The other night in Seminar, the teacher got on to the few of us that showed up for class that night about how we are not going to art events or experiencing the visual culture of our time. My immediate defence was the fact that I have no time. I have three other studio classes and each one demands a certain amount of attention, most of which has been allocated into one or the other like a pie chart dealing with a budget of some kind. You know, where you take some money from this department to help out that department because it's more important than the one you took the money out of?
My other reason is that my contemporary visual culture is that which is readily available. Internet media, television, pretty much most of mass market consumerism. I'm exposed to it somewhat daily. Hell, I'm using it right now, and it is continuously influencing me in one respect or another. Given what I do as far as art goes, this is no different than going to galleries every time a new show goes up.
At the time, I thought nothing of it. Why should I? After all, my interests may be in art, but they are not that heavily into the contemporary art scene such as everyone elses.
I can also see where this outburst was coming from. Without exposure to the contemporary art scene, you can't be a part of the community and learn from it. You can be influenced by your peers or show a greater appreciation for what they are doing if you don't show up. (And there is a difference between "showing up" and "making face," which I am personally going to demonstrate tomorrow at the opening of a certain someone's graduation show. Just because we had a falling out doesn't mean I don't respect and appreciate the work.) Yes, it is important to see what is going on around you now and not later. There is something about the sense of experience that makes memories solid, more tangible.
A couple of hours ago, I got the same thing told to me as we were entering an art gallery to watch some contemporary video work. I felt like I was in one of the short films I'm fan-subbing at the moment for YouTube simply by what was said. "You should make time to go to art openings."
I should do a lot of things. For example, I should be driving right now. An issue that is pretty damn important now that I'm 24 and still living at home. I also should be on my own in one sense or another. I should be working or studying instead of typing this blog. I should be taking some of these things more seriously.
I should be doing a lot of these things on my own, but when you search for why you are not, you just end up with nothing. I can blame a lot of things. My parents, lack of any kind of encouragement in anything, too many people saying that I have to do things or else I'm not worth talking to, depression, 9-11, etc. But in the end, I got nothing.
As usual.
1 comment:
If you aren't taking responsibility for what you're doing or not doing, then you can't "blame" anyone but yourself. I mean, you can't seriously blame your parents for the fact that you're 24 years old and don't drive.
But forget about "blame" or "fault." Just get out and do the stuff that you know you should be doing. There's an old expression: "Shit, or get off the pot," and I'm concerned that if you don't start shitting soon, you're going to explode.
Go to more art openings. It's important, whether your "art scene" is blogging on the internet (which can only be categorized as fine art if you're using it as fine art) or gallery exhibitions the important thing is the personal interaction with other artists and art viewers. See how other artists are engaging the public with their work, and find parallels to your own art. Or talk to someone about what you find successful or unsuccessful in a body of work. Or simply enjoy the art for what it is. You'll find your working process enhanced one way or another.
The senior show at Watkins tonight will be fun, but is more like a family gathering than a public exhibit. There's a gallery crawl at the Arcade tomorrow night - you should go.
Have you done any more 24 hour video's yet? I thought that was a great step toward some new fun work - keep it up!!
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