Wenda Gu Reading Notes

1. -Why the unconventional choices of media?
-What would bring someone to want to use bodily fluids and hair in their work?
-Does he use these things to try and shock and offend the viewer?

2. -Gu is trying to achieve unity through his work, because of this he tries to work in a style that can not be traced to a particular artistic tradition.
-His work is about aspects of the "human experience." I guess his choice of media can go along with that.
-Uses stuff from the body because the body is universal and something that trancends language barriers.
-I pretty much understand why he chooses the materials he does, but I think the used pads/tampons is pretty gross and wierd to me. I don't feel like those should be on display.
-Maybe my issue with his work is that I think that some of the stuff he is using in his work should be more private things and not on display for everyone to see, even though it is universal.
-His United Nations piece and concept is intriguing to me.
-I don't really think all that much about their being salons around the world and people in other countries going to get their hair cut and doing a lot of the same things I do.
-I have some issues with his idea for the "art babies," and don't think that it is right or something he should persue. Humans are not the ones that create life and should not put themselves in a position to do so. Also, I think that it the project idea itself crosses a line that should not be crossed and is impacting potential lives that have no say in the process. I hope he doesn't find women to agree to this, but I have a feeling he will. I get that art is an integral part of life, but don't think that lives should be created for the sake of an art project. While it seems that he is maybe trying to "lift up the experience," I think if anything that cheapens the whole process and takes it out of the context it was created and meant for.

3. -He chooses his media to create universality. The human body is universal and something all humans have some level of familiarity with, so he uses products of the body in his work.
-Once again, it goes back to universality and the body being universal. He uses the body as a way of connecting diverse groups of people through a commonality.
-I didn't get the feeling that he was trying to shock and offend people. He was actually wanting to unite people and use the universality of the body to do so. There are different associations with the different life processes and body products in different cultures and that naturally comes up in his work, but over all, he is trying to unite people of the world through commonality and shared human experiences.

4. -Was he able to get women to agree to his "art babies" idea?
-What does he do with his artwork after it is on display?
-How does he go about asking for donations of body products?