ARTISTS TALKING

# 8 [16 March 2010]

“The ultimate meaning to which all stories refer has two faces: the continuity of life, the inevitability of death.” Italio Calvino

John Harris explores the relationship between these two faces: humour and tragedy.  Humour allows certain accessibility with an audience, as well as taking a crucial position towards the function of the artist and a dialogue to an audience. Tragedy is explored within self-deprecation, romanticising failure and relying on the observer.

“In warrior cultures there is no failure. There is only victory and death.” Dave Hickey

# 7 [2 March 2010]

got back from berlin on saturday, hello real world almost getting run over from looking the opposite direction and saying Danke schon to a shop attendant. haven't even really thought about my practice saw a hell of a lot of art but also saw a hell of alot of shit art. 

got this artist statement i have to write for tuesday i know what i like and what i explore on within my work but a question rose today about being genuine with yourself about the work and the context. does the work have this so called integrity behind it if your bullshitting yourself 

what is important?

to me 

i think at this time all that can be said is

"i like art and everything about it" Matt Moseley 

if only i had a sandwich of this size

# 6 [19 February 2010]

Well done everyone 

# 5 [16 February 2010]

Jokes are funny right.

Does jokes within art create work that is generally accessible, well at least at a primary level constituting to something else to allow the viewer to question the work? Does this then have a crucial position of the relationship between the joke the artist the work and the audience?  What is the function of an artist and the relationship with the audience?

Someone once gave me some advice in which I always remember when I’m feeling a little lost in the mist not really like those gorillas in the mist. However with Sigourney Weaver you could mix aliens with gorillas in the mist I wonder what the synopsis would be like.

Anyway this advice he asked me why make work about anything doesn’t interest you?  I think when I heard this it just made me happy not a platform into further thinking now. This gives insight into what is meant by the role of an artist. Early modernism is really where the role of the artist along with artistic freedom came about

Just to throw in good old Oscar Wilde. Wilde wrote in his essay ‘The Soul of Man Under Socialism,’ published in 1891 in the Pall Mall Gazette.

“A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament. Its beauty comes from the fact that the author is what he is. It has nothing to do with the fact that other people want what they want. Indeed, the moment that an artist takes notice of what other people want, and tries to supply the demand, he ceases to be an artist, and becomes a dull or an amusing craftsman, an honest or a dishonest tradesman. He has no further claim to be considered as an artist.”

The author. What is authorship? Richard Prince said, “Jokes don’t have real authors” I just don’t know I can claim some understanding into what Prince states but not fully. I wonder if something isn’t funny does the relationship between the work and the viewer change?

Do you really want to be an author of an unfunny joke?

# 4 [11 February 2010]

standing in front of that age old sixty dark abyss

Iam a marxist feminist.

talk of the queers and fags

but all i want to know is how to wear my handbag.

# 3 [9 February 2010]

yesterdays work, with sound looping elevator music. 

however i have realised that i have spelt intermission wrong on the vinyl cut out 

oh dear...

# 2 [9 February 2010]

art is not the tool.

theory is the tool.

# 1 [9 February 2010]

Mid point review for second year, Tick that off.  

What the hell is the role of the artist?  What looks like art?

Lisa le Feuvre words keep resonating in my head “art is not easy” could have done some nice pun there with Nottingham and not/nott……. Yeah yeah? As my eyebrows lift up in pure exhaustion, Oh puns aren’t they funny  (This is where I put in some nice word like expatiation and write about language)- Score. This idea of anything being easy is a fictitious ambiguity, which I can only find within the movies. (Yes I am singing alien ant farm in my head) Although a favorite thing of mine is only watching half of Moulin rouge or Forest Gump then the end is always jolly, except if you get the wrong half.  

I do wonder why is this wrong so funny? The Mac Daddy himself John Baldessari just spells out the expectations of wrong in his WRONG photos but also questions what looks like art? If I wanted to bring up this ‘wrong’ and humor created by this Bas Jan Alder’s has a peculiar relationship with the comic and tragedy where this wrong becomes a failure. Bas Jan Alder almost portrays the myth of what an artist sets up to do- become Icarus and fly to close to the sun becoming the tragic hero. 

Or maybe I’m romanticising the failure of the artists.

A real failure doesn’t need an excuse- Lisa le Feuvre