Thanks for all the positive comments guys.
All your responses gave me plenty to think about. I'd love to address each one individually but currently my time is pretty limited and my attention span is waning due to being tired all the time. I will try though. As you all know, I'm a sucker for talking about art
It really is a privilege to be showing in this space, and I'm very proud! A lot I would have done better or differently, but to think it was pulled off in little over a month makes me think I did really well.
Cyn, we
are all unique, that is the point. I hate the current state of things where no-one seems to care about anyone or anything anymore to make a real effort. This is an exaggeration of course, but on bad days, that's how it feels. We don't slow down anymore and appreciate what we have. It's like everyone is constantly saying, just be yourself, but then also, be the best. Want more. Strive for better. Try harder. I use several of these ideas in my work.
The cubes, that was a bit of a fun piece. I decided to make it on an impulse. But there are a lot of thoughts contained in it. It reads "artista fingidor". Well, you see the poem in my sig? That is by a famous portuguese poet, Fernando Pessoa. He wrote a poem that loosely translated reads:
"The poet is a pretender
Who’s so good at his act
He pretends even the pain
Of pain he feels in fact (...)"
I took the first line and changed it to artist. What the poet means by this is that to create art, the poet (or artist) must elevate his pain/emotion/creative idea to a different realm, otherwise it is not art. And in this expression, of creativity or of imagination, the pain that is fictional, becomes more real than the actual emotion. When I took this idea, I meant to apply it to all manner of creative people, hence artists (in Portugal at least, "artista" applies to many arts and forms of creativity). Also, the expression to me speaks of the artist's permanent dilemma. Why do I do this? Why do I feel the need to do this? Does anyone care about what I'm doing? Does this have any use to anyone? And then also the fact that there is no reason, there is no one objective, but one thing is sure, it is deeply felt.
I also meant to laugh at myself a little. Someone once mentioned that my shaped canvases looked like giant pillows. It got me thinking how I did not like that association. Because it seems too easy. But then I also thought that it would be nice if people could feel safe in my work. Literally. So these painted cubes/pillows have been made in a way that they can be touched. They are actually very comfortable and soft.
Finally, I decided on a shape made from cubes because that comes from way back with me, I have used cubes/squares for a while now. Basically, the squares are a symbol for order, for the human need to name everything, everything having a place and it's own 'box'. It is a way of anchoring ourselves in the world. We establish a structure that makes us feel that we know things, we understand them, we have a place here.
So, as you may be guessing, I could go on and on about this. I think for now, that's as far as I will go with that piece!
kramus, I have said this before - there is no set way you have to look at or understand any of the works. If your first gut reaction is 'I hate it because I don't get this at all, for me', then so be it. Some art works today really go out on a limb and sometimes it takes a few different times of being in contact with them to actually get anything from them. Hopefully my cubes piece, in person, helps to dispel the seriousness of art - at least that's part of what I wanted to do. I'm not sure I can help more but I'm sure if you got to see the show in person, you'd have a better experience.
dlish, large, white, empty rooms can be quite soul-less. I hate that. Well, empty is not what I was going for, but each person will have their own interpretation. I hope that one day if I get to have my own solo show, I will do a better job of erasing the emptiness!
Manic_Skafe, thanks! Sadly, the pieces you refer are not mine, they are by some of the other artists. I will maybe take more close-ups of the works and post them here later.
snowy, people have said before that my strapping works to the wall makes it distracting. I like to think it does its job. I sometimes hang the work then strap ropes (steel and natural fiber ones) across them. I do this to add tension and to divert the eyes from focusing only on the piece and not the space surrounding it. I guess maybe I need to work on that! Thanks for your comments.
hunnychile, thanks, it's true we made it work as a group, but I confess that we were thrown in together with not much choice. I pretty much organized the whole thing so I'm happy we made it work as a group to some extent. I'm glad you like the cubes! I was surprised by the positive response to them, as I was worried how they'd turn out.
About that heart...yes, I agree it is too direct for me too. The artist who does this work has good ideas, but I like the concept to be a little more subtle. If it's too easy, then you don't have to make any effort to see layers and different possible interpretations in the work. That way, it doesn't give you much to think about. I have had plenty of tough teachers and know what you mean!
Ok I'm all out of thoughts for the moment...really, thank you so much for being interested
