As you have been noticing, I have been going through a process of epiphany that coalesced recently upon listening to a series lectures by Alexander Bard over the past couple of weeks. Somehow, he was able to frame our contemporary lives in terms I was able to understand. It has everything to do with a major shift in perception. I encourage you to google him and hear him out if you are so inclined.
Before, like many others, I felt as if I was trying to reconcile a way to merge the old way of doing things with the new way that is currently changing the way we conduct ourselves socially and the way we do business. The “Gate Keepers” are losing power faster than they know how to handle it. Art galleries are struggling to operate in this ‘old way’. So, they’ve devised a new strategy - the art fair. They are everywhere and they court only the wealthiest among us. They are only delaying the inevitable fact that the “Art World” is dying a slow, painful and embarrassing death. Art belongs to all of us and it is not a ‘thing’. Art that statically hangs on a wall or sits on a pedestal is dead. I’m certainly not the first to say or think this, however the evidence now can no longer be ignored or denied. In my opinion, it has no place in the future beyond nostalgia and decor and will not survive. Sure, there will be stragglers and those determined to make the world bend to their will, but they will continue to struggle more and more with each passing year in this outdated mode of thinking. We are still in transition and some of those structures will continue on to become dinosaurs in a new era. Think about how well traditional retailers like Sears and J.C. Penny are fairing.
In one of the lectures I listened to, Mr. Bard used the electronic calculator as an example of how we, as humans have changed. He said when they were first introduced, academic institutions struggled with how to deal with it: How to keep students from ‘cheating’ using these devices that made learning adding, subtracting, multiplying, and division, among other mathematical functions irrelevant. He asserted that from it’s invention onward, math students should have been taught how to ‘do math’ using the calculator- manipulating technology we created as shortcuts. We’ve done it in so many other areas of life. People don’t build cars, robots do. Doctors don’t perform many delicate surgeries- robots do. So, what’s the point in constantly reinventing the wheel? What good is acquiring knowledge if we are not using it to our advantage as a species. Using paint on a support was nothing but a technological advancement of it’s time. They were not meant to be ends unto themselves. When Western painting was developed, artists used a type of tempera paint to apply it to wet plaster. When it dried, it created a long lasting and vibrant image- The Last Supper and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel are probably the most famous examples of this. Next came the advent of canvas supports and oil paints. The canvas was light and mobile unlike a fixed plaster wall. Oil paint was developed as a way to allow artists to continue to manipulate the image on the canvas until the slow drying oil finally set up-a technological advancement. Then there were the better mousetraps- different supports, new paints like acrylic what were invented as a means to make producing art even easier and less toxic. These advancements essentially ended in the 1960’s. Since then, ‘painters’ have come up with innumerable ways to display paint on a support. We’ve been left with a legacy of work that is so detailed it mimics a camera image all the way to a totally blank white canvas with no content at all. The medium has been exhausted. I was forced to ask myself the same question I’ve asked myself before but this time through different eyes: Why am I reinventing the wheel? It’s old and it’s outdated and it’s only important because we were all taught it was. The Controllers of Art have since dictated what is ‘good’ versus what is ‘bad’. When it was discovered profit could be made, opportunists came out of the woodwork and that was the birth of our Art-Industial Complex system. In no other time in History have artists been so severely taken advantage of. These folks do not own our ideas and they can no longer silence the ones they deem unacceptable(unprofitable). The Art Gallery is completely irrelevant now. No artist needs them, and people are tired of being told how they are to value and experience art. We artists can operate with ease through the various social media outlets and are no longer at the mercy of the wealthiest among us thanks to the advents of gofundme and kickstarter. If you are “good” and “relevant”, people will support you according to their interest and ability whether it is by sharing your ideas with others or financial support. This is true Democracy. People are tired of being told how they are to value and experience art.
This brings me to another subject. What is art now? What is it’s function? How do I see where I fit into this new world? The answer is that I will continue to create my own ‘universe’. I will no longer be painting “pictures” or pursuing a “style”. Again, those are old ideas that are simply irrelevant in our new world. “Art”- in all forms is the new relevant “religion.” Successful artists will be those of us who communicate relevant ideas, concepts, and universal truths in an informative and entertaining way. Thanks to new and extraordinary technology, elements from every discipline is at my disposal, and I will have no bounds as to how rich of an experience I can produce for participants. My work will include writing, story telling, fantastic visuals and most importantly will be participatory. My work will be part conceptual, part performance, and part sermon with a visual focus. I will now produce carefully and meticulously planned experiences. I have generally been referring to them as Guided Art Experiences. Also, I will no longer be setting prices for any resulting physical art work. Any of my future events that results in the production of physical work will be collected through democratic auction or donation only. Many of my ‘events’ will have merchandise such as T-Shirts, Prints, etc for sale according to relevancy in order for me to make a living-have adequate housing, food, transportation- life essentials. What should you be expecting from me? You will certainly find me more actively blogging and more fully exploring other social media avenues pertinent to my mission. I will be engaging with all of you much more frequently, and I am excited and I hope you are too. Expect to experience art in a way you probably have never experienced it before. Most importantly, thank you for supporting me and staying with me through this process.
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