D.J. Martinez Reading Notes

1. -What is the reason behind his work?
-How do people respond to his work?
-What led him to create this type of work?

2. -He doesn't like being called an artist, he came up with his own job title. Should the name really matter?
-His aim is to "expose insidious concentrations of social, political, and economic power" and he wants people to talk about his work in the hope that it might bring about social change.
-Martinez said, "We are living in a period of extreme crisis. The production of hatred and division is a disease that is killing this country." I think there is some truth in that.
-Maybe having a black president will help heal some of the racism within our country. Although, I think sometimes it's a perpetuating thing, like by calling attention to it and making a big deal about people's race it becomes more prominent and reinforces racism, whereas if it is not made out to be a big deal or attention called to it, its not really given much though.
-That is sad, how people of different races are sometimes seen as outsiders in their own country.
-I think his work at Cornell University sounds interesting, I like the idea of having the people's responses included in the piece. I think it's also interesting how he ended up exposing the racism there. Like it's cool that his work could do that. It shows how powerful art can be.
-He has an interesting way of gauging his success.
-I think if his artwork wasn't so extreme or in-your-face people wouldn't talk so much about it. I think that for the most part there is a desire to make art that is aesthetically pleasing and not too "out there," but maybe that type of art is more effective. If the viewer is offended or shocked, he or she is probably more likely to remember it than if it is just a "pretty" object.

3. -Martinez's work is about power and through his work, he tries to get people to talk about things they otherwise may try not to talk about.
-People tend to respond negatively to his work, but since his work is extreme and tends to offend people it does get them talking about his work.
-I think his race played a large role in him creating this type of work. He is a chicano and the book mentioned about Chicanos like him feeling like outsiders in their own country. I think that is due to the stereotypes and prejudices people have and he picks up on that even though frequently people try to hide it. Then, in his work, he seeks to expose that and band the victims together for the possibility of change. I think his upbringing also played a role in the type of work he creates.

4. -Would he be able to achieve the same success if his work was not so offensive?
-Do the people inviting his to display his work really check his work out prior to inviting him and know what they are in for in doing so?
-Is his work always site-specific?