Lesson 24 - Converging Histories - The Global Art World

East Tennessee State University
Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University
Art Appreciation Open Educational Resource
2020
Lesson 24: Converging Histories - The Global Art World

Marie Porterfield Barry
East Tennessee State University, [email protected]
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.etsu.edu/art-appreciation-oer
Part of the Art and Design Commons, and the History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons
Editable versions are available for this document and other Art Appreciation lessons at
https://dc.etsu.edu/art-appreciation-oer.
Recommended Citation
Barry, Marie Porterfield, "Lesson 24: Converging Histories - The Global Art World" (2020). Art Appreciation
Open Educational Resource. East Tennessee State University: Johnson City.
https://dc.etsu.edu/art-appreciation-oer/26
This Book Contribution is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State
University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Art Appreciation Open Educational Resource by an authorized
administrator of Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. For more information, please contact
[email protected].
“Converging Histories – The Global Art World” is part of the
ART APPRECIATION
Open Educational Resource
by Marie Porterfield Barry

East Tennessee State University, 2020
Introduction
This course explores the world’s visual arts, focusing on the development of visual awareness,
assessment, and appreciation by examining a variety of styles from various periods and cultures while
emphasizing the development of a common visual language. The materials are meant to foster a
broader understanding of the role of visual art in human culture and experience from the prehistoric
through the contemporary.
This is an Open Educational Resource (OER), an openly licensed educational material designed to replace
a traditional textbook.
Course Materials
Presentations
The course materials consist of 24 presentations examining art across the globe from prehistory though
the contemporary art world. These introduce key vocabulary, explore the way that culture and art are
linked, describe the varying methods and techniques of the featured artists, and encourage classroom
discourse.
Reading Lists
Each of the 24 presentations has an accompanying reading list which provides links to articles, videos,
and other resources. The reading list is meant to reinforce and clarify information covered in each of the
presentations.
Sample Assignments
A list of sample assignments is also included. Ranging from brief essays to simple art projects, these are
designed to be completed in a sketchbook to more deeply explore course concepts. Intended to
encourage learners to think like artists, art critics, and art historians, assignments emphasize practices of
creative thinking and artistic method, while reinforcing concepts addressed in classroom lectures and
required readings.
Copyright Information
Creative Commons License
This OER is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International
License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0); it is intended for non-commercial, educational purposes. Whenever available,
images used within this OER are public domain or licensed under Creative Commons. Each image
includes the individual licensing or copyright information.
Educational Fair Use

Due to the nature of the course materials, some of the works of art covered are protected by copyright.
Images of these works of art are included with a tag stating that they are Educational Fair Use. These
copyrighted materials should not be printed or reproduced as this may qualify as copyright
infringement. Images designated as Educational Fair Use are provided in low resolution which is suitable
for display on the screen but is not high quality enough for printing or reproducing. Whenever possible,
a link is included to access a higher quality version of the image on museum or educational websites. If
available, copyright information is also listed on these images.
Some of the images presented in this OER are marked with a Creative Commons license and include a
tag for Educational Fair Use, especially works of art that have been photographed while installed in
museums. The photographs of these works of art are licensed by the photographer but the two-
dimensional works of art are protected under copyright. The images are therefore meant only for the
purpose of education and contemplation and are included in a low resolution.
Adopting, Adapting, or Expanding the Resource

The goal for this OER is to build an educational resource that is flexible enough to address concepts
relevant to the contemporary discourse and scholarship in the visual arts. For those interested in
utilizing these course materials, I am providing below some additional information that may be useful in
expanding, adapting, or reinterpreting the materials. Editable versions are available in Microsoft
PowerPoint and Word at https://dc.etsu.edu/art-appreciation-oer/
The font used to create the presentations and written documents for this OER is Calibri.
Finding Additional Readings, Lessons, and Articles

Smarthistory: https://smarthistory.org/
Smarthistory is an extensive open educational resource which publishes outstanding essays and video
lectures about art. The Creating + Conserving section of Smarthistory includes wonderful informational
articles and videos about materials and processes: https://smarthistory.org/tag/conservation/
MoMA Learning: https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/

MoMA Learning provides a wonderful selection of essays on works of modern art and also has
assignment suggestions at the bottom of each section.
KhanAcademy: https://www.khanacademy.org/.
Khan Academy is an outstanding platform of open educational resources covering a variety of academic
and scholarly topics.
Trivium Art History: https://arthistoryproject.com/
Trivium Art History is a free, online art history book with clean design and approachable descriptions of
works of art, periods of art history, and fun artist biographies. The Themes of Art section is a nice tool to
helping students explore works that match their interests. The World of Art section is a useful tool for an
exploratory World Art sketchbook prompt. The Timeline section is useful, as it separates works of art
into galleries based on period.
Introduction to Art: Design, Context, and Meaning: https://oer.galileo.usg.edu/arts-textbooks/3/

For a more traditional, textbook approach, there is an Introduction to Art open educational resource
textbook available.
Locating Images
If you are utilizing the course materials and would like to add new images that are public domain or
licensed under Creative Commons, there are several useful tips provided below for finding images.
The Met Museum: https://www.metmuseum.org/

The Met has an option to search for Open Access images within the collection here. Make sure that the
“Open Access” box is checked. The image license is CC0 1.0, and will be marked OA Public Domain at the
lower left of the image.
Google Images: https://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi&ogbl

Google Images has an option under “Settings” > “Advanced Search” to search by “Usage Rights”.
Choosing “Free to use share or modify” will allow a search for images suitable for expanding our OER.
Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/

Wikimedia Commons is an outstanding resource for finding open source images, with a strong collection
of works of art.
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com
Flickr allows users to specify image licenses on uploaded photographs. Click “Some rights reserved” at
the lower right of the image to check the licensing. Some images will say “Public Domain” or will be
licensed under a Creative Commons (CC) license, allowing for the use in an OER.
Smarthistory Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/groups/smarthistory/pool/

The Smarthistory Flickr is expansive with images licensed for educational purposes.
Acknowledgements
This Art Appreciation OER was adapted from existing resources by Marie Porterfield Barry as part of East
Tennessee State University’s Open Educational Resources (OERs) Initiatives, which are a collaboration of
the Charles C. Sherrod Library and the Center for Teaching Excellence. Deepest gratitude for the support
from Ashley Sergiadis of Sherrod Library and Phil Smith of the Center for Teaching Excellence during the
building of this resource. Thanks as well to my students at East Tennessee State University whose
feedback and participation during our Art Appreciation classes was immensely valuable in compiling and
evaluating this OER.
The Global Art World
Raqib Shaw, Paradise Lost, 2001-11. Author: Raqib Shaw, Cropped from original, Source: Wikimedia Commons, License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Postmodern art exists in a world that is increasingly more connected and globalized.
El Anatsui, Many Came Back, 2005. Author: Steven Zucker, Source: Flickr, License: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Artists from around the world are able to participate in the global art scene and bring with them
knowledge of artistic traditions specific to the histories of various geographic regions, adding a
richness of influence to the contemporary art world that does not rely solely on European traditions.
Takashi Murakami at Fondation Vuitton, Paris. Author: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra, Source: Flickr, License: CC BY 2.0
Japanese artist Mariko Mori combines traditional symbolism and iconography from Buddhism with
futuristic imagery using technology to create immersive environments.
Mariko Mori. Author: Mark Hoekstra, Source: Flickr, License: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Mariko Mori say of her work:
“I am interested in circulating past iconography in the present in order to get to the future.”
Mariko Mori. Author: Mark Hoekstra, Source: Flickr, License: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
In works such as Pure Land Mori creates highly symbolic works of art which are meant to
be part of large immersive installations.
During exhibitions, the photograph of Pure Land is accompanied by a video installation

called Nirvana in which the viewers see the female figure and alien musicians animated.
The central floating female, played by Mori herself, hums for seven minutes at the
conclusion of which a fan turns on and wafts perfumed air at the audience.
Mariko Mori, Pure Land, 1996-98, glass with photo interlayer. Source: Smarthistory.
© Mariko Mori / Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York. Educational Fair Use.
Pure Land is set at sunrise above the Dead Sea, a body of water so salty that it does not
support life. According to Japanese Shinto belief, salt is used for purification.
The lotus blossom that floats below the central female herself symbolizes purity and rebirth
in paradise according to Buddhism.
In the background, a spaceship-like form sits at the shore of the sea. The form resembles a
Tibetan stupa, which is a type of sacred Buddhist burial mound.
The symbols within Pure Land combine traditional imagery such as the lotus blossom with
more futuristic aspects to create a unique blend of imagery for the contemplation of death,
purification, and rebirth.
The imagery in Mori’s Pure Land relates to traditional paintings of
Pure Land Buddhism in which the Amida Buddha with his
attendants comes to carry the soul of the dead to paradise in a
lotus blossom.
Scrolls depicting the Amida Buddha were often hung by the

bedsides of the dying to ensure rebirth in paradise.
Mori reinterprets the attendants of the Buddha, or the

bodhisattvas, as small musical aliens. These beings are
compassionate people who help save those who are suffering.
Left: Welcoming Descent of Amida and Bodhisattvas, late 14th century. Source: Met
Museum, License: CC0 1.0
The alien-like attendants of the Buddha appear again in Mori’s interactive sculpture Oneness.
The six aliens stand, facing outwards, holding hands. When a viewer hugs one of the alien forms,
the heartbeat can be felt and the creature’s eyes light up.
Mariko Mori, Oneness, 2003. Author: Mark Hoekstra, Source: Flickr, License: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
The artist uses herself to depict the role of the central Amida Buddha-like figure.
The artist transfers herself to the role of the guide, inviting the viewer into the “Pure Land of
Perfect Bliss” and toward Enlightenment through her work.
Watch Mariko Mori describe concepts addressed in her work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ510QfMaGA
Ai Weiwei is a contemporary Chinese artist
renowned for his socially and politically
engaged works of art.
In one of his earliest works, he famously

dropped an irreplaceable Han Dynasty urn,
allowing the ancient Chinese artifact to shatter
on the floor.
Ai Weiwei, Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn and Colored Vases

Author: Adrian Berg, Source: Flickr, License: CC BY-NC 2.0
Ai Weiwei is interested in Marcel Duchamp’s
concept of the readymade and the way in
which objects for everyday use may be elevated
to the status of art.

In his work utilizing the “cultural readymade” of
the Han Dynasty urn, Weiwei questions why
and by whom cultural values are created.
The work references the widespread

destruction of cultural artifacts during China’s
Cultural Revolution. The destruction of the
artifacts was meant to allow for the building of
a new society with new cultural artifacts.

In another of his works, Ai
Weiwei hired traditional
artisans from Jingdzhen, the
city in China that was once
responsible for making
imperial porcelain (such as
the vases seen here) to make
porcelain sunflower seeds.
Ming Dynasty Vases, c. 1403-1424. Author: British Museum, Cropped from original, Source:
Wikimedia Commons, License: CC BY-SA 3.0
He then filled the Turbine Hall of Tate
Modern in London with the porcelain seeds.
The meaning behind the work of art is

complex, combining the artist’s own
nostalgia for his youth in which even the
poorest of people could afford to enjoy
sunflower seeds with friends to feelings
about the Chinese Revolution during which
many starved.
Ai Weiwei, “Sunflower Seeds” at Tate Modern, Turbine Hall.

Author: Loz Pycock, Source: Flickr, License: CC BY-SA 2.0
The Sunflower Seeds provided work for
roughly 1,600 people in Jingdzhen in order
to make the 100 million porcelain seeds that
filled the massive Turbine Hall.
The handmade objects, each painstakingly

painted to resemble a real seed, ask the
viewer to consider the concept of “Made in
China” and how this concept had drastically
changed since the time in which fine plates
were called “China” in the west due to their
superior quality in craftsmanship and form.

Furthermore, the artist references the way
in which the Chinese communist
revolutionary and founding father of the
People’s Republic of China, Mao Zedong,
was often depicted alongside sunflowers as
an allegory of Chairman Mao as the sun and
his loyal followers as the sunflowers.

Initially, viewers were invited to handle the porcelain seeds and to walk upon them to
experience the quality of the seemingly naturalistic (but in fact entirely artificial) seeds.
Ai Weiwei, Kui Hua Zi (Sunflower Seeds), Tate Modern. Author: Rupert Ganzer, Source: Flickr, License: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Visit the studio of Ai Weiwei and hear from the artist on making the Sunflower Seeds:
https://youtu.be/PueYywpkJW8
Raqib Shaw, an Indian-born British artist, makes
elaborately detailed mixed media paintings which
include glitter and sparkling beads to complete their
glistening and pristine surfaces.
Raqib Shaw’s Jane appropriates and reimagines Han Holbein’s portrait of Jane Seymore, wife of Henry VIII.
Hans Holbein, Jane Seymour, Oil on Panel, 1536. Raqib Shaw, Jane, Enamel, glitter, plastic beads and
Author: Google Art Project graphite on paper, 2006.
Source: Wikimedia Commons Author: Raqib Shaw, Source: Wikimedia Commons,
License: Public Domain License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Shaw replaces the head of Jane Seymour with a piranha-
like fish face. Above her head float fleshy blobs with
horrified faces and contour drawings of partial female
bodies.
The grotesque and gruesome heads remind us of the dark

history of the reign Henry VIII, which saw two of his wives
beheaded, including the one who directly proceeded Jane.
Hans Holbein, Jane Seymour, Oil on Panel, 1536. Raqib Shaw, Jane, Enamel, glitter, plastic beads and
Author: Google Art Project graphite on paper, 2006.
Source: Wikimedia Commons Author: Raqib Shaw, Source: Wikimedia Commons,
License: Public Domain License: CC BY-SA 3.0
The repainting of historical figures such as Jane Seymour
act as a form of cultural criticism or defacement,
questioning the icons of history.
Raqib Shaw, Jane, Enamel, glitter, plastic beads and

graphite on paper, 2006.
Author: Raqib Shaw, Source: Wikimedia Commons,
License: CC BY-SA 3.0
The elaborately detailed and richly patterned
surfaces of Shaw’s painting blend European art
historical movements with styles that reference the
history of miniature painting in India.
Raqib Shaw, Jane, 2006

Enamel, glitter, plastic beads and graphite on paper.
Author: Raqib Shaw, Source: Wikimedia Commons, License: CC BY-SA 3.0
The richly detailed surfaces of Raqib Shaw’s
paintings reference his childhood in Kashmir,
growing up as the son of merchants selling
rugs, jewelry, and antiques.
These opulent surfaces also relate to the

history of Indian painting, in which
flattened, richly embellished, and intricately
pattered surfaces surround figures and
animal forms.
Attributed to Miskin, The Crow Addresses the Animals,

Gouache on paper. C. 16th century (Mughal Empire) Source:
The British Museum, License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
© The Trustees of the British Museum
Bichitr’s Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to
Kings, from the St. Petersburg album is a
spectacular example of a Mughal (present-day
India) miniature painting.
Bichitr, Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings, from the St.

Petersburg album, 1615-1618 (Mughal Empire), Watercolor, gold
and ink on paper. Author: Google Art Project, Source: Wikimedia
Commons, License: Public Domain
The fourth Mughal emperor, known as Jahangir or
“Seizer of the World”, is seen here giving a book
to a Sufi Shaikh, or holy man.
Jahangir gives his complete attention to the holy

man standing before him. Inscriptions on the
image reiterate that the emperor prefers the holy
man above kings, signifying his spiritual leanings.
Bichitr, Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings, from the St.

Petersburg album, 1615-1618 (Mughal Empire), Watercolor, gold
and ink on paper. Author: Google Art Project, Source: Wikimedia
Beneath the Shaikh are three more figures
waiting to visit with the emperor: an
Ottoman sultan, an English king (James I), and
a self-portrait of the artist, Bichitr.
Bichitr, Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings, from the

St. Petersburg album, 1615-1618 (Mughal Empire),
Watercolor, gold and ink on paper. Author: Google Art
Project, Cropped from original, Source: Wikimedia
James I never actually visited the Mughal
court. However, his portrait was presented to
Jahangir as part of a diplomatic exchange.
The artist uses the placement of the figures

as a way to emphasize the meaning of the
image. James I does not seem to be
displaying proper respect for Jahangir, as he
faces the viewer, but he is also placed below
Jahangir, the Shaikh, and the Ottoman Sultan,
showing him as lower in the hierarchy.

The self-portrait of the artist at the lower
corner wears a yellow jama (robe), indicating
that he is a Hindu serving in the Mughal court
and painting Islamic art. In his self-portrait,
he holds a miniature painting in his hand.

The artist cleverly blends traditional Mughal
painting styles and iconography with borrowed
images from European art, such as the putti
figures floating above Jahangir, as well as the
image of the English king.
This blending of Mughal painting with

European imagery reminds us that the visual
exchange between cultures through art is not
new to Postmodernism.

Raqib Shaw’s paintings balance traditions from the east and the west while presenting a delicate and
delectable combination of the hyperreal and the hyper-fantastical.
Raqib Shaw, Paradise Lost, 2001-11. Author: Raqib Shaw, Source: Wikimedia Commons, License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Raqib Shaw, After George Stubbs' Cheetah and Stag, Manchester Art Gallery.
Author: Widdowquinn, Source: Flickr, License: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Watch a video interview with Raqib Shaw and tour his atelier:
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/raqib-shaw-9784/raqib-shaw-craft-romantic-extreme
Shirin Neshat is an Iranian artist who lives in exile.
Her series, Women of Allah, examines the identity

of female martyrs in Iran during the Islamic
Revolution of 1979.
Shirin Neshat, Rebellious Silence, Women of Allah series,

1994, black and white RC print and ink, photo by Cynthia
Preston ©Shirin Neshat. Source: Smarthistory
In Rebellious Silence, the female subject is depicted
in a stark black chador against a pale background.
A first glance, the symmetrical composition

exemplifies balance, but a rifle bisects the image,
suggesting division, rupture, and imbalance. The
disunion caused by the weapon suggest binary
contradictions such as between East and West,
modernity and tradition, or beauty and violence.

According to Neshat, “every image, every woman’s submissive gaze, suggests a far more complex
and paradoxical reality behind the surface.”
Shirin Neshat at Neue Galerie Graz, Author: Universalmuseum Joanneum/N. Lackner, Cropped from original, Source: Flickr, License: CC BY-NC 2.0
Neshat’s Women of Allah series examines the tenuous balance between the gaze and the veil. The veil
itself, often seen as simply a garment of oppression by Western eyes, is not so one-dimensional in its
interpretation within cultures where it is worn and where its significance suggests a more complex
interplay between repression and freedom.
The veil is meant to shield the female form from the male gaze, which is intended to protect women from
becoming sexualized objects. However, it also obscures their body and keeps them from being seen at all.
Neshat empowers her female figures by allowing them to gaze back at the viewer, while also wearing
garments that obscure their forms. This shifts the focus of the viewer to the subject’s powerful,
responsive gaze itself, rather than just allowing her to exist as an object to be gazed upon.
Other images from the series, such as Faceless, show
the female subjects in more active poses and explore
concepts relating to religious martyrdom and the
Iranian Revolution.
Neshat emphasizes the power, determination,

strength, and complexity of her female subjects
portrayed in her works. The directness of the gaze and
the confrontational poses of her subjects reinforce
these ideas.
Shirin Neshat, Faceless, Women of Allah series, 1994, black

and white RC print and ink, photo by Cynthia Preston
©Shirin Neshat. Source: Smarthistory
An additional layer to the Women of Allah series is the
text which is written directly onto the photographs in
Farsi. The Iranian language of Farsi, written in the Arabic
script, covers the exposed skin of the subjects with
poetry and writings by women, voicing a variety of
viewpoints and perspectives.
Calligraphy holds a vastly important role in the history of

Islamic art. The calligraphy adds a sense of flatness and
patterning to the photographs, which also references
the history of Iranian art.
Shirin Neshat, Faceless, Women of Allah series, 1994, black

and white RC print and ink, photo by Cynthia Preston
©Shirin Neshat. Source: Smarthistory
The history of Iranian art includes richly decorated
books of poetry with figurative paintings and
decorative calligraphy, such as the epic historical
poem the Shahnama, or Book of Kings.
Muzaffar 'Ali
The Angel Surush Rescues Khusrau Parviz from a Cul-de-sac
from the Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp,
c. 1530. Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper.
Source: MET Museum, License: CC0 1.0
The Shahnama tells the story of the ancient kings of Iran, blending history with lore and including
stories about love, suffering, and death.
Muzaffar 'Ali . The Angel Surush Rescues Khusrau

Parviz from a Cul-de-sac. from the Shahnama of
Shah Tahmasp, c. 1530. Opaque watercolor, ink,
silver, and gold on paper.
Source: MET Museum, Cropped from original,
License: CC0 1.0
Copied and illuminated numerous times
throughout the history of Iran, the epic work
of Shahnama exemplifies the exalted position
shared by visual arts, poetry, and calligraphy,
and the way in which these three art forms are
able to occupy the same space throughout the
history of Iranian art.
Sultan Mohammed
The Court of the Gayumars
from the Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp (Safavid Dynasty),
c. 1525. Gouache, ink, and gold on paper.
Author: Aga Khan Museum, Source: Wikimedia
The poem written over the skin of the female
subject in Rebellious Silence is Tahereh
Saffarzadeh’s “Allegiance with Wakefulness”, which
celebrates the bravery of martyrdom.

In approaching the works of Shirin Neshat, the viewer is challenged to contemplate the complexity of
the female experience. Specifically within the Women of Allah series, the artist asks that the viewer
approach the subject of the Iranian female martyr with more nuance and openness to the complexity
of the subject’s experiences and principles.
Watch Shirin Neshat describe concepts in her work:
https://youtu.be/VXZkn0nL34Y
Takashi Murakami’s fascination with science fiction and manga, or Japanese cartoons and comic
books, informs his playful, technicolor works of art.
Manga comics on display in Toyko.
Manga comic books on display in Tokyo. Author: Todd Lappin, Source: Flickr, License: CC BY-NC 2.0
Murakami’s concept of the superflat describes the flatness of the picture plane in his work
and the way in which his work collapses the space between popular culture and high art.
Murakami’s concept of the superflat also references the aesthetics of Japanese art, such as
the woodblock prints from the Edo period which flatten the space within the picture plane,
such as in the color woodblock print The Great Wave by Katsushika Hokusai.
Katsushika Hokusai,The Great Wave from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei), c. 1830-32, polychrome
woodblock print, ink and color on paper. Author: Met Museum, Source: Wikimedia Commons, License: Public Domain
Alongside the flatness of woodblock prints and the stylistic inspiration from manga and science
fiction, Murakami also includes traditional imagery from Buddhism, such as depictions of arhats.
An arhat is a Buddhist monk who has advanced along the path of Enlightenment.
Kawamura Jakushi, 18 Arhat, Inscription by Yinyuan, 18 hanging scrolls with color on silk. Source: Wikimedia Commons, License: Public Domain
Murakami’s arhats reference the traditional figures but approach them in a new style.
Detail from Takashi Murakami’s The 500 Arhats. Author: Tomomi Sasaki, Source: Flickr, License: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Kawamura Jakushi, 18 Arhat, 18 hanging scrolls with color on silk. Source: Wikimedia Commons, Cropped from original, License: Public Domain
Detail from Takashi Murakami’s The 500 Arhats. Author: Tomomi Sasaki, Source: Flickr, License: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Watch a video of artist Takashi Murakami speaking about the evolution of his work and see into his atelier:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YPOWBQAd1M
El Anatsui, was born and
raised in Ghana but spends
much of his time as an artist
in Nsukka, Nigeria.
El Anatsui, Many Came Back, 2005. Author: Steven Zucker, Cropped from original, Source: Flickr,
License: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
El Anatsui’s mixed media
tapestries resemble cloth but
are made of refuse metal.
They are sculptural and move

away from the wall and out
into the space of the viewer
in rippling waves.
The repurposed metal used
in his works have been
handled before by others,
relating to an idea shared
among the Ashanti people of
Ghana of sunsum.
Sunsum describes an energy

that gets transferred into an
object as it is handled. A
certain vitality is transferred
to the object as it is passed
through different hands.
A further layer of meaning in
the work is the complicated
reality of consumerism and
the fact that these materials
would have likely otherwise
ended up in a trash heap
outside the city.
The history of textiles in the artist’s homeland of Ghana is rich and important, including symbolic woven
fabric known as Kente cloth. A predominant color in Kente is gold, which is associated with royalty.
Kente cloth was originally reserved for Ashanti royalty
to be used for ceremonial or sacred occasions.
Asantehene (Ashanti Monarch) Osei Tutu II wearing Kente cloth, 2005.

Author: Retlaw Snellac, Source: Wikimedia Commons, License: CC BY 2.0
As the production of Kente cloth increased, however, so did its function. The cloth may be found
decorating shrines and was adopted by the Ewe people, who were under the rule of the Ashanti in the
late 18th century. Due to being less centralized, the Ewe people developed patterns of Kente cloth that
symbolically related more to everyday life and was not reserved for royal use.
Ewe design, Kente cloth.

Author: ZSM, Source:
Wikimedia Commons,
License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Each pattern of Kente cloth has a name. Names may be inspired by dreams of the weavers, historical
events, philosophical concepts, human or animal behavior, oral literature, or they may be given to
relate to a sacred or ritual ceremony during which the cloth is used.
19th Century Kente cloth. Author: MET Museum, Source: Wikimedia Commons, License: CC0 1.0
El Anatsui’s tapestries, however, are not made of fiber; they are made of flattened metal scraps.
Many of the flattened scraps of metal
used by the artist come from liquor
bottles, whose lids have been pounded
flat and wired together.
This references the west African

practice of using alcohol as a libation
to honor the ancestors. Before eating
or drinking, a bit of palm wine or other
alcohol is dribbled onto the ground.
El Anatsui, Many Came Back, 2005. Author: Steven Zucker, Cropped from original,
Source: Flickr, License: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
El Anatsui’s tapestries are made in workshops, much in the way that the traditional Kente cloth of
Ghana was produced.
El Anatsui, Duvor (Communal Cloth). Author: The Shifted Librarian, Source: Flickr, License: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Watch a video of El Anatsui explaining the meaning behind his bottlecap tapestries:
https://youtu.be/5I7XZL9KjFQ
Reading List: 24_The Global Art World
Article about Mariko Mori’s Pure Land:

https://smarthistory.org/mariko-mori-pure-land/
Bio on Artnet with quote by Mariko Mori, “I am interested in circulating past iconography in the present
in order to get to the future.”:
http://www.artnet.com/artists/mariko-mori/
Article by the Met Museum about Welcoming Descent of Amida and Bodhisattvas:
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/42.25.37/
Article about Ai Weiwei’s Kui Hua Zi (Sunflower Seeds):

https://smarthistory.org/ai-weiwei-kui-hua-zi-sunflower-seeds/
Video tour of the production of Ai Weiwei’s Sunflower Seeds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PueYywpkJW8
Article on Ai Weiwei’s Remembering and the Politics of Dissent:

https://smarthistory.org/ai-weiwei-remembering-and-the-politics-of-dissent-2/
Short bio of Ai Weiwei from the Guggenheim:

https://www.guggenheim.org/arts-curriculum/topic/ai-weiwei
Video interview with Raqib Shaw and tour of his atelier:

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/raqib-shaw-9784/raqib-shaw-craft-romantic-extreme
Tate article about Raqib Shaw’s Jane:

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/shaw-jane-t12373
Biographical article about Raqib Shaw:

https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/raqib-shaw-old-masters/
Article about the Mughal miniature painting Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings by Bichitr:
https://smarthistory.org/bichtir-jahangir-preferring-a-sufi-shaikh-to-kings-2/
Video interview with Takashi Murakami and a look inside his atelier:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YPOWBQAd1M
Article about Takashi Murakami by Tate:

https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/pop-life-art-material-world/pop-life-art-
material-world-explore-15
Article about Katsushika Hokusai’s The Great Wave:

https://smarthistory.org/hokusai-under-the-wave-off-kanagawa-the-great-wave/
A description of an arhat is available as part of this article:
https://smarthistory.org/longmen-caves-luoyang/
Video lecture about the works of El Anatsui:

https://smarthistory.org/el-anatsui-untitled/
Interview with artist El Anatsui about the meaning behind his bottlecap tapestries:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I7XZL9KjFQ
Article about Kente cloth:

https://smarthistory.org/kente-cloth/
Listen to Shirin Neshat’s TED Talk on Art in Exile:

https://youtu.be/4YS3gGpnPe8
Read about the history of the Shahnama, or Book of Kings from the Met Museum:
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/shnm/hd_shnm.htm
Read an article about Sultan Muhammad’s The Court of the Gayumars from the Shahnama of Shah
Tahmasap I:
https://smarthistory.org/the-court-of-gayumars/

Lesson 24 - Converging Histories - The Global Art World

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Lesson 24: Converging Histories - The Global Art World

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Introduction to Art: Design, Context, and Meaning: https://oer.galileo.usg.edu/arts-textbooks/3/

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During exhibitions, the photograph of Pure Land is accompanied by a video installation

Scrolls depicting the Amida Buddha were often hung by the

Mori reinterprets the attendants of the Buddha, or the

In one of his earliest works, he famously

Ai Weiwei, Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn and Colored Vases

Ai Weiwei, Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn and Colored Vases

The work references the widespread

Ai Weiwei, Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn and Colored Vases

The meaning behind the work of art is

Ai Weiwei, “Sunflower Seeds” at Tate Modern, Turbine Hall.

The handmade objects, each painstakingly

Ai Weiwei, “Sunflower Seeds” at Tate Modern, Turbine Hall.

Ai Weiwei, “Sunflower Seeds” at Tate Modern, Turbine Hall.

The grotesque and gruesome heads remind us of the dark

Raqib Shaw, Jane, Enamel, glitter, plastic beads and

Raqib Shaw, Jane, 2006

These opulent surfaces also relate to the

Attributed to Miskin, The Crow Addresses the Animals,

Bichitr, Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings, from the St.

Jahangir gives his complete attention to the holy

Bichitr, Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings, from the St.

Bichitr, Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings, from the

The artist uses the placement of the figures

Bichitr, Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings, from the

Bichitr, Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings, from the

This blending of Mughal painting with

Bichitr, Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings, from the

Her series, Women of Allah, examines the identity

Shirin Neshat, Rebellious Silence, Women of Allah series,

A first glance, the symmetrical composition

Shirin Neshat, Rebellious Silence, Women of Allah series,

Neshat emphasizes the power, determination,

Shirin Neshat, Faceless, Women of Allah series, 1994, black

Calligraphy holds a vastly important role in the history of

Shirin Neshat, Faceless, Women of Allah series, 1994, black

Muzaffar 'Ali . The Angel Surush Rescues Khusrau

Shirin Neshat, Rebellious Silence, Women of Allah series,

They are sculptural and move

Sunsum describes an energy

Asantehene (Ashanti Monarch) Osei Tutu II wearing Kente cloth, 2005.

Ewe design, Kente cloth.

This references the west African

Article about Mariko Mori’s Pure Land:

Article about Ai Weiwei’s Kui Hua Zi (Sunflower Seeds):