11 August, 2009
Apologies to Painters
I made a statement about painters in a previous blog entry and then I came across a painter that I think I want to work with. It's new abstraction and wonderful...more to come.
Cancel
I have a tendency and some would say a very bad habit of changing my mind at the last minute. I tend to live by my own clock and sometimes I forget that others live by routine. A friend in Lokeren,(Belgium) who is helping me with some upcoming presentations of artist in Antwerp and I had a IM conversation this morning. In it he made a statement..... a rather crude statement that "not all people don't come when they say they will...we keep our appointments". This remark was made in reference to me not attending an event in Lokeren about two weeks ago, well actually a music festival the city has for ten days every year and a meeting that we have planned for the next day with a possible sponsor. My response back was "or those who don't live by the clock...you can miss out on a lot by living by the clock". Bye was his response. I never really feel that one should have to live their life by a schedule. Yes, business be it in the world of art, academics or corporate has to be done on schedules because it's a rigid part of what has to be done to survive (sad but true). In life however , everyday life that's there to enjoy, is it wrong to change your mind so that you enjoy your life? Should those that may feel disappointed really be? Could something better come out of the concept of cancellation when you except it as part of the process of life and not this negative situation?. Nothing about art this time...or maybe it is...or isn't.
07 August, 2009
Some say that knowledge is HA HA HA.
This blog will centre around me leaving the art world behind as artist and quotes from the song Sat in Your Lap, by Kate Bush, 1982 from the Dreaming to express the "why".
"I see the people working and see it working for them. And so I want to join in but then I find it hurts me."
I've made a very hasty decision to let go of personal art practices. This happened when driving to Gent with a friend Rudi who also with his partner runs a small gallery space in Antwerp. There were (again) these questions of why and how come you do what you do. I've had the problem of explaining again and again about the social dynamics I looked for in work, the blah and more blah. If you even explain to people that you really just go with what you feel they still want to know why you felt that way. I just began to feel a ridiculous stigma is added to contemporary art and artist. Does anyone seriously ask Daimen Hurst why he does what he does? Maybe they do...but if he doesn't give an answer do they continue to try to find a meaning? This is the problem, personal problem I have with the whole art/artist thing at the moment. Some of the artificial "deepness" that has to be applied to some work in order for the masses to feel they get it when basically they really don't want to get it.
"Cause when I am unhappy theirs nothing that can move me."
I got into contemporary art through a very strange encounter in Chicago in 1988. I was walking around the trendy Grant Street art district looking at all the galleries and work. Introducing myself to people who could care less about a student walking into their space(s). As I'm leaving the area I pass by what was a very small gallery outside of the district. I walk into this space and see before me what seems to be a few clothes racks and a moving cart. The owner of the space is there (never forget her...red hair in curls and pink polka-dot dress) and I look at her and ask "so are you still preparing for the show?" she then looked at me with a little art arrogance and stated "THIS IS THE SHOW." I quietly turned and walked out this space. Never got the name of the gallery or artist but I did gain a sense of curiosity of what made this art. I went to school the next day (Columbia College Chicago) and asked my art history teacher (it was my first year) what I saw and how this was to be catergoried as art, I was and remained a liberal education major, so I need to know what was going on. My instructor then stated it's called installation work.....but I really wouldn't call it art. By that statement alone I knew that it was. The those who can't teach philosophy was my first thought to that answer. I immediately began to figure out how I can change the scope of work in art, ideas about it and to take on Duchamp (which I failed at miserably).
"Just when I think I'm King....I just begin."
I became very interested in "outside" art practices through researching the Fluxist and Situationist movements which lead to broader studies in early Japanese contemporaries like members of the MONA-Ha and Gutai movements. What struck me and made be begin to understand what I saw in the gallery space was that the idea of making art was too difficult and separate from my own personal existence and everyone elses. i wanted to make things that were familiar and I also want to avoid the enormous cost that come with being an artist by using either found or mundane materials and actions. This lead to several simple....and unfortunately undocumented actions around campus and the City of Chicago...having ten people sit on a ledge and chew gum, raking up a vacant lot on the Southside of Chicago, etc. I got this reputation of being the crazy artist from Detroit who takes on his professors, who ignored instructions on assignments and spent more time sneaking a beer with the seniors instead of going to another boring studio session. But something happens with college is that you graduate and all those ideas have to be taken to the real world....which isn't so real.
"I want to be a lawyer, I want to be a scholar but I really can't be bothered with give me, give me, give me, give me, give me........"
After school I did several things to find my place as an artist, NYC for a couple of months but missed seeing trees and relaxed people, a quick hop to London to find out this isn't the place to come alone at 22 years old and a real understanding of what culture shock was. Came back to Detroit and ran a successful youth outreach program but felt I was not focusing enough on my own work. Working as an associate curator for a gallery in Toronto, which was a very good experience but the funding was cut and back to Detroit where I've did nothing but think about art for the past 15years..with a few odd jobs here and there. The most enjoyable things for me in the art world happened in Belgium, mostly Antwerp. I basically was lucky to have my first interaction with the art scene be with my now good friend Chris Staterling who is a wealth of knowledge and introduced me to a set of artist who works I admire and respect. I was accepted in this group instantly and felt a common bond with work based on the aspect of the artist and not the artist trying to please the public.
Let's jump ahead to Rotterdam spring 09 (say no to Dutch ideology---long live the Flemish..minus the right wing parties) where I became focused on what the art world was becoming..not all of it but most of it. It was becoming it's own little Mafia filled with academics, wanna be friends of artist academics and sorry but YUCK! Painters! This work was never questioned because obviously you knew what you were doing because everyone believed they knew what was happening because you did it from the proper background. Where as avant-garde practices are seen as these crazy ideas around nothing so you better have a good explanation as to "why" you're doing this. I think this question arises because they don't want you to have an answer. They want to be able to say I don't get it and give just cause to why this is not art. Then you give them an answer, maybe a little abstract but an answer and they start to dig for more. I've come too close to telling people to shut up and take it in and find you in the work or not. So before the pot boils over I decided to take a step back.
"The longest journey. Across the desert, across the weather, across the elements, across the water."
So now I've decided to shut everyone up conceptually. Take a needle and tread to the lips of the wannabes and help artist to reclaim what is rightfully theirs..their creative thought.
Welcome to Ideas!
Gent 2009
"I see the people working and see it working for them. And so I want to join in but then I find it hurts me."
I've made a very hasty decision to let go of personal art practices. This happened when driving to Gent with a friend Rudi who also with his partner runs a small gallery space in Antwerp. There were (again) these questions of why and how come you do what you do. I've had the problem of explaining again and again about the social dynamics I looked for in work, the blah and more blah. If you even explain to people that you really just go with what you feel they still want to know why you felt that way. I just began to feel a ridiculous stigma is added to contemporary art and artist. Does anyone seriously ask Daimen Hurst why he does what he does? Maybe they do...but if he doesn't give an answer do they continue to try to find a meaning? This is the problem, personal problem I have with the whole art/artist thing at the moment. Some of the artificial "deepness" that has to be applied to some work in order for the masses to feel they get it when basically they really don't want to get it.
"Cause when I am unhappy theirs nothing that can move me."
I got into contemporary art through a very strange encounter in Chicago in 1988. I was walking around the trendy Grant Street art district looking at all the galleries and work. Introducing myself to people who could care less about a student walking into their space(s). As I'm leaving the area I pass by what was a very small gallery outside of the district. I walk into this space and see before me what seems to be a few clothes racks and a moving cart. The owner of the space is there (never forget her...red hair in curls and pink polka-dot dress) and I look at her and ask "so are you still preparing for the show?" she then looked at me with a little art arrogance and stated "THIS IS THE SHOW." I quietly turned and walked out this space. Never got the name of the gallery or artist but I did gain a sense of curiosity of what made this art. I went to school the next day (Columbia College Chicago) and asked my art history teacher (it was my first year) what I saw and how this was to be catergoried as art, I was and remained a liberal education major, so I need to know what was going on. My instructor then stated it's called installation work.....but I really wouldn't call it art. By that statement alone I knew that it was. The those who can't teach philosophy was my first thought to that answer. I immediately began to figure out how I can change the scope of work in art, ideas about it and to take on Duchamp (which I failed at miserably).
"Just when I think I'm King....I just begin."
I became very interested in "outside" art practices through researching the Fluxist and Situationist movements which lead to broader studies in early Japanese contemporaries like members of the MONA-Ha and Gutai movements. What struck me and made be begin to understand what I saw in the gallery space was that the idea of making art was too difficult and separate from my own personal existence and everyone elses. i wanted to make things that were familiar and I also want to avoid the enormous cost that come with being an artist by using either found or mundane materials and actions. This lead to several simple....and unfortunately undocumented actions around campus and the City of Chicago...having ten people sit on a ledge and chew gum, raking up a vacant lot on the Southside of Chicago, etc. I got this reputation of being the crazy artist from Detroit who takes on his professors, who ignored instructions on assignments and spent more time sneaking a beer with the seniors instead of going to another boring studio session. But something happens with college is that you graduate and all those ideas have to be taken to the real world....which isn't so real.
"I want to be a lawyer, I want to be a scholar but I really can't be bothered with give me, give me, give me, give me, give me........"
After school I did several things to find my place as an artist, NYC for a couple of months but missed seeing trees and relaxed people, a quick hop to London to find out this isn't the place to come alone at 22 years old and a real understanding of what culture shock was. Came back to Detroit and ran a successful youth outreach program but felt I was not focusing enough on my own work. Working as an associate curator for a gallery in Toronto, which was a very good experience but the funding was cut and back to Detroit where I've did nothing but think about art for the past 15years..with a few odd jobs here and there. The most enjoyable things for me in the art world happened in Belgium, mostly Antwerp. I basically was lucky to have my first interaction with the art scene be with my now good friend Chris Staterling who is a wealth of knowledge and introduced me to a set of artist who works I admire and respect. I was accepted in this group instantly and felt a common bond with work based on the aspect of the artist and not the artist trying to please the public.
Let's jump ahead to Rotterdam spring 09 (say no to Dutch ideology---long live the Flemish..minus the right wing parties) where I became focused on what the art world was becoming..not all of it but most of it. It was becoming it's own little Mafia filled with academics, wanna be friends of artist academics and sorry but YUCK! Painters! This work was never questioned because obviously you knew what you were doing because everyone believed they knew what was happening because you did it from the proper background. Where as avant-garde practices are seen as these crazy ideas around nothing so you better have a good explanation as to "why" you're doing this. I think this question arises because they don't want you to have an answer. They want to be able to say I don't get it and give just cause to why this is not art. Then you give them an answer, maybe a little abstract but an answer and they start to dig for more. I've come too close to telling people to shut up and take it in and find you in the work or not. So before the pot boils over I decided to take a step back.
"The longest journey. Across the desert, across the weather, across the elements, across the water."
So now I've decided to shut everyone up conceptually. Take a needle and tread to the lips of the wannabes and help artist to reclaim what is rightfully theirs..their creative thought.
Welcome to Ideas!
Gent 2009
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