” but this time pictural rather than linguistic.

I only there briefly touched upon the manifold aspects of this complex work of art, which definitely deserves more attention. I hope someone someday will do it justice.

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snowunmasked [2008-08-28 16:25:45 +0000 UTC]

You won't be able to handle what I can deliver.

So I'll just let someone else win

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rml-stock [2008-08-27 16:38:24 +0000 UTC]

This work really speaks to me in its Asimovian undertones.

I see the contrast of colors as mans fight for dominance in a technologically advanced world. The red is the lifeblood of flesh, of humanity. The gray is the mechanized anti-flesh that is gradually consuming it.

The flakes symbolize the small pieces of humanity that are slowly eroding away as man's dependence on technology grows.

The light areas are the last bastions of nostalgia the few embrace.

The fade from red to pink to gray... the human slowly becoming inhuman.

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sd-stock [2008-08-27 13:36:51 +0000 UTC]

I see this piece not as a symbol of unity, but rather of breaking away. The red and white and pink on the left symbolize the mass of the human population, while the flecks of red to the right show us that some people are able to step away from the norm and become great.

The mass of white on the bottom left, I believe, represents society. The mass population is springing from it like a fountain, attempting to engulf everything. This is also where the title fits in. "Cowabunga," a little pop culture reference, serves only to strengthen the crowd.

Let's root on the little guys instead.

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ClickClickBangUK [2008-08-27 12:11:04 +0000 UTC]

i was going to leave a pretentious comment but i cant surpass the genius already posted here.

i'm going the other way.

OMGNOWAIWTFBBQ!! its so KAWAIIII! also, COOKIES!

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Jpp [2008-08-27 11:29:05 +0000 UTC]

The flakes of white in the red seem to me like the lost souls that inhabit limbo because they have unfinished work to do. The red that they are in is seeming to be a flow of blood or lava - is it because they haven't warned the people still alive about their plight at the hands of the worlds society as it is now? Or is it because todays society simply doesn't listen and remains uneffected by how things are spiralling out of control? Fantastic concepts.

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Caektiems [2008-08-27 11:27:38 +0000 UTC]

To me, it is the culmination of a bouquet of pure white and pink flowers cast ablaze. It is a symbol of modern society, and how we scar all that we touch - even the beauty of nature.

The petals are scattered, much like the ashes of our future, and the lonely black fetus cries from above as he is engulfed in the sorrows of tomorrow.

Clearly it is a depiction of our youth, which we have forever cast aside.

God bless you.

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DemoncherryStock [2008-08-27 11:22:43 +0000 UTC]

This screams out 'opression' at me. The vibrant red - the colour of blood and hate - taking over the tamer placid blue colour - it is as if you're yearning to show us that one by one we are slowly falling victim to those who are above us and that if we don't band together and fight this we will lose - all of us, for there is no winner when we are all crushed beneath the fists of those who wish to rule above us.

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shelldevil [2008-08-27 11:12:22 +0000 UTC]

With my ear pain it is like the dreams you once had as a child have leaked out into the photograph. The warm reds reminding me of summers long gone and the harsh blues the cold reality of adulthood - seperated forever but still ever so slightly blurred at the middle - as if I'm on a long journey to find myself between these two stages of life.

But then my brain has been leaking out of my ear all week, thus my drop in thinking of something more indepth.

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UnicornReality [2008-08-27 11:03:33 +0000 UTC]

I like this. The red and the blue speak to me of the divesity the country is in at the moment. The divide between rich and poor is growing - as represented by the two colous. The flakes that are missing are the once joyus society we shared but now alas it has all crumbled.
The title within itself "Cowabunga" speaks to me of a time passed - a lighthearted whimsy time that seemed so much easier than the moral dilemas we face today as our world changes around us.

Wonderful work.

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