David Tawil
FRO 1000
Blog Post
9/7/17
I recently visited the Anya and Andrew Shiva Art Gallery in New York City. The exhibit displayed many works of art that were stunning and also provided deeper meanings. For instance, one of them is comprised of tools such as a mallet, axe, and hammer. The tools were three-dimensional models that were made out of metal and wood. The tools were also encased in a glass frame. The interesting part about these tools is that they have been “tortured.” The deeper meaning of tortured is that the Chinese Government was limiting the success of its people. This was because of restrictive policies that were implemented by the Chinese Government. The art is showing that the tools have not been as effective since the policies were established. This art exhibit has helped me with my academic work because it relates to what I’m learning in Art History class. Things such as the meaning of the art and the way it’s created were shown in the gallery and I also learned similar things in class. Another interesting piece in the exhibit was a painting of the Tiananmen Square Protests in China in 1989. This event is known in China as the June Fourth Incident. The protests were led by students who wanted there to be change within China. The students opposed the Communist Party of China. They wanted change in terms of more freedom and less government control. At its highest peak, there were one million people who all gathered in the Tiananmen Square. The protest ended when the Chinese military massacred hundreds of people using guns and even tanks. This was a very significant event in Chinese history because the military had never used such brutal force for a domestic event. This piece was created by Yang Jinsong, a Chinese dissident artist from Chongqing, China.