Thursday, April 16, 2015

Performance Art

So I know we've been studying performance art for weeks, and I'd like to say I have a concrete understanding of performance art, but I don't.  Er, that's not exactly right.  I do.  My problem isn't my level of understanding necessarily, it's a problem with the art community as a whole.  I feel like a hypocrite as an artist to say this but I don't really like the "high art" society.  As near as I can tell, anything can be performance art so long as the artist says it is.  For instance, eating a hamburger, normally isn't a performance art piece, but put a camera in front of Andy Warhol and suddenly it is.  A musical performance done in Russia in protest wouldn't normally be performance art either in my mind.  But if it is deemed that by either the artist or the art community it becomes one.  There have been plenty of protest songs and protests that aren't necessarily performance art.
For instance the presenter at the opening of Electronics Alive gave a speech and referenced/showed videos from YouTube claiming that they were art.  As far as I could tell these videos were pretty shitty, the people making them didn't have much experience or much of a following and the reason they were so off was simply because they were new to the game.  But because the presenter who is involved in high society art thinks they're art, they become art.
As an artist I like the concept that anything can be an art, anything can be done artfully, but then when you try to define it there can't be a set definition.  The only correct answer to what is art, is becoming, "art is anything that society or the creator deems as such."  Is that bad?  No, I don't think it is, but it's becoming harder to distinguish between the two and I think it's ultimately pointless and we should stop trying to define it and just let it be.  Art has always been subjective, and it's only becoming more so.
Here ends my stream of conscious rant on the topic.

Art Response

I don't know why I love this piece so much, but it's probably one of my favorites on display.  I like that it doesn't need to have any deep meaning to it, it's just pleasing to look at.  I don't always like the pieces that are supposed to "speak to you" that have meanings so deeply hidden it seems like even though the artist is trying to send a message, no one will ever understand it.  This piece is simple, the techniques used are impressive and the knowledge of form and composition are evident.  It's a plus that it's adorable, I like cute things.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Project "I Regretted This The Second I Started It"

This is on anonymity.  It also happened to be on April Fool's Day.  So... yeah.  Enjoy.