Virtual Reading Group: Quality in Art

As a means of opening up the discourse and sharing the dialogue, I thought I'd post the next set of readings that our artist reading group is examining.

Artist Reading Group
Reading #3

How do You spell Q-U-A-L-I-T-Y?

The following readings were selected to help us consider what quality means in the making of art. This means engaging with the idea of the aesthetic, which seems to be inextricably linked to values, which brings us back to the importance of knowing our individual selves as artists.

The pieces about socially engaged art by Kester and Bishop give contrasting views of how quality or value is assessed in one area of art, which differ in how they choose to relate to historical notions of value and meaning in art.

The idea behind all of these selections is to get us to examine and question not only our own values as artists, but to become conscious of our creative intentions on a deeper level.

So a suggested outcome of these readings is not only consideration of the above, but to arrive at the next reading group meeting prepared to talk about how each of us defines success as an artist, not in generic, generalized terms, but in the most honest and individually specific terms we can muster, for our own selves in our practices. The underlying purpose is to help sharpen and focus direction in our creative processes.

Reading Selections:

Tom Robbins, “What Is Art and If We Know What Art Is, What Is Politics?” from Wild Ducks Flying Backward: The Short Writings of Tom Robbins, Bantam 2005.

Brenson, Michael. From Acts of Engagement: writings on art, criticism, and institutions, 1993-2002. 2004, Rowman & Littlefield.
Chapter 2: Experience, Complicity, and Quality
Chapter 5: Art Criticism and the Aesthetic Response

Kester, Grant. From Conversation Pieces: Community & Communication in Modern Art, 2004, UC Press.
Excerpt from Chapter One: The Eyes of the Vulgar

Roche, Jennifer. “Socially Engaged Art, Critics and Discontents: An Interview with Claire Bishop” from http://www.communityarts.net/readingroom/archivefiles/2006/07/socially_engage.php

Active Engagement of Audience

Iraqi artist Wafaa Bilal has locked himself into a studio with live webcams for the month of May.

The public can watch him 24/7 over a live webcam; and if they choose, visitors to his website can shoot him with a remote controlled paintball gun. Log on, shoot at an Iraqi. Bilal’s installation – titled Domestic Tension - disturbingly raises awareness about the life of the Iraqi people and the home confinement they face due to the both the violent and the virtual war they face on a daily basis.

Bilal has become known for provocative interactive video installations. He is interested in transforming the normally passive experience of viewing art into an active participation. His goal is to engage people who may not be willing to engage in political dialogue through conventional means.

More info here.

Cherry Blossoms: Art, Empathy, Civilization

Here's yet another example of socially engaged art that, in contrast to the previous two examples which playfully challenge corporate hegemony, engenders empathy and a sense of tragedy with bravery to call attention to the killing that we as Americans are all complicit in. Click on images for story.

The Yes Men - artists or jack asses?

http://www.theyesmen.org/video/heritagetoast.mp4

http://www.dowethics.com/risk/video/acceptable_risk_launch.mov

http://www.theyesmen.org/politicsprime-small.mp4

their web site is

www.theyesmen.org

These guys impersonate World Trade Organization spokesmen and speak total non-sense at world conferneces and business meetings. They fake their way to those conferences, TV, publish phony press releases, come up with provocative campaigns.

watch the video. listen closely, lol!!

The corporate people are watching these what I consider art performances in their corporate environments and don't have a clue. These guys are some major tricksters. Art can be fun.

They pretend, have fun and come up with silly products but present them simulating typical business behavior and talk. They even create powerpoint presentations and animations to communicate their insane ideas. By assuming business manners they perfectly camouflage and this might show how the business world and politics might be like the Emperor's new clothes. Nobody has a clue or even cares, and everybody just follows the leaders. They managed to infiltrate into corporate environments through creativity and might make you question these environments and instuitutions that are part of our society and allow certain people to have certain identities and roles in society :)

Aren't we all just choosing and assuming a character and a stage to act it out? When we recognize that all titles, institutions, personas, jobs, roles in society we identify with are all just a construct that we might use to avoid looking at the unfiltered truth of who we really are.