Self-Taught Artist Ivan Hoo Has Inhuman Ability To TUrn Objects Into Hyperrealist Drawings
By: Priscilla Frank
Source: Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/21/ivan-hoo-art-_n_6182070.html?utm_hp_ref=arts

     Artist Ivan Hoo, all with an inner sense of passion and dedication, manages to create realist three-dimensional depictions of items all within a two-dimensional piece of art. What Hoo succeeds in doing is described as “an inhuman ability to transform wordly objects into drawings” (Frank, 1). His subject matter includes not an abstract intricate image, or one seemingly thought about for years, but rather, everyday ordinary objects, presented in an unordinary manner. The process of his art involves either the still object or a self-taken photograph of the object of reference. Starting out with a simple sketch using pencil, Hoo adds life into the images through the detail added with pastel pencils. Behind such skill and intricacy, one almost immediately expects years of overly-priced art lessons to come up; yet Hoo goes against such expectations with his completely self-taught abilities, an absence of art school, yet a presence of passion and inborn curiosity towards a task which one is not forced, and therefore desires.

     Amongst a world of three-dimensional printers and technology used to create what the human no longer does, it is, in a way, refreshing to see the opposite. Hoo's art expresses a subtle humbleness to it, a sense of a grand creation out of a modicum of necessities, within a world that has such a great amount to offer, yet such a small amount needed. A sense of true creation lies not behind a tangible, physical sense of ability, but rather an inner feeling of desire, an inborn paradoxical candle, only growing as it burns, lighting up a passion, rarely noticed, often ignored. 

5:13 pm, Sunday

I force myself to sit. Amongst the restrictions of a man-made time which has been placed so carelessly upon me, I sit, forcing myself to be natural, and wonder; is force natural? I try, rather effortlessly, to not be ever so particular about the whereabouts of my location, and wonder if I just formed this concept right now. I find myself at a beach somehow, so as to avoid planning, somewhat confused at my purpose, specifically for writing the words I am writing now, and in general. For some reason, I cannot seem to overlook the concept, or idea, or creation, or whatever it may be, of time. I try to avoid it, ignore its insignificantly significant existence, yet find myself- I hear an ominous sound behind; I turn around, nothing anywhere to be found- wanting more of it, or rather, having too little. What can I make of it, time that is? The subject bores me. What I see now, is a lack if time; no, an absence, rather. My eyes have failed me again, for I always seem to observe that, which is inexistent. I hear a sound; I think about it for a brief four to five seconds. It does not seem to hold too great of a significance, not nearly one as great as the ant which, ever so carelessly crawls upon my leg, confused, rushed, yet having nowhere to go. I think that is me. I come to appreciate this silence that I feel, not hear. I hear no silence, for I am surrounded by joyful screaming voices of two Latino children, boys, in the distance, along with the foreign language which the enthusiastic and subtly tired mother utters, all amongst the seemingly endless echoes of waves. The family has an adolescent girl as well; her voice, insignificant, undecipherable from her mothers'. I find the only bearable silence that which can be felt within myself, not heard, for if silence was ever heard, the amplified chaos felt within would drive me to insanity. Four ants on my feet now, and one, isolated within the crevices of my light gray sweater. I lose count; I can only feel them. I ponder on killing the ant; so insignificant of a creature amongst another with such great size. Yet i feel the same of myself, amongst all creation. It is true I think. All are insignificant. This thought does little to bother me; I enjoy it rather. I change my location and face the sun. I am surrounded by flies, grazing upon incoherent masses of some type of ocean grass, if grass can be black, as a rather fit looking couple jogs along the shore. I make the assumption that they had a kale protein smoothie and egg white omelette for breakfast, sans carbs. The ant is back. I was close to killing it as I felt a small pinch between my empty middle and ring fingers. It struggled to regain it's stance after my forceful counterattack; it managed. A middle aged (gray) bearded man walks along the shore. He may be here so as to relax, lower his anger and blood pressure, per the rather demanding requests of his commanding yet respected wife; he may be divorced. 

        The sun seems to be going down. The father of the Latino family joins them, and this inexistent time which I had been amongst, is running out. I smell cigarette smoke. Time is almost over. I get up, I leave. I never killed the ant. 

You Know Sometimes Words Have Two Meanings

This Outsider Artist Stopped Speaking As A Child, Communicates Solely Through Her Work
By: Priscilla Frank
Source: Huffington Post
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/6097468

  Susan Te Kahurangi King has not spoken since the age of four. Rather, she has expressed herself through her art. Born in 1951, she is currently about fifty-three years of age, forty-nine of those years spent in complete silence. She did not robotically end her speech the moment of reaching age four, but rather gradually between the ages of four to six. Her artwork is a result of pen, graphite, pencil, crayon, and ink upon paper, amongst which she manages to express all that can so easily be said, through such methods so as to counteract the ease with which expression is allowed in the present day. Her artwork is a rather incoherent mass of cartoon characters/objects, aimless creations, disjointed body parts placed in peculiar angles and locations. Her work, titled "Drawings from Many Worlds",  is being shown at the Andrew Edlin Gallery in  New York, serving one of the first roles of presenting her art in the US. King has grown up amongst twelve siblings, all of which have strongly supported her uniquely peculiar and refreshingly "extreme" form of self expression, stating how it no longer seems unusual to them. Adding onto her silence and subjective expressions, King took a pause in creating her artwork, one lasting until 2008, when she began again, all "without explanation" (Frank, 1). Her artwork is depicted as "maps of a place that's not in our head at the moment" (Frank, 1) by a family member, while Lyle Rexer states that the power of "outsider art" as reference to King, "lies not in it's ability to image some preexisting reality but to bring things into being" (Frank, 1). Her vague silence leaves the meanings (if any) behind her works somewhat impossible to fully perceive; yet observers of her art, as well as members of her family manage to express King's great sense of awareness and strong uniqueness/differentiation when comparing her art with that which currently exists.
     It is true that amongst a monotonous conforming mass of humanity, all strive as if it is their dying wish, to be different. Yet it is somewhat unarguable to claim that within this humanity, things exist which can be changed, yet quite rarely are, as they are deemed to be natural and time supported. And King herself has managed to break through such a barrier, managing to keep composure through expression amongst silence. It is possible that expression can come easily to humanity, yet what can be not always is. And what King has managed to do is a pleasant perception of all that a person is able to do, which is  rarely thought about, as it is rarely seen and done. One can, quite possibly, see in her art more than that which could be heard through the deceptive nature  of a word.

2035

          It is somewhat impossible to predict the future of any one occurrence or institution within the barriers of a universe, as even the present existence is questionable. Therefore, when facing a task to anticipate the high school of the future generation (in the next twenty years), it is only natural for me, believing what I believe, to present several possibilities, stressing significance on the fact that I do not believe any of these to be more than possibilities.

          Let us take the more obvious route at the moment, for now. It is no mystery to us that the advancement of technology has skyrocketed and is gradually succeeding in taking over our society, and somewhat indirectly, the natural world; therefore, it is only fitting to presume that in the context of the year 2035, high schools will be nothing less, if not more. Books, and I am fairly certain on this, will most likely all be on electronic reading devices, and children of future generations will rarely be able to experience the pleasure of attaining a book in one's hands, savoring select pages significantly more than others, never quite getting over the distinct smell a book holds within the minuscule strands of material composing its pages. I do believe children will still have the ability to physically attend school and classrooms, yet the possibilities for virtual education will increase and become more widely available. I do not, however, believe twenty years is a long enough time period for drastic change. Therefore, I will leave here the assumption that reading will still take place, along with many of the activities conducted today. However, technology will play a larger role in the education process (similar to what we see now with Smart Boards). I can also stand with the assumption that teachers will still remain, not being replaced with "equally capable" robots ready to "do the job" yet. And with the implication of a broader use of technology along with its simplification of everyday life, the standards of work will essentially decrease, molding a generation of high schoolers lazier than the last, expecting a robot to do for them what they themselves should be doing and as a result experiencing the comfort of self-sufficiency and independence.
          It is also a possibility to depict the future of high school as heading completely in the opposite direction. As with the countless possibilities able to occur within existence, the mentalities and beliefs of individuals are as many, as diverse. And quite ironically, the future of high schools could in fact, be a reflection of beliefs and ideas presented near centuries ago. In the present day, there are many who strongly oppose the current force and restriction placed upon nature and humanity. Such individuals have the ability to influence the school system, therefore making it based more on an individual's actual needs, rather than the forced and corrupt methods used today to shape an individual for a government controlled society. The demands will decrease, as will strict, robotic, and tedious requirements. Emphasis on strongly subjective examinations will drop significantly, eventually along with the need for them at all. Classroom environments will be less rigid, less tense and controlled, as will the teachers and methods used to teach (as neither will be under strict standards). Books will be paper, technology, minimal. And with increased emphasis placed on the individual, class choices will multiply and the requirements for general classes will demolish. I also believe in the possibility that the immense significance placed onto the acceptance and attendance of college/universities will drop, when in the subtle barriers of such a system. Within such eased demands and increased freedom, it is strongly possible that the natural desire for education present in human nature will instinctively come out, as it will no longer be shunned and restricted by force. 

If Silence Had a Voice

'Mind Art' Project Allows Individuals Living With Disabilities To Create Art With Their Brains
By: Katherine Brooks
Source: Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/28/mind-art_n_6038210.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

          Today, within the nation of China lies the world's largest population of disabled individuals, totaling 83 million people. Aside from this, however, "little national support exists" (Brooks, 1). In response to this reality, Chinese artist Jody Xiong, working with Winsor and Newton (the company which provided the paint), undertook what she titled "Mind Art", a project in which sixteen disabled volunteers, as a result of a combination of the mind and science, were able to create art, all, strangely, while remaining physically still. This unthinkable action is possible with a headset (worn by the participants) attached to a certain machine. This machine is able to receive signals from the participants' brains, in turn allowing that energy to pop balloons of paint, resulting in the disabled individuals being the creators of their own abstract art. Xiong was able to take her work all throughout China, managing to reach twenty-two cities, averaging at fifty-thousand visitors a week. Aside from all of this, the created artworks were sold, and $130,000 of the profits were donated to select charities with hopes of increasing the modicum of support towards individuals with disabilities in China.
          The concept of technology has, in a sense, taken a turn, or possibly followed its supposed path of making the lives of people easier, simpler. And it has done exactly that, simplifying everyday life, gradually turning it into a rather mundane world of emotionless robots, working absentmindedly with buttons and wires and levers and switches merely to complete a task quickly with no thought or care, and move on. With technology being applied to life in aspects such as the one mentioned here, it may lead one to realize the rather pleasant ways in which technology can be implemented, adding onto knowledge rather than creating machines to diminish it. Aside from its physical aspect, the work of Xiong has allowed an even larger area of humanity to gain expression, as all of humanity should have the ability to do. It is strange how a human being's mind can be silenced as a result of a physical inability, and relates to a feeling of seemingly "negative" differentiation formed when in society. Xiong has allowed this mind to speak, expressing both the power and ability of the mind, as well as the voice of a seemingly silent individual themselves.

Below are the art, and the artists.