One saying, which is doubtlessly true,
is that; The brain is like a sponge. It sucks up and is filled with
whatever surrounds it. With a little self-analysis it is quite
evident that one's thoughts, tastes, and preferences are shaped by
the milieu in which one spends time.
So, we currently have this thing called
contemporary art, which is a label as strange and illogical as
modern, and post-modern art. The good thing about art today is that
artists can deal with all subjects and all techniques, and pretty
much get away with it. Though there are certainly limitations in
most cultures, artists world-wide have at their disposal more diverse
tools, subjects, and arenas than ever before. What I find regrettable
though, is that the label 'contemporary art' seems to impose a
certain number of restrictions upon the art welcome in the
contemporary arena.
One gets the feeling that (regardless
of the very diverse materials and subjects) we have limited the
contemporary epithet to a certain style or expression. I can't really
put it in words, but it is evident to me, as I browse the
contemporary scene (at least in northern Europe), that what I see
looks a certain way. So called contemporary galleries show specific
styles of art. They show painting, sculpture, video, installation,
happenings, events, and all sorts of techniques for sure, but no
matter what kind of art they exhibit, it is kept within a certain
frame of expression, which seems to have remained the same for quite
some years now.
If I take the beginning of this post
into consideration, and include the natural tendency of human beings
to find a sense of belonging, it seems we have ended up with a
self-feeding, self-repeating kind of contemporary art culture, which
is far from as inventive and “post-post-modern” as it would like
to be.
I personally enjoy hoping, that by now,
we have the ability to move beyond fashion and style in the world of
art, to welcome all kinds of contemporary expression under the label
of 'contemporary', or even better, no label at all. The strength of
these times is a broadened acceptance and openness for the great
variety and possibilities of human expression. We are moving beyond
the tribal consciousness of the past, and into a new kind of freedom.
Simultaneously some groups seem to have decided that “contemporary”
looks and is a certain way... and unless you perform your song in
this particular dialect, you are not really a contemporary artist
(according to them), which is no less than saying; you do not fit in
this moment or age.
My question is naturally, how can you
not be a contemporary artist, living now? Surely, if you do not dwell
in the blogs, magazines and exhibitions of late very often, your
brain will not learn (ape) this language, and your artistic
expression will look unfashionable or simply strange to the regulars,
no matter how good an artist you are.
Art should be an expression from the
impression of life, primarily, I believe. Much of the art I see, seem
to be the result of other people's art (rather than life) and that
makes it art-ificial in my opinion.
Looking at my own art, I wonder if
people think of it as contemporary? Perhaps some do, but I suspect
most do not. The question, I think, is a failure in itself. To
understand and communicate with this contemporary time and culture,
we must look at all the ideas, expressions, and styles of all kinds
of artists alive today. All these are the contemporaries. The
contemporary is not a wish to find something which hasn't been
before, or to escape the past. Nor is it a certain style which
appeared a decade or two ago. The contemporary is – or should be –
all the voices rising naturally out of the current climate.
There, for example, I see a man
painting icons exactly like they did centuries ago. He does it now,
because now it is meaningful to him. He isn't imitating the
past because he has failed to recognize the present. He does it as a
direct result of his contemporary culture. The stress and consumerism
of today brought him to it. It is not an escape but a work and a
voice. That is as contemporary as it gets – a natural
expression of current impressions. If he did the same motifs, for the
same reason, but with the dyed seeds of genetically modified corn, or
on the green surface of Las Vegas game tables, he might actually be
welcome, but his deep, genuine commitment, devotion and skill is
hardly taken into account. It simply isn't “contemporary”
enough... by some people's ideas of what contemporary art is supposed
to be, or look like. In that way they limit and choke our breathing. Thus they make sheep
out of lions.
Please, Mr Artworld, whoever you are,
remove these masks behind which you have been hiding for so long. If
that means you can no longer reinvent yourself to a salable concept,
then so be it. It is time you expose your simplicity, and lay bare
your entire rainbow of wonder.
