Wk6 – Art Experience – Art can be Shocking!

Why did you choose this idea?

For my piece of shocking art, I chose to draw a picture of some people in a subway car. In the picture, the man on the right has a mask on and is being discriminated by the people on the left. I chose this idea because it is extremely relevant to the current issues we as a society are facing right now. Fear of the coronavirus is rampant throughout the world and much of that fear is misplaced into the Asian community. As a result, there are many who would discriminate against Asian people right now using fear of the coronavirus as an excuse for their prejudice.

What did you hope to communicate?

I hoped to paint the picture of an issue that our society faces today — racism as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. Though the virus may have origins in China, this does not mean that every Asian person you see has the coronavirus. Furthermore, in my experience, a lot of the Asian people I might see on a daily basis are Asian-Americans who has lived their entire lives in America. Most of the Asian community has as much of a possibility of contracting the coronavirus as any other race. Thus, it is extremely stupid and hateful to discriminate against the Asian community out of fear of the coronavirus.

How successful do you think you were?

The characters on the left in the picture are clearly showing disdain toward the guy with the mask on the right. This piece of art successfully depicts the discrimination that Asians might face as a result of the coronavirus. Though my message could have been better communicated if I had more talent in art, I think I was still successful in getting my point across.

What would you do different if you did it again?

If I did this again, I think I would try and use a different medium. I realized that drawing is very hard and I think it would look better if I used something like photography as my medium.

What is another idea you might explore through “shocking art”?

Some other ideas that I might explore through “shocking art” could be the destruction of our environment or the corruption within our government. Or for a lighter subject, maybe that the chicken sandwich craze is over-hyped! I would also like to try different mediums for these ideas such as painting, photography, or even digital art.