Iconoclasm

Orthodox 'contemporary art' is, I have always felt, deeply iconoclastic , and almost puritanical in its refusal of contemplative pleasure. And now at last it seems to be under increasingly articulate analysis. There was a brilliant article by Barbara Herrnstein Smith in London Review of Books, Vol34 No5, 8 March 2012, reviewing Bruno Latour's 'On the Modern Cult of the Factish Gods". Discussing his chapter "What is Iconoclash?", she notes "Contemporary art seeks to complicate our reaction to representations and make us aware of images' status as images. This art is, at the same time, iconoclastic, smashing every traditional aspect of art: image, canvas, paint, colour, patron, museum and indeed our understanding of what it is to be an artist. Yet 'the more art has become a synonym for the destruction of art, the more art has been produced, evaluated, talked about, bought and sold, and yes, worshipped'."

It has often occurred to me that 'contemporary art' is a strangely institutional set up, somewhat similar to the established church of past times, riddled with dogma, defined by status and wealth.

Whilst it pretends to innovation, the 'cult of the new' actually offers a ritualised act in a ritualised space.

In fact the majority of practicing artists do not observe the cult at all, as their creative thoughts are embedded in the process of making rather than labelling their work. Most serious artists I know approach each new work as an exploration, a testing gound for the quality and value of decisions made in response to a proposal evolving in whatever medium they are using. But in the market context is all, it is what creates the brand: without the dominant clarity of an overarching manifesto, as it were, there is no easy leverage into commodification. Thus somebody ambitious for affirmation and status is obliged to conform by aligning themselves within the 'contemporary art' context and thus preconceiving their endeavour as an artist. In spite of the bluster of 'the new', this is a scenario hostile to creative imagination or, to put it another way, any genuine exploration of the potential of art to respond to life.

Deselected!

Head (Computer Repair Man), wire and found objects, 2010

Along with no doubt many others, I have been deselected from the Axis National Register of Artist:

Axis Directory Review
'As we communicated to you in our email of 2 December 2011, we have recently carried out a review of all artists who joined Axis before the introduction of selection criteria in 2005. I regret to tell you that your work did not meet our assessment criteria. Since it was first established 20 years ago, Axis has evolved to reflect new ways of thinking about and making art. The assessment process has therefore favoured work whose subject and approach accord with our remit for showcasing new developments in artistic practice.'

Axis says it has a remit for promoting art that is contemporary in more than the strictly literal sense of the term. "We showcase work that reflects new ways of thinking about and making art. We also present work that re-visits and revitalises familiar conventions."

In answer to the question whether Axis still represents traditional subject-matter as the human figure, it's response is "traditional subjects remain a significant presence in the directory, but in assessing artist's profiles Axis has looked for evidence of formal innovation and a distinctive approach to the subject."

Dissent and postmodernism

Dissent, watercolour and ink, 2011

It's not that I have any Utopian idea of how society might be perfectly organised - every society needs structure and in the shadows of every structure lurk the sacrifices made to achieve coherence: the resources exploited, what has been excluded or sublimated, the alternatives of how it might have been, the memory of what was there before and fears about what it might become! A shared belief in structural integrity is what enables us to conduct our social transactions in a more or less workable fashion. In not so good times, however, voices of dissent gather enough conviction to come out fighting from the shadows!

End of 2011

Crow, balsa wood, 2011

I can't help thinking that Tracey Emin being appointed R.A. Professor of Drawing and 'the philanthropist' Paul Ruddock appearing on the New Year Honours List are characteristic events to conclude 2011.

I have just read "The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists" in which Tressell describes an extraordinary determination on the part of a majority of his Edwardian workers to support a system which offered them only impoverishment: it seems particularly relevant to contemporary times. More to my point, we seem to believe in the intrinsic virtue of the art world, as did Tressell's workers in the propriety of their 'charitable benefactors' who doled out meagre provisions when their families were literally starving, without considering that these benefactors were the very same people who reduced them to destitution. You can't help feeling that there is a parallel in the contemporary art world.

Of course, private patronage continues quietly in the background, not making a splash but keeping the diversity of art practice alive. The great service such patrons offer is never officially acknowledged, but perhaps future generations will be grateful. Such are our Owens, we just need a Barrington! This is my last rant of 2011! Hooray!

Facing Hard Times

Alienation in the City, 2011

This watercolour is another of a series responding to the economic situation. The first image was included in the Out of the Box curated exhibition 'Facing Hard Times' in Kings Lynn earlier this year (see September blog). I wrote the following for the exhibition: "The banking crisis was sparked off by irresponsible financial operators, yet the sector seems more powerful than ever, profiting from the vulnerability that persists and dictating economic policy. Sometimes I wonder if the government's primary role now is to keep us acquiescent. International finance, symbolised in these works by the impersonal, inpenetrable facade of a city landscape, has no allegiance to place or population. The 'people' are anonymous to the financier, not citizens, but only consumers - just another resource to be milked or ditched. The alienation referred to is the cultural consequence of a single guiding principle: the generation of financial profit, regardless of consequences. But we roam the streets of this anonymous city landscape, guiltily complicit thanks to our mortgages, pensions, debts, investments, our benefits, our dependence on the bank for the everyday transactions of life."
The news yesterday that David Cameron walked away from EU negotiations because he could not get an agreement to protect the UK Finance Sector just confirms my fears. The cabinet says the government is protecting UK business, as if the only valid business in the UK is that of the finance sector. Agreed it has been allowed to grow out of all proportion in relation to other industries in this country, but isn't that exactly the problem? Surely what is required is unity amongst national governments in building up defences against the power that a rogue finance sector has accrued since deregulation?
I don't pretend to have any in-depth understanding of these matters, just the gut instincts of a non-comprehending outsider, to whom it looks like the Cabinet might be in the pocket of the City. And scanning up and down the street, it looks as if the elite of the art world might be quite comfortably at home here too.

Mandell's Gallery, Norwich

Girl with Bird on Feet, painted terracotta, 2011

Some recent small works will be included in a show at Mandell's Gallery, Elm Street, Norwich, featuring paintings by John Kiki. The show runs from 2nd - 29th October, 2011, Tues - Sat 10.00-17.00 hrs. For more information: www.mandellsgallery.co.uk.

FACING HARD TIMES

Alienation in the City, 2, watercolour, 2011

My watercolour above is included in Facing Hard Times, an international exhibition presented by Out of the Box Independent Curators at Greyfriars Art Space, 43 St. James, Kings Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 5BZ from 3rd - 15th October, 2011, 10.00-17.00 hrs.
For more information about Out of the Box, go to http://www.facebook.com/OOTB.Curators.