My flickr has some nice photos of Vusi Beauchamp and Eric Rintisi at gordart (who promise a new website soon), as well as two of my fave works from the ABSA L’Atelier (joburg entries). I think a good compromise between both spaces was to show an image of this clever piece by Stephan Erasmus, who works at the former and is a finalist in the latter.
I was not too excited by what I saw of the L’Atelier when I first dropped off my work for the competition, but once hung and selected, I can see that it really is an interesting and impressive show of young artists, and await seeing it when we bring the rest of the country’s finalists to Jozi.
I just hope this year’s winner is more impressive and surprising than last year’s (meow!)….
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Let’s see what we saw @ the ABSA L’atelier 2006. “The sorrow tree” – excellent concept, but failed to impress. Should be called “The sorrow mop”. Riaan Cruywagen comic strips for the not so bright. A very pink, very absurd installation with condoms & dolly pee pot. Wow. What rubbish. Installation no2: Weird little 70′s art deco table with cactus plant & other trinklets. Kak. I was very impressed to see that the really talented artists works got sold, doesn’t that prove something? Pity some of the better works were a bit expensive, but I guess it’s all about quallity & exclusivity. “Penetration Options” were also better than “Earth, wind, fire” & the likes. Technique without content is meanigless. The ABSA L’atelier is a joke. Who did the judging? The security guards?
Hey Jemima – not sure I’d entirely agree that technique cannot couple as content, and that all work without whatever it is you define as content (not mentioned here) is meaningless; I’m pretty sure that the abstract expressionists, the fluxus artists, the cubists, and many others, would agree. But I’d like to hear more about what “the likes” is and why they were worse than “Penetration Options” and its implied “etc.” I’m v. keen to hear more of your thoughts; tell us explicitly what makes a really talented artist and why, how it is that you felt excluded from quality, and what it is that makes you feel that you should not be, while the security guards should. TBH, the security guards seemed to like my work, and I’m glad of it.
Of course the security guards liked your work. But tell me, was your work exhibited outside with the poorer (black) art, the township art, or inside, with the (white) art? Think about this before you insinuate a sinister racist motive on my part.
I should have expected that some undecipherable linguistic fanfare & an overt flaunting of art terminology would be flung at me to emphasize my possible naïveté & inexperience. I could answer with more useless (but heftier!) mumbo jumbo but I’m not here for debate but rather to comment on the laughable display of young talent at the ABSA L’atelier 2006 (or rather the lack thereof.) so let’s get back to the point.
I say: technique without content is meaningless. You claim the opposite (albeit doubtfully) and claim to have the support of all artists and art genres.
I therefore request you to give me a list of established & successful artists who support this claim.
You want an explicit explanation / definition of the true artist. What makes a really talented artist? The answer is quite elemental my dear. TALENT. The formulation for a great artwork = 60% Talent, 20% hard work & 20% luck. I only saw 20% pieces positioned in & outside the gallery. And those were the 20% Luck works. There were a few 80% pieces but they were overlooked or sold.
It pains me to see amateurish, inept “artists” walking away with praise & opportunity while the real artists cripple on. WHERE ARE THE REAL ARTISTS? That’s the important question.
Will you enter the SASOL New Signatures 2006 too? This period in art history will certainly be remembered as The Great Depression of Art!
hmmmm. How easy it is for you to claim to avoid debate (or rather, to avoid answering my questions), but then to attack me as implicitly racist because of where ABSA put my art. You put words in my mouth and attack those words (a tactic I think George W Bush has a copyright on, actually). I would argue that perhaps your “formula” is confusing Talent with Sales and Popularity, and is at odds with your remark about Talented artists in your last comment.
Your important question, Where are the real artists, is not really a fair question. Who is a real artist? I guess only you, and you alone can decide that; but then, as you’ve proved above, you do not have to engage in any debate about what constitutes real art; you choose to ignore my “elitist” reference to any and all art history. I’m not sure, TBH, that art from 50 years ago, and the simple language I use to describe it, is exactly “undecipherable linguistic fanfare & an overt flaunting of art terminology” (and your arguments, which both claim I am elitist, and say you’re better than me at such language, are a little conflicted), but I can assure you that your commentary is baselessly condescending, especially since the only reference point you are willing to use as judgment is yourself.
Why can you ignore every question I throw at you? Because you “should have known” I would go there? That’s just silly. If you knew I would go there, then you should think about the answer, not ignore the question and change the subject to an attack on my character by saying what you assume I think. But, you are right because you are right because you say so because you should have known and you know what Value is when you see it but don’t have to answer to the likes of me. I’m just a blogger with art you think is crap.
“Where is the real art?” Despite what art school and pop criticism might teach you, walking around saying everything is crap does not a deep and meaningful person make. Nor is it critical (in the academic sense), nor does it make art. Really, it just makes enemies. Worse, you are really, really boring.
Oh great, now I’m George Double Bush’s silly sidekick. But I don’t think you are an elitist at all. Elitism equals snobbism, and while your comment on last years winner (Wilsenach, I think) – was plain rude & could get you labeled as a know-it-all wise-ass, elitism is an ART FORM, something you are ill equipped to criticize.
What constitutes real art in this day and age? Mr. Stern, I could slap something crude & tasteless & infantile together in an hour, put it in a glass showcase (IT’S GOOD, IT’S IN GLASS!!!) & win acclaim & recognition
but until the day this perception of art (created by incompetent judges) is finally eradicated, art competitions will draw the entries of the brainless, talentless hordes.
I never claimed to be a deep & meaningful person. I want art to prevail, not to rot in the cesspool created by so called artists. I’m sorry that my correspondence is boring you. Why are you bored by truth? It is because you have knocked yourself out of awareness with meaningless paraphernalia. It is because you want to stand on that soapbox of yours & read the poetry & speak about art. But you can’t feel it and you can’t see it anymore. And you can delude yourself only so much before you get tired of that too. Where will you find meaning? What can you aspire to when art is cut up into pieces to make more art, misshapen and more grotesque with each attempt?
Will you enter the SASOL New Signatures 2006 t his year?
Truth? Is that what that was? To each his own, I guess.
No, I am not a new signature; enjoy your ranting.
I take it all back, everything I said. Forgiveness please. Your baby is beautiful. I really enjoyed looking at your family photos, more that any exhibition ever. Take care.
Forgiveness always – especially when you say my baby is a beauty. If it is not overtly obvious, I am sooo sooo sooo smitten :)
Hope to see your art out and about some day, whoever you may be…
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