Watching the most recent documentary film to feature Jeremy Deller has helped me to to articulate the direction in which I'd like to take my work. He emphasizes how an art practice can transgress the traditional artist-object-gallery format and become more about actions, events and socio-cuktural commentary. As I become increasingly engaged with performance, installation and collaboration; theory such as Deller's builds the backbone of my process. I have outlined the following points to illustrate this:
Strength in collaboration - Using my identity as an artist to enagage others, constructing the work through conversation and events. This does not rule out the creation of objects (prints, photography, 3D installation) as an exhibitable outcome, but allows me to focus on my strengths as an organizer and socializer to use events and spaces such as SQUARES poetry nights, Margaret Thatcher's Neon Play House (more details soon) and The Garden Studio (student-led art space) to catalyse artists and art work to produce my own work and reach a more dynamic point in my practice
Pop - The importance of popular culture and social commentary as an artist. Deller uses phenomena such as the Madchester scene and Steingfellow's to bring people together and shed light on areas of western culture/celebrity within a 'Fine Art' context, reaching a demographic comprised of both 'high' and 'low' culture and erasing the boundaries between in the process
Anti-art - Deller talks about the 90s YBAs, who although radicalized the art world at the time continue to work with a 'traditional form' (making an object and putting it in a gallery). To truly play around with ideas of anti-establishment, Deller suggests a solution lies in 'mucking about', involving individuals from all walks of life in the creation and reception of art and celebrating creativity in a refreshing sense reminiscent of Warhol's Factory days
Strength in collaboration - Using my identity as an artist to enagage others, constructing the work through conversation and events. This does not rule out the creation of objects (prints, photography, 3D installation) as an exhibitable outcome, but allows me to focus on my strengths as an organizer and socializer to use events and spaces such as SQUARES poetry nights, Margaret Thatcher's Neon Play House (more details soon) and The Garden Studio (student-led art space) to catalyse artists and art work to produce my own work and reach a more dynamic point in my practice
Pop - The importance of popular culture and social commentary as an artist. Deller uses phenomena such as the Madchester scene and Steingfellow's to bring people together and shed light on areas of western culture/celebrity within a 'Fine Art' context, reaching a demographic comprised of both 'high' and 'low' culture and erasing the boundaries between in the process
Anti-art - Deller talks about the 90s YBAs, who although radicalized the art world at the time continue to work with a 'traditional form' (making an object and putting it in a gallery). To truly play around with ideas of anti-establishment, Deller suggests a solution lies in 'mucking about', involving individuals from all walks of life in the creation and reception of art and celebrating creativity in a refreshing sense reminiscent of Warhol's Factory days
