VISUAL ARTS

As we enter Cultural Diversity Week at McKinnon, the Art Department has been spending some time reflecting on how we, as predominantly a Eurocentric-driven institution, engage with and talk about Art. 

It’s easy for us to focus on the key players throughout Art History - which are typically viewed through a Western lens. Although artists such as Van Gogh, Da Vinci or Andy Warhol helped shape our understanding of Art, one of our goals as a department is to celebrate and recognise non-western Art, and its position within the contemporary context. 

For Cultural Diversity Week, our brilliant technician Angie Pai, has developed a small art activity celebrating the work of Chinese Artist Xu Bing. 

Xu Bing developed an ongoing/interactive piece called Square Word Calligraphy, which allows non-Chinese speaking people to understand how Chinese characters are composed. His work helps demystify the Chinese written language and allows viewers to break down cultural barriers as they read the text, making the pleasures of calligraphy available to a much wider audience. 

Please click this link to access an activity handout and try making your own calligraphy! 

Peter Eglezos

Learning Area Manager - Visual Arts