Frankenstein’s M-art-ster
Why does contemporary-modern art have to be so boring and stupid? I was recently at an art gallery with new works and a performance. The performance consisted of two people rolling around the floor. ‘Blink, blink’. I’m a performer. I know what they did. For fifteen minutes they did nothing but a warm-up, movement exercise. I do it all the time with students in a workshop, but I would never have them do that on stage. If we created something from the exercise then it might be interesting. However, the performance and most of the art pieces that evening were nothing but undeveloped exercises - and it was boring. Yet this has been the trend in ‘art’ for some years. Much of modern art is simply an experiment of bits and pieces thrown together in a sloppy fashion: like a poor version of Frankenstein’s monster with the heart, brain, and soul left out.
Imagine going to see the latest Oscar winner for best picture. The lights in the cinema go black and the film begins. Rather than making sense the film looks like a boring workshop on experimental camera work: just scene after scene, cut together without order or thematic connection. Some out of focus. Some upside down. I’m not talking post-modern, non-linear story-telling: this is just a film with experimental scenes - most of them poorly shot. You would be pissed off because the Academy of Film recommended it. In fact they told you it was the best film of the year! Perhaps the Oscar symbol on films would turn you off rather than give you a feeling that you wouldn’t be wasting your money. Now, we can all disagree with the Academy’s choices, but the films they choose are actually good films. This is not true with the ‘art’ chosen by art galleries and museums around the world.
Take for instance the work of the ‘worshiped art-maker’, Tracy Emin. Though some of her work has some interesting elements to it, much of it is rubbish (and some of it is literally garbage). But her work is in all of the top galleries because she knows the money-people and they have declared her work to be worth millions. Yes, millions. artobserved.com/artists/tracey-emin/
In talking to people about Emin’s work they say, “But aren’t people talking about how crap it is? See, people are talking. Isn’t it in the news? Didn’t she sell those works for loads of money?” If that is how we now describe art we are lost. Well, the art world is clearly lost. The thing that gets me is the arrogant pretension that’s driving this whole movement. On one side the collectors and artists say it is art for the common person. The common person can’t figure out if it is art or just a joke. Perhaps the problem is that not enough normal people go to galleries or museums any more.
Wouldn’t it be great if we started a new art action. We get everyone to go to art exhibits and galleries, but WE let them know what is good and what isn’t. Yes, I realize that many people love sweet, stupid paintings over the masters, but the tide has gone completely the other stupid direction. I’m sure we ‘common art lovers’ would have little impact on the art scene, but art is made for people. So go see more art. Look for art that you think is good. AND tell those curators what you think about experimental exercises being passed off as art.
