Artful Book Reviews: Vol. One

Hello, dear reader! First, I would like to apologise for neglecting to do my bloggerly duty these past couple weeks. I’ve just started a new job, and I’m still trying to find a good time to get things like writing done with my new schedule. It’s also been a little too hectic for me to find the time to properly visit new exhibitions, though I hope that'll change soon. Anyways, in light of the fact that I’ve had much more book time than museum these days, I thought I’d write a quick update to share with you what I’ve been reading these days.

Air Guitar: Essays on Art and Democracy. By Dave Hickey.

Art Issues Press. 1997.

I read Air Guitar on the recommendation of Sarah Green over at the Art Assignment, and it’s just as good as she promised. Taken together, the essays form a discourse on the role and purpose of art in an everyday setting, ranging from its role in a democracy to how we interact with it. Although Hickey does spend some time discussing art markets and institutions, they really only exist in the book as a counterpoint to his real interest: what art can mean for a society. Within this general umbrella, Hickey shares personal stories and relates lessons that he’s learnt over his long career in the art business.

In one of his first essays, he brings up the idea that, with the internet and social media, has become more and more relevant since the book was published in 1997: the notion of communities of desire, or groups of people who come together for the sole purpose of sharing a common interest.  Another one of points I particularly liked wasn’t about fine art at all but rather concerned the role of cars in culture and the meaning of modifications.  In university, I studied and wrote about cars a little bit while taking a module on French art (specifically the Citroën DS) and that side of art history has been really compelling for me since. Hickey takes it one step further, asking the reader to consider how modifications can be a form of social dissent. 

What I really loved about Hickey’s book is his instance that culture is a public business, that it's all around us all the time, and that we all should be striving to be a participant. It isn’t enough to merely be a spectator, to just observe the world around you and the things that populate it. Instead, you should think critically with an open mind and always seek to engage as fully as possible. It’s a book, just as Sarah Green promised, that reminds you of all the many, many things art can be and shows you that there’s no limit to how it can be discussed and considered.

Some Memorable Quotes:

“Nor have I had any experience with high art that was not somehow confirmed in my experience of ordinary culture- that did not, to some extent, reform and redeem that.”

“When colour signifies anything, it always signifies as well, a respire from language and history.” 

“Authenticity is something you bump into while you’re backing up to look at something that interests you.” 

“There are no prerequisites for looking at art.”

Outpost: Art/Design/Action from the Fringes. Issue 4: Providence.

Eds. Maya K. Rubinstein and Pete Oyler.

            I picked up this journal while visiting the Rhode Island School of Design’s museum for one of their late nights.  When I lived in Providence two summers ago, going to RISD on that Thursday evening was always one of my favourite things to do. There's always great food trucks outside, wine to be had inside, and plenty of new and interesting art to learn about. This time around, however, I actually found myself more drawn to something else: a launch party that was happening on one of the upper floors—that night, people had gathered to celebrate the release of the Providence edition of a journal called Outpost. I hadn’t heard of it before, but it only took me about three seconds to realise that it was right up my alley. 

            As the name would suggest, Outpost is concerned with the fringes of the art world— places outside of New York, London, etc where exciting and unique art is being made. In that regard, it deals with the effect of being on the outside of the main movement.

In a lot of ways, Outpost touches on exactly the sort of thing that I love about Scottish art- the goal of creating horizontal rather than vertical artistic relationships, the role of the local community within a globalised world, the fight against homogenisation while still recognising that the global population brings new possibilities for meaningful cross cultural collaboration.

Of course, this edition especially spoke to me since it centred on Providence. I lived in Providence just after I discovered that I really loved modern art, and it’s where I started to discover artistic communities and new artists for myself. Even without that personal connection, Providence is a really compelling artistic city. It has a unique political history and long tradition of craftsmanship combined with a lack of institutional support. Together, that creates a rich breeding ground for unique, well made art that is free to push boundaries and consider new horizons.

Looking at specific artist and communities, Outpost attempts to relate to the reader how all these factors combine into a real community that values craftsmen ship, individual agency, collaboration, and experimentation.  They seem to be a new journal, as this is only their 4th issue, but  as the publication is beautiful and the content insightful, I'm sure this won't be the last time I come across their work.

A Memorable Quote:

“The idea of creative culture becoming too well developed or documented- even by seemingly well meaning groups of individuals- is anathema to some … There is a specific fear that formalising culture may well destroy it.”