Thousands of art trends are introduced every year and leave a promising impact on society, especially on how we view certain issues. From protests to even politics, the expression of art helps visualize these feelings and thoughts that the public wants to bring attention to.
Various forms of art exist, however they all share the common objective of portraying a message which can potentially affect mindsets and/or actions of the people.
Destinee Ross-Sutton has made a name for herself through her powerful pieces and efforts to establish a platform for Black people to express themselves. Her successful career thus far as a content creator and advocator for amplifying the voices of the black community has left a powerful impact in the art industry.
Sutton’s dedication to promoting Black artists and their artworks has grown immensely through the various projects she’s worked on. These projects being the Ross-Sutton Gallery and Black Artist Collection, enabling Black artists and Sutton herself who founded these organizations to speak on current social and political issues.
Sutton’s actions as both an artist and activist showcases the significance of art and how impactful it can be towards speaking up about existing matters that need a call for action.
“I believe that art plays a significant role in conveying a specific message to the public,” Rayed Jawad, current graphic design student said. “This is often more powerful than just telling a person straightforward what you want to convey.”
Brain Donnelly, otherwise known as KAWS, has exhibited a unique and modern approach within the design world. Donnelly is specifically recognized for his 3-D sculpture model that resembles a skull with crossbones and two X’s for eyes. This figure attracted attention from its public appearances and has now become its own brand. Donnelly has not only exhibited his abilities through 3-D modeling, but also in his 2-D work, paintings and murals.
Donelly’s artworks stray away from the style of the previously mentioned artist, considering he uses different art forms more of which are digital based. This contributes to the subjectiveness that Donnelly’s art displays when viewing his various art pieces.
“Everyone views art from their perspective and has their own emotions, experiences, and thoughts about a specific topic,” Adriana Padilla Duran, president of the art club, said.
Another famous trend that has sparked interest on platforms like TikTok and Instagram is cosplaying or costume play, a form of performing arts. An artist that has taken cosplaying to another level is villian_lady on Instagram, otherwise known as Klaudia, who has gained attention for their realistic resemblance to the character Hisoka in the anime “Hunter x Hunter.” Although well known for their specific costume design of Hisoka, they have cosplayed as various villain characters from animes, video games and even movies.
“They’re really talented. They look like real life Hisoka to be honest,” Merlyn Pothen, future graphic design major said. “It’s amazing how diverse her style is yet all of the characters are accurately represented.”
These influential artists have utilized media platforms to showcase their talent in the art world. Some have also used this as an opportunity to not only spread their artwork, but convey a certain message to the public. Their dedication as creators has contributed to the progression in the art industry, whether that being on a path where we are digitally advancing, socially moving forward to incite change, or to simply express their skill through art.
