Art became religion to speak to the few
"Just as religion became art to speak to the masses, art became religion to speak to the few."
-Peladan
As an artist who has never been very prolific, and who has not created anything of worth in over a decade, that quote speaks volumes to me.
One of the many reasons I have not felt driven to create is that by my junior year of art school I began to become jaded towards the world I had spent my entire life trying to become a part of.
I had realized that most art that actually had anything of importance to say was usually worthless. Where does art go after it is created? If you lucky a gallery. And who goes to a gallery? People who appreciate art, who are usually educated, semi-intelligent, liberal, and probably already sympathetic to whatever cause is out there. Art is religion that speaks to the few, and those few are already converts. Why preach to the converted? And those converted are usually lazy bourgeoisie liberals who no longer fight for any cause other than the right not to have their children exposed to any right-wing conservative dogma.
Art needs to be taken out of the hallowed gallery and taken directly to the proletariat. Back in the early 80's I remember reading about a group of guerrilla artists in New York (and yes they actually wore gorilla masks.) From what I can remember they plastered posters in the subway systems. Something like the music and concert posters that are posted on the scaffolding in construction areas. Now if all my tagger friends in art school would have put something more provocative than their tag on all those "hello my name is" stickers that where posted all over The City and The East Bay I may have had some respect for them as artists.
Eureka, Oakland and San Jose all have store-front galleries. The vacant display windows and store-fronts that were up for lease were used as temporary galleries. It was a win-win situation. The downtown areas were kept looking nicer because the vacant windows were filled with something besides 'For Lease' signs and the local artists were provided a very visible place to show their work. Eureka/Humboldt County called theirs "Phantom Galleries" and actually had a committee that coordinated everything. Oakland's galleries were started by local students.
Art needs to become a religion that speaks to the masses the same way that music has become. It needs to become more accessible, less of a luxury.
-Peladan
As an artist who has never been very prolific, and who has not created anything of worth in over a decade, that quote speaks volumes to me.
One of the many reasons I have not felt driven to create is that by my junior year of art school I began to become jaded towards the world I had spent my entire life trying to become a part of.
I had realized that most art that actually had anything of importance to say was usually worthless. Where does art go after it is created? If you lucky a gallery. And who goes to a gallery? People who appreciate art, who are usually educated, semi-intelligent, liberal, and probably already sympathetic to whatever cause is out there. Art is religion that speaks to the few, and those few are already converts. Why preach to the converted? And those converted are usually lazy bourgeoisie liberals who no longer fight for any cause other than the right not to have their children exposed to any right-wing conservative dogma.
Art needs to be taken out of the hallowed gallery and taken directly to the proletariat. Back in the early 80's I remember reading about a group of guerrilla artists in New York (and yes they actually wore gorilla masks.) From what I can remember they plastered posters in the subway systems. Something like the music and concert posters that are posted on the scaffolding in construction areas. Now if all my tagger friends in art school would have put something more provocative than their tag on all those "hello my name is" stickers that where posted all over The City and The East Bay I may have had some respect for them as artists.
Eureka, Oakland and San Jose all have store-front galleries. The vacant display windows and store-fronts that were up for lease were used as temporary galleries. It was a win-win situation. The downtown areas were kept looking nicer because the vacant windows were filled with something besides 'For Lease' signs and the local artists were provided a very visible place to show their work. Eureka/Humboldt County called theirs "Phantom Galleries" and actually had a committee that coordinated everything. Oakland's galleries were started by local students.
Art needs to become a religion that speaks to the masses the same way that music has become. It needs to become more accessible, less of a luxury.