Most artist statements are bunk. With a few stellar and authentic exceptions, the art world seems awash with inauthentic pretentiousness, poppycock and piffle when it comes to artists’ statements of their own work.
Though many would argue the point and counterpoint to their grave (and do, and do, and do and do…), I think that it’s hard to disagree with a statement like Matt Linderman’s over on Signal vs. Noise (original post here):
The thriving art scene here in NYC has exposed me to a lot more art shows than I ever experienced before in my life. And I’ve gotta say, the art statements that I read generally make me a bit nauseous. Sure, they can sometimes be helpful. But all too often they have that grad-student-thesis-feel, full of impressive-sounding words and pretentious ideas but somehow there’s no there there.
Somehow, there’s no there there. They tend to lack a certain, ahem, je ne sais quoi.
| Video Stills from Sketches from Private Thoughts and Other Lies written and performed by Roderick Russell
Utilizing my training as a mentalist and mind reader, this routine is a satirical look at the contrived pretentiousness of the modern art world, specifically in regards to the artist statement.
A member of the audience is invited to privately concoct a visual image of their own design and to imagine it vividly, never revealing the thought-of image to anyone. Meanwhile, I don a paint spattered coverall and thick black glasses in caricature of the modern visual artist at work in his studio. A voiceover track continues the caricature with an ego-indulgent, self-reflexive interview by Roderick Russell The Critic with Roderick Russell The Artiste. On-stage I begin actively painting in a highly affected manner, on a canvas facing away from the audience. Painting and playacting continue throughout until the conclusion of the voiceover track, whereupon the audience member enlisted at the beginning of the routine is invited up and asked to verbally describe the image that he or she has been privately envisioning. Following the detailed description of the image that has merely been thought of, I reveal the freshly painted canvas to the audience and upon it is an image that perfectly matches the description just given. |
All that to say that when the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts awarded me an arts grant and I suddenly found myself charged with the task of fusing my performance techniques together with my social criticisms, I used my many hours spent slogging through the Chelsea galleries as inspiration.
Until now, the routine born of that inspiration – Sketches - has remained an exclusive piece known only to those who have participated in one of my live shows. No audio, video or still pictures have been released, save for the very few video stills available on the Private Thoughts and Other Lies website and the passing references made in printed material such as the show’s own accompanying statement, press releases and several media interviews.
As this material will not be featured in the stage show within the immediate foreseeable future – a shift in market concentration and resultant modifications to the routine having rendering it entirely different in theme – I am here sharing with you a wider selection of video stills as well as the audio from the voiceover portion of the routine – the voiceover being that around which the work revolves.
I have spent a great deal of time with artists of all mediums, mingling with the haute monde, the cognoscenti, of the art scene. At innumerable openings I’ve stood staring at wall after wall of paintings, prints and photographs, navigating static installations and experiencing interactive, multimedia exhibits of “fine” art . Some of these shows have been positively profound, deeply moving and enormously inspirational. A small handful of the statements have been truly impeccable. But one cannot contest that the majority of statements are written in a decidedly contrived fashion, with an eye towards sprinkling in as many metaphorical hooks, ten cent words and obscure references as possible – all in an attempt to imbue import.
Having invested so many candid hours with artists and creators, I know that the truth of their work is often more in keeping with Jörg Colberg’s reflection on fine-art photography:
It’s interesting (and a bit sad) that when you look at what is commonly called fine-art photography it always comes with a statement, which typically contains some sort of explanation or motivation for the photography. You never get to see something like “I just wanted to take some beautiful photos” or “I liked the way those rubble piles looked, so I took a bunch of photos.” I wonder why. I have no way of actually proving this, but I am convinced that many photographers do not have all that stuff from their statements in their heads and then go out to shoot the photography…I personally find it perfectly understandable and acceptable if somebody does not want to write a statement. But that’s not how the art world works.
Sketches represents my response to the pretension and aims to be critical while also remaining farcical, self-deprecating and, in the end, downright entertaining*.
No archive video of this routine will ever be posted (not authorized copies, at least). Please enjoy the stills and the voiceover – and if you do, watch for your chance to see it live. While it has been replaced for the time being, one never knows where it will pop up again.
Perhaps the Guggenheim would be interested…
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*On a humorous note, a group of colleagues attended the premiere of Private Thoughts and Other Lies. When asked for his opinion, one member of this clique spoke out strongly against Sketches.
His name: Art
I can’t make this stuff up.
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