Aaron Kim

The Emotional Burden of Artmaking

Started Mar. 15, 2022

Abstract or project description

Inspired by Lazlo Maholy-Nagy's Bauhaus concepts on the necessity of art to process emotion, this project will seek to find how artists are taking on the expression of society's emotions or rejecting them. This is a multi-method exploration in which we will investigate the topic through traditional social scientific methods and through artistic practice. First, we will find artists throughout the world who are taking on the expression of society's emotions and seek to understand how their methods, imagery, concepts and practices. Simultaneously we will find artists who are rejecting Maholy-Nagy's emotional approach and see how they are utilizing art and for what means. Utilizing this data, Aaron will create two artworks: one based on the principles of the artists who utilize emotion and another based on the principles of those who reject it. Finally, after philosophical and practical exploration, the research findings will be synthesized into a short research paper summarizing the process and outcomes of the project.