Appropriation
"The deliberate "borrowing" of an image for this new context is called "recontextualization." Recontextualization helps the artist comment on the image's original meaning and the viewer's association with the original image or the real thing".
An artist that uses Appropriation to his advantage is street Artist Shepard Fairy. Well known for his Obama 08 campaign, Fairy uses a lot of established imagery and conformes them into his own imagery, usually for his propaganda movement "Obey".
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| (fig.1) |
Looking at the image above you may already notice the form of Appropiration. Shepard Fairey has taken a propaganda chinese poster with the title "Government is established through guns". Further to the left is similar picture by Fairey using the same composition with guns being saluted in the air. Portraying a different meaning Fairey uses his own imagery and concepts to differentiate the two. The use of roses gives the impression that Fairey is going against the support of guns and uses the symbole of a rose to signify love rather than the support of weapons.
The image below is again very similar to each other as Fairey has used an image from another artist from 1960 to portray his own meaning which seems to something to do with sounds.
I have been a fan of Shepard Fairey's work for a while and have noticed his style of work that he uses from other artist. Some may find it his style a lack of creativity, plagiarism, boring and even rude the fact that one could take another work and use it as there own. Personally I find it to be a resourceful method of sharing creative minds and in some way a compliment. The fact that someone can look at your work and use it to there own perspective is a complement as you have inspired them. Myself and many others have been inspried by many other pieces of work created by Artist such as Andy Warhol, Picasso, Mathew Filer, Shepard Fairey, Bob Marley etc. Appropriation ia a chance to show creative thinking with other artist and helps build character.
Reference:
- (fig.1) .http://www.prettytasty.org/punbb/viewtopic.php?id=1791
- http://arthistory.about.com/od/glossary_a/a/a_appropriation.htm
