1/
A while ago, in a fit of inspiration, I dashed this off on my Twitter feed:
Not decorative, not lyrical, not framed as art.
– My (anti) artist-statement.
This isn’t a statement against artists. No, it’s kind of what I’d like my artist statement to be. Except it’s too simplistic. Though it must be said that there’s a beauty to simplicity and to lack of explanation, to leaving it up to the viewer to come to their own conclusion(s).
But, because I embrace my contradictions, let me explain . . .
I don’t want my photographs to be about the history of art, nor for their meaning (whatever that might be) to be reliant on the viewers’ education. I don’t want their form to supercede their content. I don’t want my work’s “success” to be defined by its acceptance into the white-cube-gallery world that signifies “important” work (and here I initially misspelled important as impotent, yup).
And, yes, I know that meaning of (almost) all Art is available for everyone, no matter what; that you don’t need an education to think and to feel or to be affected by any form of expression.
But I hope you catch my drift here . . . I’m talking about Art (photographs) who’s success (acceptance) relies upon the kind of in-thinking (and in-breeding) that forms the closed loop of so much that is considered valuable these days. And in these Late-Capitalism, neoliberal times value is most often equated to monetary worth and acceptance by rich motherfuckers. Let’s call it: collectability.
2/
I just returned from coffee and discussion with another photographer. He was bemoaning the fact that the art world has changed. (Has it?) The gate keepers of those white-cube spaces are too busy (or something), he said, to even look at, let alone consider the work of (senior) artists. Or at least those artists that don’t mesh with their (the gatekeepers) scheme.
I’m sure there are exceptions to what he said, just as I’m sure there is a certain amount of truth to it. But it seems obvious that the system is skewed. Kind of like it has always been. (Of course, if you are an in-demand artist you’ll probably be thinking the system works just fine, thank you very much.)
What is true, though, is that there is a surfeit of photographers clamouring for the limited sanctified wall space in the power-structures we call art galleries. Getting seen and then chosen by the choosers is very difficult and, seemingly (within certain bounds) kind of arbitrary.
I suggested to my friend that if the people who hold the keys to the galleries, and thus to bluechip acceptance (and sales) won’t consider your work perhaps it’s time to look for ways to circumvent those gate keepers, to redefine success, to find other ways of disseminating the information you call your art.
After all, if the door is blocked, it makes no sense to keep banging on it, thinking (hoping) that this time it will be opened.
3/
Now, I’m not saying that galleries have no place in the art world. What I am saying is that showing in galleries is not, or needn’t be, the be-all and end-all; that in this new age there are so many other options available for the dissemination and monetization of art. The problem seems (to me) to be the lack of imagination artists display when it comes to rethinking their place in the current system.
Perhaps it’s time to devise and implement new strategies and tactics, schemes and alternate means, different definitions of success. If you are compelled to create and communicate it might be time to move past (or around) the art-system as it exists now.
Of course, if the approval of the power brokers that represent the status quo is what you need, if your validation will only come from having your work placed on the white walls of the white cubes, I’m afraid you’re pretty much stuck with playing their game, using their rules. And you will change nothing.
OTTAWA NOTES
FURTHER
In the coming months, here on drool., I’ll be thinking out loud about the ideas expressed in the above paragraphs. Tune in to keep up.
OLIVIA JOHNSTON at CUAG
Opening today (Sunday, September 15th) at the Carleton University Art Gallery.
From the CUAG website:
In this new series of photographic portraits, Olivia Johnston invited peers to pose as Christian saints and Madonnas, as well as other biblical figures. As an artist with a secular upbringing, Johnston has been investigating the influence of Christianity within the visual language of Western art and wider culture. Exploring the collection as CUAG’s fifth artist in the Collection Invitational series, the Ottawa-based artist has selected artworks that depict or reference Madonnas, as well as works that contain symbols or narratives associated with saints that are brought into conversation with her own works.
LAUREN BOUCHER and KAT FULWIDER at EXPOSURE GALLERY
Opening Wednesday, September 18th. 6 to 8 PM.
From the Exposure Gallery website:
Heal represents a pilgrimage back to the self. In a dialogue of expression, Katherine Fulwider and Lauren Boucher utilize the photographic medium as a vehicle for introspection, exposing the active process of healing.
In Fulwider’s project Womb, elements of nature and the female form are brought into union through exploring the disconnection between humans, nature and Spirit. Through her dreamlike cyanotypes, Fulwider highlights the universal need for connection and refuge in growth. In You Are Safe Here, Boucher examines ephemera and how the photographic medium plays into recording impermanence. In her visceral, poetic imagery, Boucher enacts performative release by vocalizing personal prayer and affirmation.
Together, Boucher and Fulwider reclaim voice and access inner truths through connection to both the external world and the intimate self.
