Nasty Women

This past week, I was losing my motivation for working in the studio. We have had one critique, with limited feedback so I have been stuck in my own mind. Homesickness was also not helping, seeing all of my best friends meet up for a reunion at our sorority house was probably one of the hardest points here so far. I was just at a standstill waiting for our much needed week off. My roommate and I finally found something that we were passionate about when watching recaps of the third political debate. I am not one to share my political views, but when it comes to the way that women are perceived and treated I tend to find my voice. Overnight the hashtag 'nasty women' went viral when one candidate used that phrase during the debate. It was a phrase that every woman was able to relate to. Many women have been called nasty or bossy, and this is just another one of the numerous examples of the unequal way women are treated. When a woman is independent and stands up for what she believes in, she is considered bossy. When a woman is affectionate and dresses to show off the body that she worked so hard to get and feels confident in, she is considered slutty. The inequality needs to stop, and I believe that we can get there soon. And with that I stand by the 'nasty women' movement because I am a nasty woman.

Prato, Italy

This past weekend, for our contemporary art class, we traveled to Centro per l'arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci in Prato Italy. With some help from our professor, that actually happened to work in the museum, we were able to get in without waiting in the 2+ hour line. We were thrown right into the middle of the museum, starting with a video installation made by Bjork titled Black Lake. Now this sure was a way to get started, the video was shown on opposite walls accompanied by surround sound music. This was one of my favorite pieces, maybe it was just because it was the first we came across but the room shaking sound had me intrigued. This was commissioned by the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2015.

As we continued through the circular exhibition space, I stumbled upon another artists work that I found fascinating. At first I was a little taken aback by the subject matter, but when I read closer into the meaning of the work it all made sense (my absolute favorite thing about art, being caught off guard and then learning the background information and leaving in awe). Andrey Kuzkin went off the idea of "the man and the Earth, the Earth and the man". He wanted to place himself into landscapes as if he were merely a tree, he wanted to become one but the fact that he is incapable only adds to the piece. The work, "The Phenomenon of Nature or 99 Landscapes with Tree" is a series of photographs of the artist with his body suspended in the air in different landscapes around the world. It is also a film, looking into each of the photographs more in depth. The way that he puts himself into these scenes, it looks out of place but all he wants to do is fit in. It was my absolute favorite of the exhibition.

I'm excited to continue my journey through Europe trying to make it to every art museum that I can, there is just something about it that always makes my heart jump when I figure out the meaning behind an artist work. On to the next! Ciao!

Milano

Since last summer, Milan has been on my list to visit. I am extremely lucky to have been able to visit this larger Italian city. The biggest difference from Florence that I noticed was the architecture, it seemed to have more of a French feel. The Duomo also did not disappoint, with the gothic aesthetic and ornate detail. We climbed to the top, a lot shorter than I expected, and walked right out onto the roof. Seeing Duomo had me wondering about how time consuming the building ended up becoming. We first walked through the duomo museum that contained many different relics as well as figures. I didn't realize all of the planning that went into these churches when they were being built. There were many different figures made from stone, and also their models made from clay. Art is such a fascinating subject, and to this day it impresses me with its vastness. I have to admit that Milan was beautiful but I don't think anything will ever be able to compare to my Florence. On to the next adventure!