Yesterday, Clare and I went to visit the 176 gallery, drawn by the lure of works by Frank Auerbach, Michael Landy, Gavin Turk, Gillian Wearing and Richard Wentworth.
On leaving one of the small upper rooms, I noticed the Turk piece above the door. I was immediately excited, as it was the 1991 piece Cave, probably my favourite of his works. I had never seen it before, and indeed commented that I did not know that it was still in existence. Our eyes were then drawn to the accompanying plaque, at which we noticed an anomaly; the date on the work was 1991, whereas the plaque read 1995. We quickly realised the work was a copy. It appears that in Turk establishing a name for himself through a seemingly unworthy method, he has indeed created a profile enough for his appeal being shown through out of context copies. The piece made no sense in this show, or will in any other position than the original, but proves that any connection made with the artist will be valued by the market, as it is of importance to the public. If this was Turk’s intention I applaud him, but I rather feel that he was conforming to the precedent rather than questioning it. Either why however, it has drawn my opinion, so value should be placed.
On leaving the gallery, we saw Richard Wentworth in the foyer. Had we arrived an hour and a half earlier we could have gone on a walk with him. So is life.
Monday, 25 February 2008
Sunday, 10 February 2008
So long, and thanks for all the fish...
This is really an extended, more coherent version of my previous post entitled 'Familiarity'. All thanks to Hitchhiker's.
When Arthur Dent hitched a lift with Ford Prefect from earth to a spaceship of the Vogon Constructor Fleet in Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, his disappointment was found in the lack of familiar around him; he thought if only something as simple as a box of cornflakes was present, he would have felt safe. The familiar provides us with a sense of security. Existing material is stable, unchanging, it is part of a system that is constantly relied upon not to surprise us. We take comfort in knowing exactly what we are going to get when we open up the packet of cornflakes each morning. The unknowns within life leave us exposed and unsure, and therefore it is only natural that we may try to find something to make our situation equivalent to, so it becomes more manageable.
Fortunately, this has been provided for us. Stories have been told throughout existence to explain the occurrences we experience throughout life. Life is used as a basis for which tales can be extrapolated from, forming a system of reference that runs alongside our everyday existence. This is constantly called upon to justify our lives and establish peace of mind. Due to this, the familiar establishes a position of importance.
The system that runs alongside our own is one that is a heightened version of our existence. This is why we chose to keep familiar with it, and hold it with so much regard. We begin to desire that which is presented all around us, as due to it’s popularity it seemingly becomes worthy. The more familiar something is, the more people that are aware of a certain thing, the more famous it is. The general public pick up on this hierarchy, and become more and more fascinated with allying one’s self with situation or character in an attempt to be raised to this status, and been seen in the same light as the subjects they revere.
The attraction has come from creating the appearance of being at a status that is deemed to be what others desire to see. It is the exterior view that provides the appeal rather than the reason for it. In creating the appearance or name of how they want to be seen, the individual moves themselves up in the apparent hierarchy to a position in which they feel more comfortable and appealing.
The ability to be viewed in a certain manner, one of which has been proved to be acceptable and just by those around provides a great sense of security. Fear comes in breaking out from the system; staying within to a certain extent ensures acceptance and acknowledgement. The lengths that are taken to achieve, then maintain the appearance vary depending on how strongly one desires the effect, and how much they want to distance themselves from the reality. Whether the process is necessary depends on those who surround, the audience for which the familiar role is created.
When Arthur Dent hitched a lift with Ford Prefect from earth to a spaceship of the Vogon Constructor Fleet in Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, his disappointment was found in the lack of familiar around him; he thought if only something as simple as a box of cornflakes was present, he would have felt safe. The familiar provides us with a sense of security. Existing material is stable, unchanging, it is part of a system that is constantly relied upon not to surprise us. We take comfort in knowing exactly what we are going to get when we open up the packet of cornflakes each morning. The unknowns within life leave us exposed and unsure, and therefore it is only natural that we may try to find something to make our situation equivalent to, so it becomes more manageable.
Fortunately, this has been provided for us. Stories have been told throughout existence to explain the occurrences we experience throughout life. Life is used as a basis for which tales can be extrapolated from, forming a system of reference that runs alongside our everyday existence. This is constantly called upon to justify our lives and establish peace of mind. Due to this, the familiar establishes a position of importance.
The system that runs alongside our own is one that is a heightened version of our existence. This is why we chose to keep familiar with it, and hold it with so much regard. We begin to desire that which is presented all around us, as due to it’s popularity it seemingly becomes worthy. The more familiar something is, the more people that are aware of a certain thing, the more famous it is. The general public pick up on this hierarchy, and become more and more fascinated with allying one’s self with situation or character in an attempt to be raised to this status, and been seen in the same light as the subjects they revere.
The attraction has come from creating the appearance of being at a status that is deemed to be what others desire to see. It is the exterior view that provides the appeal rather than the reason for it. In creating the appearance or name of how they want to be seen, the individual moves themselves up in the apparent hierarchy to a position in which they feel more comfortable and appealing.
The ability to be viewed in a certain manner, one of which has been proved to be acceptable and just by those around provides a great sense of security. Fear comes in breaking out from the system; staying within to a certain extent ensures acceptance and acknowledgement. The lengths that are taken to achieve, then maintain the appearance vary depending on how strongly one desires the effect, and how much they want to distance themselves from the reality. Whether the process is necessary depends on those who surround, the audience for which the familiar role is created.
Louise Bourgeois
On the 13th of December I went to the Louise Bourgeois exhibition at Tate Modern. First thoughts, - seems very self indulgent, merely a visual representation of thought and experience without question; purely visual narrative. In viewing the works together, we are seeing the visual thought over a lifetime, the exhibition is indeed a visual map of a life. She is putting herself on show in the most blatant of manners.
I think now of modern day celebrity, or the unworthy celebrity, people attempting to get their lives into the papers, to become read about and become well known, but without any significant achievement to justify it. As a viewer, we may be interested for idle gossip purposes, but do not take it seriously. When then, when Bourgeois displays herself through the seemingly higher medium of art do we offer her respect and award greatness? Is her achievement the skill in which she displays herself? The crafting of the objects she has made?
As a viewer coming to this show, I think the real questioning lies here, why are we so eager to know about an artist, or life, with whom we have no connection to? But then that is the current culture, we desire to know about what goes on in the lives of others as we wish to be involved, we do not want to be seen to be missing out on anything.
Louise Bourgeois. A high class Heat magazine
I think now of modern day celebrity, or the unworthy celebrity, people attempting to get their lives into the papers, to become read about and become well known, but without any significant achievement to justify it. As a viewer, we may be interested for idle gossip purposes, but do not take it seriously. When then, when Bourgeois displays herself through the seemingly higher medium of art do we offer her respect and award greatness? Is her achievement the skill in which she displays herself? The crafting of the objects she has made?
As a viewer coming to this show, I think the real questioning lies here, why are we so eager to know about an artist, or life, with whom we have no connection to? But then that is the current culture, we desire to know about what goes on in the lives of others as we wish to be involved, we do not want to be seen to be missing out on anything.
Louise Bourgeois. A high class Heat magazine
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