I have been wondered what young girl means in the art world, what being infantile, girlhood means in the artwork. More detail, I was wondering what young girl's position as an identity in the art world. I looked into two books - Beautiful fighting girl, Girlhood and the Plastic image. The reason for reading beautiful fighting girl is I am interested in Japanese magical girl anime. Somehow it influences me recently on how to approach the embodiment of prolonged adolescence. As the one who researches this idea, I had to think of my identity as an artist.
So, generally speaking, a 'girl' is the most powerful icon that evokes the commodity of many commercials - people use girlification to reinforce and fix a young girl's unstable identity- it can be altered, changed, variable, like a plastic. Is a really young girl instable? I don't know. I am the one fluctuating, but, I guess being a girl is not the main factor of doing up and down. It is just my character. My father does the same. But still, I kind of agree that girls are expected to be in an 'unfinished process of personal development.' (Warren-crow, 2014), especially in digital media. Due to proliferating commercials and digital platforms that use the girly images to promote them, girls are more and more thought to be -- infantile, pretty, vulnerable, delicate.
infantile, pretty, vulnerable, delicate.
French Artist Pierre Huyghe bought the copyright of Anlee in attempt to experience how the girl image would be created by other artists. Anlee is the main character of No Ghost Just a Shell. She's mainly understood by the long-standing feminisation and brutal infantilisation of girl-products. For the process, he allowed the artists to use Anlee's image and to change media, form, everything freely. This idea stemmed from the understanding of girl's plastic (variable) identity as a state of potentiality. As a result, the project performed girlishness through more than 25 different individual works. As if a digital image can be modified and transformed by one click, the girl image has been created in various ways. Here we can see Manovich's principle of variability embraces girlishness as the formal condition of digital identity. (Warren-crow, 2014) In other words, the participating artists embodied Anlee's girliness in individual polymorphous artworks. I think the experience is quite interesting, but, the results were actually anticipated. I wonder why Anlee: the shared image should be a girl. And here is the answer: Anlee's girlish figure was used to connect girl, media, commodification.
Ann Lee in ANZEN ZONE , DOMINIQUE GONZALEZ-FOERSTER, 2001
Annlee, Mircea Cantor, I Am Still Alive, 2004
Interestingly, Huyghe denied that Anlee is a she. Anlee is an image, a product. This statement conceals the complexity of the rhetorical mechanisms that girl both images and products. Although he refused the girliness of Anlee, No Ghost Just a Shell asserts the girl products should be loved. Through loved, they can be changed. And through alteration, they can be emancipated. This may be how society treats girl. Thus, Anlee's girliness represents a digital image that should be networked.
It is bad to understand how girl image is used in contemporary society. What I anticipated from the book was some explanations and examples of kitschy girly imagery in which I am interested. But the contents were full of misogyny. I don't like the way artists, commercial treat girliness. Still, I think the media is trying their best to fix the general concept of girl (virginity, instability).
Ojamajo Doremi, 1999
Motivation: The sustained affection of Magical girl anime and Japanese culture
My painting practice could include the idea of Kidult. It is an emerging term that describes an adult who participates in childlike activities or youth culture such as collecting anime figures, doing costume play. The magical girl genre was not intriguing to me until I began MA. However, when I stopped make-up and dress-up for the feminism movement a few years ago, the colours I used to put on my face- pink, coral, red- have been gradually and slowly appealing to me. I have enjoyed making those colours on canvas Since I started MA. I guess this inner desire to make up my appearance has moved to feel fascinated by prettiness and girliness. I assume that is the reason for feeling happy and exciting when I see the 90's magical girls. Because they look so adorable but also strong and cool. Or my hidden attachment of Japanese culture might have been disclosed by the movement.
The cultural background of romanticisation the Japanese culture
Since the Korean government opened Japanese culture from late '90s, a large number of Korean teenagers grew up watching Japanese animations, and the children naturally became familiar with Japanese culture. I was one of them. For those in their twenties and thirties, the animations they watched as a child has become a fantasy that lingers in their mind. I sometimes watch Japanese anime and J-dramas, which is my hobby that I have continued since I was a secondary school student. I can actually meet the imagined world which is romanticised, so I went to Japan several times. However, I don't want to go back to my childhood, nor do I miss my childhood. I simply like the fancy feel of the female characters' clothing, accessories, and weapons. In fact, I was more interested in Shōnen(boy) manga- alchemy, powerful magician, agile Ninja, or something that I saw in anime and RPG games. In other words, I am interested in decorative elements-sparkly and simply pretty things- this is not because I miss my childhood. Regardless of the fact that I draw similar things to my drawing which was made 10 to 15 years ago, it's interesting that I am just obssessed with the visual elements of the girl characters. Therefore, I feel like I am not that 'mature', still thinking that I am not a quite adult.
What does Prolonged Adolescence mean to me?
Generally speaking, adolescence is a time when secondary sex characteristic appears and enters a period of rebellion, which is understood regarding mental and physical aspects. For me, the concept of prolonged adolescence is similar to emerging adulthood. So, I see this period can be explained by 'semi-dependency' and 'Instability' that we have less independency than normal adulthood and more freedom than puberty. So basically it is an in-between time that we can achieve and organise our pathway. It is a meaningful time to enrich life experiences and to get more stimulation and challenges as well. Also, I consider people in this stage can discover who they are more deeply and widely. This is a time when I try whatever and would be less restricted because of semi-dependency. Since its bridging character between adulthood and teenagehood, it can be characterized by multiple transformations. People who experience this stage can produce various imaginations as well.
I believe the innocence, genuineness, possibility, and rising energy of inside as the one who goes through Prolonged adolescence.
Connection to Baroque style
Fluid form, which was constantly found in my painting practice, was also seen in the Baroque style. The similar figures also appeared in the wands used by the main character in <Nurse Angel Ririka>. In terms of releasing energy and showing dynamic, referring to Baroque style decor and architecture would be great. I assume the author of Japanese manga <Wedding Peach> was motivated by antique armour style when designing warrior armour at a certain degree. The glitzy spirals with finishing in gold leaf, the importance of the decoration, the vigorous plant forms make this console a furnishing component of charm and personality. Ecstasy of saint Teresa is also a good reference. The sophisticated description of clothing is great evidence of baroque art, which shows tension, richness, and exuberance.
Conclusion
In this post, I have shortly seen the concept, character of prolonged adolescence, why it is appealing to me. Also the cultural background of romanticising the Japanese culture and how it is linked to the Baroque style. I see prolonged adolescence is a great time to explore self-identity by challenging, shifting, being stimulated, being excited about the opportunities. Because I guess I am going through it right now and I am. Also in terms of the in-between time period, childlike innocence and sustained affection are kind of related to emerging adulthood. Since my romanticised cultural world has been built while developing my identity. Also, these things have been lingering in my mind and it still influences me in many aspects of my life as well as when making artwork. In next post I will look into related artist and will judge.
