Origins of Trauma Expressed by Four Contemporary Visual Artists

Abstract

Visual artists have a specific aspect of their creative capabilities, the specific aspect is their way in which they can reach out to their audience and spark engagement thus leading to endless possibilities. These capabilities are way for that artist to express their opinions on a topic or issue. Visual Artists who are able to create an environment of engagement with their audience are also to be viewed as an artist engaging in a practice of coping. This way of coping is in regards to different topics such as medical conditions and physical or mental trauma from past or current relationships. Visual artists who are known for sparking this type of conversation use it in a healthy and influential way of coping with such trauma. This paper specifically looks at contemporary visual artists who use their works as this type of coping mechanism. Beginning with an understanding of art as therapy, and then it will continue on to the four contemporary visual artists and how they are connected to the idea of art as a therapeutic practice. The four artists included are Yayoi Kusama, Tracey Emin, Louise Bourgeois, and David Wojnarowicz. Their stories will be told of how they achieved success as artists and how they create their pieces as a therapeutic measure for both themselves and their audience. The paper also addresses how the specific artists being analyzed have had traumatic childhoods. Their specific childhoods are recognized to have had in some way, impacted them in a negative way to become the artist and person that they are or were.