S E L F C O N T R O L
Deep breaths, deep breaths....
This is a personally sensitive issue to me, as I do the art thang.
I have issue with “found art”. BIGTIME.
These installations shown above at least have form and relatively minimum mods; I’m not saying I dislike them. My problem is with the found art fad infecting legitimate fine art shows and museums.
You know the yard art trinkets for sale in West Yellowstone? A bison made of bike chains? Exhaust pipes booger-welded and Rustoleum rattle-canned into a green frog sculpture?
And don’t get me started on pistons, camshafts and gears welded into anything from a desktop motorcycle toy to an animal...
This, coupled with “steampunk” has been “trending now” (HATE that term) for too long; the fact that it gets in to fine art shows literally leaves me enraged.
DEEEEEEEP BREATHS.
Yes, art is subjective. I just don’t understand why found art can bypass all quality and legitimacy rules that bronze sculpting, oil painting, etc, must meet.
I believe in what I call Process Art (I hope everyone is clapping for me, as I came up with that on my own
). That is (my) style of celebrating/joining the precision and beauty of machined, formed, punched, pressed, hammered and filed materials with form and beauty.
Booger welds don’t fit here. Flap-disc grinder swirls with a cheap overdose of clearcoat don’t fit here (HOLY CRAP, every other lazer cut crapola sign has that finish here in Utah. How long did it take, 15 minutes?!?!?!??).
Rustic is everywhere! BOO!
How about creating the parts you assemble, instead of welding lawnmower pistons into a cutesy horse sculpture? And describe the process????
OR, on the flip side, enter an entire lathe as an art installation by itself, WITHOUT anything attached to it that detracts from the RAW, REAL history of industry. I’m talking real industry, NOT “industrial art”.
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeew. I had to let that out.
If anyone wants, I can post a pic or two of my dorky art with an explanation of what I’m trying to convey. Not for attention! Only to explain what I try to preach, or why I find beauty/form in functional stuff. BY ITSSELF.