I believe that artists no longer simply make images, they make discourse – they ask us not only to “look,” but to “look again,” to re-examine.
Art is always dialogical – I mean, simply, that it is in dialogue: with history, with other art and artists, with current events, with politics and pop culture and more. Most of all, it is in dialogue with people, with real people.
This is not the same as the en masse, people-powered internet – the democratic, vote yes or no, argue over at Wikipedia, digg this, intelligence of crowds we keep hearing about.
Because while I like LOLcats as much as the next guy, I’m interested in more depth.
I’m interested in people speaking to one another on a personal level, working together to create and change ideas, to make things, and to make things different.
I believe in the artist as public figure, as both engaging and engaged; because the only thing I appreciate as much as a beautiful and provocative work of art, is the discussion that can grow out of one.
Given that, I also believe that generosity is key to contemporary practices of art. If art is a conversation, you gotta make people want to talk to you; you gotta be nice, you gotta ask questions, you have to not only be interesting, but interested – in other work and what others say and do.
I believe in chit chat, in discourse, in studio critique, in humanity; I believe in art karma, in goin’ around and comin’ around, in sending folks to see things and meet people, and in sharing my tricks and my code and myself.
Teaching is a part of my practice, and a part of my work. Writing is a part of my practice and a part of my work. Collaborating is always implicit in what I do, and often explicit towards the end of a given piece.
I like to make and share and talk about stuff, and I like people who do said same.
I speak back to artists who came before, and converse with my peers about what we’re all trying to do. I hope others want to do the same, want to be in dialogue with what I do and make and say.
For me, generosity is essential to the contemporary practice of making art….
– slightly edited introduction to my artist talk, posted by request. the slide images I usually show are also fun, but in blog form (as opposed to live performance) they took away from, rather than added to, the text. comments welcome.
