KUKULI VELARDE
ALWAYS BE KNOLLING
COLOR.
ALWAYS BE KNOLLING
COLOR.
Hello All,
Here are the readings for Week 2.
The above videos are required viewing. What function do interview style / biographical videos serve for the individual artists / viewer? When you view an "Art21" can you imagine it as vehicle for formulating your artist statement or thesis? Click the comments link below to publish your responses. It
may be helpful to write your response in a format such as text-edit,
check for errors and then copy and paste to the blog. Please remember to
post your real name at the top of your response. Responses are Due by
Wed., 9/11/13 at midnight.Warm regards,
Terri
Week 2 - By and About Artists ::
1. Jack Thompson: The Well of Myth, Glen R. Brown, galley draft for Ceramics Art & Perception, 2008.
2. Julie Mehretu, Sheets, NYT, 2007.
3. Sketchbooks, Jed Perl, The New Republic, 2010
4. Poetic Theaters, Romantic Fevers, Holland Cotter, New York Times, 2007.
5. The Philosophy of Art; Interview with Arthur C. Danto, Natasha Degen, The Nation, 2005.
6. Studioscopic Episode 7: Kukuli Velarde
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FchHb7qaXC0
Click here for more info about Kukuli.
Optional additional readings / video on the topic:
The Solipsism of an Inverted Cartography, Michael Macfeat, 2011.
I Dream the Clothing Electric: Nick Cave, Finkel, NYT, 2009.
A review of Cave's Fabric Workshop Exhibition in Title Magazine
(Title was founded by Philadelphia artists, curators, and arts-professionals. They do not accept advertising.)
Heesung Lee - Interview, Dana Sunshine, TheArtBiz.com.
Gathered, Not Made: ABrief History of Appropriative Writing, Raphael Rubenstein, The American Poetry Review, 1999
Merce Cunnigham: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/08/01/arts/dance/20090803-merce-graphic.html
Elizabeth Murray, 66, Artist of Vivid Forms, Dies, Roberta Smith, New York Times, 2007.
LOVE LETTER TO PLYWOOD
Matthew Ritchie - Games of Chance and Skill
Leah Koontz
ReplyDeleteJack Thompson:
I like the idea that Thompson was destined to be an artist making specific work about mythology, his background knowledge on the subject definately makes his work stronger. Throughout the article I almost feel as though he is not an artist rather a mythology enthusiast experimenting with art. It takes me some time to adjust to the idea that he is infact a full fledged artist. When I think about why I was reading the article this way I realize it is because of the way the author has written it. He spends the first page giving us a detailed account of Thompson’s history and when he introduces the idea that Thompson decided to devote his life to art, it was with a sense of surprise. This only bothers me because it seems to insinuate that most artists do not have a deeply researched concept behind their work. Thompson has mastered skill as well as research, which most artists also strive to do in order to produce a good series of work.
A bit about Sketchbooks:
Now that I have read “Sketchbooks” I see that Perl has similar frustrations and this underestimating the artist stuff has been going on for a long time. I particularly enjoyed hearing about “the enthusiastic clash of ideas that takes place in the artists club”. We might not all agree.. but we have a lot to say.
Julie Mehretu:
ReplyDeleteHearing Mehretu speak about her experiences and her city was fantastic. Gentrification is a hot topic these days and I think it is important that we all participate in the conversation. Mehretu's specific interest in architecture provides a fascinating entrance point. Clearly she has seen her city evolve. I was particularly taken with her statement about the Beaux building. Unfortunately artists often lead gentrification without fully understanding what they are doing. This is a perfect example. A large art building moves in to a lower socioeconomic neighborhood because they don't have any money, this brings other artist’s, art appreciators, businesses, young professionals, etc into the area. This would not be a problem if more responsibility was taken. Perhaps it could be a good thing. The first issue is that leaders do not seem to understand that they are using their neighbors poverty for their own gain and trying to create a community for two segregated populations instead of a nice integrated community where everyone gets along. Many of these neighborhoods need change but it can not be passive. America does have a history of white washing. It simply is not okay for privileged artists who are most likely choosing a life of lower means to come in and take over someone else space. It is disturbingly similar to Europeans coming into America and taking over Native American’s space. I think Mehretu is doing a great job of engaging the community by creating a workshop for young artists, this is a nice way to be involved in positive change. If the Beaux (or many spaces in Fishtown, Northern Liberties, etc.) could take a lesson from her city’s across the country would be in much better shape. Instead of a restaurant moving into a low income neighborhood with outrageously expensive prices to provide for the higher mean’s youth who have recently moved in, maybe the prices could be cheaper. Or they could offer a nutrition class, start a community garden etc. An art space could offer free classes to keep the children off the street and engage the community, and start a conversation. Artists could actually make friends with their neighbors. Their are countless things which could be done and be productive. Small things can really make a difference. It is important that we notice the differences we have from one another, respect them, and use our commonalities to get along and communicate. Like Mehretu say’s we should come to America, RETAIN our differences and work together in the Global Arena. I love that she is holding her audience accountable. She expects us to think and own up to our part in this mess. I think more art, especially more public art should have this attitude. As artists we have a lot of power, and we have the ability to contribute positively. I loved Mehretu's interview and the poetic way she described her work. Particularly the bit erasing and redrawing. I was slightly disappointed when I saw her artwork. The aesthetic did not match up to her concept in my opinion. Maybe it wasn't really my style.
The Nation:
ReplyDeleteThis article forced me to think more about the contemporary artist. I loved the things that Danto said about the history of art and art today. Artists are in an interesting position where they are expected to talk about “crucial” topics, and often this is why people do shy away from it. This can be difficult to understand and difficult to face. Many people feel like they are being tricked with contemporary art, especially outside of the art community. This is why Danto himself says he does not like Duchamp. Art that get’s my brain going is my favorite kind of art, sometimes this even manifests into a story and the work itself exists in a concept aesthetics and objects become obsolete. The problem with this is that if the work is not very particular and does not end up resonating with many people then it can not be a success. This is very hard to do. This leads me to the conclusion that art for the most part has to have a combination of both formal aesthetic qualities and a heavy conceptual backing. It is like what DiDi said in class. Artists today do not learn the skills, they focus too much on the idea. I struggle with this in my own work. I do not want to say art has to have nice aesthetics, however you have to draw people in, and have some way of making people care. A lot of the time I have to ask myself if someone else made this, would I care? If the answer is no, I have to decide how I can get the audience engaged- one way of doing this is with nice formal aesthetic qualities.
Response #2
ReplyDeleteStephanie Potter
"The beautiful thing about pluralism is that there is no one way of doing anything. I subscribe to an aesthetic of meanings rather than an aesthetic of forms. My interest is in finding the meanings and explaining how they are embodied in works of art."
-Danto
Pluralism: I love it! I love it as a release of ownership and perimeters.
As much as I think it imperative to write about ones own work and the work of others, pluralism offers the viewer freedom from the author. And the author freedom from the genre.
It is beautiful, rhizomatic world.
The practice of composing statements is, I believe, most important for the writer themselves. A practice in sensitivity and dot-connecting. Moments of meditation: an important thing for progression in ones own work. After this practice, I would say: I like the conversation crossing over disciplines. I believe this is implied in pluralism. My best critics have been film makers, novices with taste buds, carnivores, and sex workers.
Now, now, now--more than ever--everything is important, everything is kitsch, everything is commodity. This is wonderful. In my mind this means nothing is precious, nothing is taboo, and so I can go anywhere. ...My browser history can prove this.
I am currently listening to Gibson's Pattern Recognition, and re-reading Ballard's Crash, both of these stories discuss a certain type of obsession with ones own way of seeing. Both festering odysseys to decipher the world through their respective muses. Vaughn's psychotic commitment to his own metallic sexuality and Cayce's fluency within the trending oracle both parallel what can happen when an artist discovers their purpose. Everything becomes seen through that filter.
(Similar things can be said about Bataille's Simone.)
This is why writing is so important. It helps us discover our lens. It helps us negotiate and devour the pluralist landscape into our own vocabulary. In other words: "finding the meanings and explaining how they are embodied...", even if only to ourselves.
When watching an Art 21, a documentary about artist or a similar program or reading and interview/biography, I have mixed feelings about such endeavors.
DeleteOn the one side, videos and documentaries offer an insight into the lives of the artist and can show viewers’ more of the artists’ process and the artists themselves can talk about what they are making; which I find more refreshing than reading a review about an artist work or life.
Visually (for me) the Tom Sachs videos are breathtaking, in the sense that the not only tell you about Tom Sachs studio, or the colors they use (of which they are VERY serious about), but they are also visually engaging.
Additionally, the short clip about Kukuli Velarde, combined her speaking about her work with the visuals overlapping it was quite lovely. Her work, combined with her accent made it an experience for me. If I had read an article about her, I don’t think I would have gotten the same feeling that I would have about her art if I didn’t hear her gorgeous accent paired with the bizarre sculptures and paintings.
One of my most favorite artist documentaries that run in interview style would have to be ‘The Woodman’s’. Each of the Woodman’s’: Francesca, George, Charles and Betty all speak about there work so well, because it’s there own.
However, when reading an artist’s biography, statement, or something of the like, it’s usually harder (for me) to understand why/what/how they do what they do; without a visual to back it up.
In reading the Danto article, I was delighted when I got to the end of it and the interviewer asked, Finally, what artists or artworks do you love? And his answer was something I wasn’t expecting. I always thought Danto was an overly critical writer, but after reading the line that says, I can't say I love Jeff Koons's work--but I think it's important. I though that was a very intelligent thing to say. We are so quick to say ‘ I hate that art or artist’, but maybe we should take a look and say we might not like the artwork, but it is still important and you should appreciate that person for making that work of art (no matter how bad you think it is or how much you dislike the person). It is still important in the grand scheme of the art world.
Overall, I think watching such shows, documentaries and reading various things on what you’re interested in can help formulate an artist statement/thesis. Anything I can use to help me further my thinking about my statement or work, I’ll read, even if it’s Dr. Seuss (which it doesn’t and I haven’t red Dr. Seuss in a long ass time). I’ve incorporated things I’ve picked up from horror movies, Stephen King and Sam Raimi….things to inspire you, your work and yourself are all around you.
Reading, writing, watching. all are IMPORTANT to you to understand yourself better and your work better. And if your not willing to read, your not going to grow and understand yourself as a person.
ReplyDeleteAlex Kanzer
About video interviews, I find the most interesting aspect to be the space in which we all exist now. Before, the artist had a choice of two spaces, here or there. Are you here or are you there? Written word was the only bridge that could bridge the gap. I am not here, but my thoughts are with you right now. The telegraph begat the phone, the phonograph begat the speaker, the pen begat the typewriter and the typewriter begat the 13" MacBook Pro. The capitalist god looked down upon us lowly creatures and created light, and there it was, in the heavenly form of a rectangle, constantly present. As a result of this we have the choice of a tertiary space; neither here nor there, rather, simultaneously here or there, not that I even need to explain that. The simultaneous is not new, it existed with the first telegraph, the first television screen and essentially we live it. However what we have to our disposal here and now is incomparable in terms of size and speed. It's artistic omnipresence. The interview is not limited to the interview and the. audience. The interview is being watched everywhere, plucked from the land of neither here nor there. It's important, it gives us as artists another avenue for presenting ourselves; our art. In a way, the interview/the video, exceeds what a written statement can accomplish. Or maybe it's just current tech as a whole that exceeds, with written statements included. Never have we as artists been so accessible, to our audiences and to each other and it's all on our terms. There is something great and so human about being able to look the artist in the face, talk about their work, with their work. The virtual studio visit is unrivaled to the physical one because millions of people can go on the tour and you only have to get dressed once. That's what I think videos do though, they open up the conversation to millions of people about your work in a way that is captivating. If anything, anything says how much video can captivate us and draw people into your work, I used to not like Tom Sachs' work for shallow reasons on my part, yet I just spent 3+ hours watching all his videos. (Sidenote, the one thing I loved about Danto's interview is how he approaches loving/hating art. He appreciates the difference importance and personal opinion. I think that takes time to understand with many people.) All of them. Maybe our attention spans have grown shorter, I don't know. All I know is that many of us are always connected to something and video seems so fitting in that gap. The space where people playing candy crush could be watching an interview or video about your art. I'm thinking about people rolling clay with Keith while waiting for a train. After all, I would have never known about him without that video, or possibly even cared.
The format too of an interview I have always thought was nice because it compresses the conversation to insightful little nuggets and takes pressure off of the artist to tell the entirety of what they do, who they are and why they're doing x y and z.
Also I had never seen Heeseung's work before and now I feel bad.
Yvonne Clark
ReplyDeleteJack Thomason
When I first read this article I pictures colorful figurines that people used to collect in the 70's or something. I found this article really dry in some areas, but also interesting in some. If I didn't read anything about his esthetic I would have just figured he liked to make weird monsters but after finding this quote I really understand and appreciate his art.
"Ensconced within the stuff of myth lies powerful evidence that humanity possess a common psychological core & therefor a basis for deeply meaningful communication, despite the bewildering disparities that exist on the surface between cultures."
Industrial Strength in the Motor City
I really enjoyed reading this article. I feel Rivera has the same ideas that I have that I just never worked out in my mind. I really like her passion for her city and wanting to see a change for it, and the people in it. However, when I seen her artwork, it wasn't what I thought it'd be. But I still encouraged by her quotes.
"It's looking back at who you are as individual. You're not just this person who's from your own specific experience, but the collective experience of what makes you who you are because of time."
"We come to America and loose our ethnic identities to become Americans."
I think overall this topic is becoming very important and it's time for people to pay attention and solve this issue. And always say that are in music is a great way to get the ball rolling.
Sketchbook's
Three about sketchbook because I find it interesting that people still do critiqued after school. I see it in that real life with musicians and dancers but that's only because that's when I'm around most of the time. But it's refreshing to know that people gathered together and make groups and critique each other and refreshing ways. I think it will be a good Idea to start a group like this in my neighborhood so that I can have a good solid art critique backing once I'm at school.
Yvonne Clark continued
ReplyDeleteVideos
I found the videos to be very interesting. I really enjoyed the first video about Kukulivelarde. I think visually seeing her work while she talks about her work is very helpful in understanding her aesthetic. It was very beautiful the way everything was captured in the video. I love seeing her next to her work to get a little bit of a size reference instead of getting numbers saying how big the pieces are. Out of all the videos this one is my favorite only because I was able to get a fuller understanding of the artist and what she did. I even got a chance to see what her neighborhood looks like at the time, what her husband looks like and I feel as though after years have gone by people can reference this video and get a understanding of who she was and how she worked as an artist.
To be honest 10 bullets and Color was entertaining but at the same time I thought it was a joke. I wasn't sure that's how to actually ran the studio. In 10 bullets they had to walk a certain way around the studio and that was kind of a joke to me. And even the colors that they have to use has to be this specific brand I thought it was interesting but again to jokey.
The interview style would be the most appealing to me as a viewer. It helped me build an idea on how to at least get the framework to get my thesis together. Because I have a lot of different things in my head, I feel like this styling of interview would be strong to help pull out information from me and make me think about a core idea. Whereas 10 bullets and Color was just entertaining and reminded me of the ceramics video throwing with Keith. It seems more like a commercial.
Overall I think that reading about other artists is very helpful and informative and it helps me to think of new and fresh ideas. When it comes to writing it's really hard for me to flush out any ideas onto paper. I feel as though it would help a lot of people but because my reading comprehension levels has always been low and not something I particularly work on it's easier for me to express myself in videos or interview style. This way I don't have to worry about the proper framework or how certain sentences needs to be structured I can just focus on what I want to say and just let it flow. Honestly I don't like reading at all because it's hard for me to understand when people speak abstractly. If I can relate to it, like the writing about Detroit, I'm more intrigued about what you're going to say so it's easier to hold my attention. So I guess I'm trying to say is reading is great writing not so great, at least for me.
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ReplyDeleteMaeve Griffin
ReplyDeleteKukuli Velarde
The interview with Kukuli Velarde was interesting for me in how she talked about her relationship to painting. I thought that it was interesting that starting painting at a really young age affected her relashionship to that medium of work (ie it became very much about her family and sense of self).
Kukuli Velarde’s understanding of her background (in a both micro and macro sense) and how it relates to her work and how her work ends up being both personal and relatable is really amazing. Also getting to see her work as she talked about it really made the interview so much more interesting and engaging.
Arthur C. Danto
I found the interview with Arthur C. Danto lovely and informative. He really seems like the sort of guy who would be really fun to visit a gallery with. His ideas on pluralism in art and all different ideas being relevant and valid is really neat. His positivity while viewing the intense quagmire that is contemporary art is a nice counterpoint to lots of negative “it’s the end of civilization and culture as we know it AAAAAAGGGH” attitudes.
Maeve Griffin
ReplyDeleteKukuli Velarde
The interview with Kukuli Velarde was interesting for me in how she talked about her relationship to painting. I thought that it was interesting that starting painting at a really young age affected her relashionship to that medium of work (ie it became very much about her family and sense of self).
Kukuli Velarde’s understanding of her background (in a both micro and macro sense) and how it relates to her work and how her work ends up being both personal and relatable is really amazing. Also getting to see her work as she talked about it really made the interview so much more interesting and engaging.
Arthur C. Danto
I found the interview with Arthur C. Danto lovely and informative. He really seems like the sort of guy who would be really fun to visit a gallery with. His ideas on pluralism in art and all different ideas being relevant and valid is really neat. His positivity while viewing the intense quagmire that is contemporary art is a nice counterpoint to lots of negative “it’s the end of civilization and culture as we know it AAAAAAGGGH” attitudes.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteiPad problems.
DeleteClaire Malécot
September 11, 2013
Week 2
The Art21 series brought contemporary art to my living room. And to my mother. And to my father. I've used it as a tool to explain what I'm doing in art school is not completely crazy, that "we'll-respected artists are doing this shit, too."
Beyond exposure and credibility, the artist interview is the best archive of intention from the mouth of the intender. I like the art 21 series, but it may be "too produced" for me to stay interested anymore. I do appreciate the archiving of artist talks and interviews. Kippy from The Fabric Workshop and Museum invites artists and their families to a retreat in Maine, usually over the summer, which I understand is really an opportunity for the artists to relax and get some downtime. Expenses are covered, and the only requirement of the artist is to give an artist lecture that's taped and archived. A good thing, and I don't have to think about the egos of Marina Abramovic, Robert Wilson, and Lady Gaga posing together in see-through shirts at Watermill Center in Southampton. Look it up and be ready to puke on yourself.
My favorite artist interview is of Felix Gonzales-Torres, and though the name of the interviewer escapes me, it's a written article where the interviewers questions are poignant, but completely conversational. They are obviously acquaintances, if not great friends. Within the interview Gonzales-Torres does not easily answer every question, but instead works through his own understanding of the work or his philosophy on art and life, backtracking a few times and changing his descriptions to come to a more concise language. This seems important.
Arthur Danto's writing and philosophy in lieu of art making is something I'm attracted to, being the post-art-post-modern conceptualist that I apparently am. I think this is common in the post-modern 70s and 80s era of art. To own both art and philosophy, and to become your own philosopher king, forces new questions and keeps us in our forever loops to find something.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe words of other artists are massively important to me. They are often as inspiring to me as the work itself. I still struggle all the time to verbalize my own work and hearing what other artists have to say about themselves is very helpful. I don’t think that “art-speak” comes naturally, at least not to me, and so much of what we say in critique and in presentations is learned by example. With that being said, I really disliked the Tom Sachs videos, though they were visually beautiful. I realize they were satire of corporate orientation videos, but I didn't walk away feeling like I understood his practice or where he's coming from.
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feelings about Art21. I think it does a great thing by bringing contemporary art out of the gallery, but I've never felt very inspired by it. I wouldn't use it as a template or reference for the way I articulate my work. It often seems so produced and packaged that I feel like I'm trapped in the most dull lecture of all time, no matter how attracted I am to the work of the artist speaking. It makes me less apt to believe the artist because it seems very staged. None of the artists I know act like the ones I see on Art21, and I feel like that says everything.
As far as the readings, I enjoyed Arthur Danto’s interview. I’ve had to read his criticism in other classes and it’s interesting to hear his perspective on his own writing, like when he talks about the aesthetic of meanings. I also really liked his question, “Who could actually love Duchamp’s work?” since Danto sometimes comes across as the dry old man critic who never shuts up about the genius of Warhol, and it surprised me to hear him say something negative about Duchamp. It always bothered me that Duchamp is sort of untouchable in art criticism because, let’s be honest with ourselves, a lot of his sculptures are boring as hell to look at.
I also loved the “sketchbooks” article. I find abstract expressionism to be some of the most emotionally charged and overwhelming art ever made. The myth surrounding those artists that claims they were insensitive hulking bros is kind of ridiculous to me, so it was gratifying to read about the Artists’ Club and the writings of those artists. Writing is a big part of my own practice, whether I’m using text in my work or keeping a sketchbook journal, so I identify with their need to put their experience into words. I’m also very interested in artist groups, like Warhol’s Factory, the Artists’ Club, and the collaboration of Rauschenberg, Cage, Johns, and Cunningham. I think that when artists come together like that, for collaborative art or conversation, it yields something much more exciting than the idea of the singular artist.