Am I an artist? Maybe not. I'm a musician, but because I do not compose my own music, I think I have to exclude myself from the "artist" category.
Could I be an artist? Very possibly. Very possibly when I read news about NYC's Museum of Modern Art and the art they promote. Why just this week I was reading about a "tribute" to a performance artist named Marina Abramovic. I'm sure Marina is a very nice woman, but I'm not sure she's any more artistic than I am.
If you hurry, you may be able to catch the show. I'm not sure how it's doing at the box office, but based on what I've read, I do not think it will be held over. I can almost guarantee it.
For the lucky patrons of the arts who get to catch the show, here's some of the highlights; enter a room where the artist screams in a video at the top of her lungs until she loses her voice, and then, sorry folks, the show's over. What makes her a better screamer that any other woman? Believe me, in my college days I knew some screamers, and Ms. Ambromovic would need to put on quite a show to even crack my top three.
Hey! Don't leave yet! There's another room where in order to get into the room you need to squeeze between a fat naked man and a plump naked woman facing each other in the doorway. Not exactly the art you might expect at , let's say, The Sistine Chapel, is it? Instead of elaborate camera and alarm systems at major galleries, replace them with naked fat people blocking the doorways. I'll bet there would be alot less theft...
And finally, the artist herself (remember this show was a tribute) attends the entire run of the show sitting at a small table in the museum's atrium, silent and motionless all day long. She does not work on the NYT crossword puzzle, she does not play solitaire, she just sits there and sits there and sits there..... During this time patrons are encouraged to get into staring contests with her. The show's program didn't say, but maybe she'll thumb wrestle you, too, if you get on her good side.
God Bless the NYC Museum of Modern Art for having what most of us would call a sense of humor.
I love and support the arts, love artists, but in all seriousness, what entitles Ms. Abromovic to a tribute show? I saw Marcel Marceau several times and he was a genius in performance art. Mummenschanz... genius. And artists? Monet..yes. Rembrandt... yes, Hopper....yes, Pollack..., yes, Lloyd-Wright... yes. Amanda C., one of the college screamers... YES Oh God YES.
Abromovic? Still not sure.
My first thought was, "I've heard Yoko Ono scream for half an album, and once was enough." By MoMA standards, some of our college antics could be considered Art". We always considered George, JoJo, Allie, and Chip "Pieces of Work"
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Some and I repeat SOME "ART" today is laughable. Art IMO requires talent, imagination and flair for things out of the ordinary. OK,OK,OK...Art is subjective. But If i sit down a learn a great riff by EC or other great musician, am I an artist or just a good imitator. Hell, I'd have to be a good musician to do that. But EC was the artist. It was his soul, his imagination, his talent for playing, bending feeling, sustaining those notes to convey his feelings and passion to make the guitar an extension of himself. His thoughts ,his feelings. When I copied them, I did just that. I might be the musician that mimics what the artist did, but I'm not the artist. The subjectiveness of art has lost it's way. A turd floating in a toilet bowl is not art! Neither is 2 fat people in a doorway.. did they love the concept so much they made themselves fat just for arts' sake??? doubt it. Art is beauty in design, songs, paintings, many many things. But what Tim ( I don't know him as Whitey) is saying is understated. Many things called art these days is crap done by people who have decided to con the lemmings into believing whatever they do is art. But it is all subjective, right? I think I will put up a tent, sell tickets and tout myself as the most out of the box "babyboomer" artist and have people enter the tent. I will call it "Blank Canvas from the inside" Tim, I am going to pass on trying to get tickets to Abromovic to a tribute show?
ReplyDeleteHi Tim. I think that Abromovic is an amazing artist. I remember her early work and it was quite interesting , gritty, gutsy, especially for a woman at the time. Performance Art often gets a bad rap. Having been one back in the 80's, I've seen the great, interesting stuff and a lot of the "crap" as well. Being involved myself taught me so much. I was ignorant before my involvement. I'm very tolerant when it comes to people's expression. I'm a quiet painter now, but I have to admit, I sometimes miss those days. It was an exciting time.
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