Review: "From a Position" at Evanston Art Center
From a Position, curated by Maxwell Graham
"This relation is one of even greater flux as the freedom of this second subject allows for movement, time, a priori association and of course a reliance on the physical and social given in which the artworks exist. This field is composed of such diverse conditions as architecture, climate and of great significance to this exhibition, the surrounding artworks which frame and in turn are framed. The exhibition is a graph with more than just an x and y axis. The shifting coordinates where the x,y,z,1,2,3.. intercepts coincidentally or construtively intersect is our Position. "
If you understand the above paragraph, please leave this blog immediately. You don't need me, you are already smarter than me. Go run along and ... read another book.
This post is for everyone else.
I love conceptual art. It's where story meets visual art, where ideas are put into a form that can be knocked over. This type of art is about something, it means something. It all means something to the degree that people can just tell you what it means and you don't even have to look at anything on the walls...(keep reading)
Conceptual art is what I make, love, and wish to collect someday. I want an art collection that's contained in a file cabinet. I specifically like art that so "de-materialized" it's not even there. I have dozens of art books with photos of empty galleries.
But even I still have a hell of a time with the paragraph above. And that's after reading it ten times and copying it over. But this is my job, and as art ambassador to the regular world, I've created a guide to help make sense of it.
Rule #1- You're not a dope. Unless someone explains it to you, you're not going to "get it". There's an idea behind these artworks that make it click, and you really have to know that idea, you're not going to figure it out by looking at it. Again, it's where art objects meet story.
So I took a few pieces, talked to Maxwell Graham, the curator, and he took me through it. In this slideshow form, it makes much more sense.
Slide Show "From A Position" from Kathryn Born on Vimeo.
But what about the paragraph above?
Rule #2 - Don't worry about it. It's a three-page statement is written for people who love dense text.
To translate, Graham is trying to create a whole experience. When he walks in, he doesn't just see a handful of random objects. In his mind, there are a million connections that fill the space. And it's why I like Graham and will keep an eye on his projects - he has a vision. However, this show is particularly tough, even in the world of conceptual art, because he's playing with the following idea: a normal art exhibit puts things next to each other and helps you make the connections. Graham's gameplan: you're on your own. No trail of breadcrumbs for you, buddy. This is high-concept in the world of high-concept. This is why people stare at blank walls when they're on acid: their brain is going bananas, the white wall is full of symbolism, mental connections are shooting around like fireworks and it's all "becoming one". I mean, a broken glass on the floor - where do I start? It's infinite. Can't you see that?
Maybe not.
Some critics take issue with art that puts the responsibility on the viewer to make sense of it, old fogies who think meaning should be contained and conveyed in the artwork. These are traditionalists who think artists should create meaning, and not the audience. The final question is this: Does this exhibit inspire the audience to ponder these installations? Is there enough happening on the surface to make the audience want to work to find these possible meanings?
I'll go Swiss on this one. This blog is new and I don't want to make waves. Like Graham, in this post I will not help you. I give you nothing at all. And that nothingness should keep your mind spinning for hours.