I feel as artists one of our major job duties is to add value and beauty to the canvas. If we are successful the return is an exhibition, unexpected call from a collector, interview from a local magazine or a sold painting. I swear the art world is a circus, the artists are the performers, the institutions are the trainers and the audience is there to cheer on this spectacle clueless to the sacrifices made in the name of art. What comes out of The Greatest Show on Earth is either pure genius or bullsh!t, everything in between is just to appease the crowd during intermission or until the next big thing/movement comes along. What happens when you become the star of the show? What do you do when you are faced with the bullsh!t and bandwagon. Who are we fooling or clowning? When do you fertilize your pockets or shall I say canvas with the bullsh!t and do you jump in the bandwagon with the so called sellouts, after all you have bills to pay? Let me further explain what I mean when I say the bullsh!t and bandwagon.
Have you ever been at a loss of words explaining a piece of art work at a fancy show? This means two things: you don’t know what in the hell you are viewing, probably the bullsh!t I’m speaking of or in a good way you are experiencing something greater than you expected, an element of surprise. The unfortunate thing is the initial reaction of “this is some bullsh!t….what is it?” sells because people are intrigued by the shock and awe not the simplicity or creativity it took to create the work. What sells is the conversation piece everyone is talking about but really have no damn clue on what they are viewing, this is the bullsh!t. Now when the art is beyond something you expected in a good way it doesn’t sell because art has become fashionable, the art world is more concerned about trends, labels and brand names like it is worn on the ass of Kim Kardashian and posted on TMZ, this is the bandwagon. The masses are told what to appreciate by those who adorn walls that appeal to the “in crowd” better known as the sheep. BIG BUSINESS is into cloning sheep. Yes selling art is a science and deemed very profitable based upon exclusivity not accessibility, where red dots on high priced paintings have more to do with status symbols than investments. The question becomes who is investing in your art and why? In order to make huge profits the art world needs both sheep and cash cows in this market, if you aren’t at the circus then you are definitely on the farm. Paintings become cash crops fertilized by the bullsh!t. Who doesn’t want to keep their bellies full of that green stuff, money? We all have to deal with a little bullsh!t in order to eat whether we are the sheep, cash cow, or wolf. At the end of the day I love the art world, some people suck others kiss ass but the real question comes down to who is providing the lubrication for all these loose nuts?--at some point we all walk away a little screwed. There is a new show coming into town so be sure to get your ticket to “Cirque du Animal Farm”!
