Comments for Sustainability and Contemporary Art http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com exhibitions / ideas / events / inspirations Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:29:01 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on The Growing Stockpile of Contemporary Art by Dr. Mariella Remund http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/the-growing-stockpile-of-contemporary-art-2/#comment-98 Dr. Mariella Remund Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:29:01 +0000 http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com/?p=90#comment-98 Emperors without Clothes Did it ever happen to you to be in a contemporary art exhibition and think: „I can paint that“, or „this installation looks like my garage“, or just „I don’t get it“. As I walk through modern art museums and exhibitions where paintings are painted upside down, where I can hardly find any harmony in the composition let alone a message or inspiration in the artwork, I am wondering whether I am the only one to feel this way. I remember walking through empty museum rooms blocked by a thin metal barrier, or wondering why the cleaning service had forgotten to remove the black spot on the floor just to discover later on that was the work of art. I am asking myself how decadent we have become, and how influenced we are in our taste and sensibility to make them depending on the comments of few art critics who celebrate such works as highest art form and expression. The most astonishing phenomenon to me is not that these works are exhibited and have achieved fame and a high commercial value, but that most of my fellow museums’ visitors are in awe in front of these works, and admire how a metal line between two walls in an empty room may mean anything beyond being a metal line. I remember watching with fascination how three elegant ladies obediently took off their Gucci shoes to wear a pair of dubious felt slippers to enter an installation made by a crushed wooden crate where inside a half living room was reproduced. As I was musing that probably a visit to IKEA would be more rewarding than admiring the crushed living room, I heard the “aaahs” and “oooohs” of the ladies inside the wooden crate. At this point I want to ask: is anyone ever going to say: “These Emperors have no clothes!” is ever an art critic going to state that she sees no clothes on these artists and that such installations, digitally reworked compositions, upside down paintings and sculptures are an imposition on museums, galleries’ visitors. I have the highest understanding for the cleaning service of a famous museum who disposed of a heap of metal and wood on the floor of the museum, and delivered it to the local discharge. When have the curators of such exhibitions stopped to consider that it is all about the emotions raised in the visitors, it is not about the “objects”, i.e. paintings or installations, it is about giving the sense of belonging to the visitors in order to create a sustainable fulfilling art experience which touches not only the eyes but also and mainly the hearts of the people. About Dr. M.C. Remund is co-founder and partner of Kunstmuseum Gehrke-Remund in Baden Baden, Germany. The Kunstmuseum Gehrke-Remund is a privately owned art museum dedicated to Frida Kahlo showing 111 oil pantings of the Mexican artist (licensed replicas from: © Banco de México Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo Museums Trust / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2008. The exhibition has the most complete collection of Frida Kahlo oil paintings worldwide Emperors without Clothes

Did it ever happen to you to be in a contemporary art exhibition and think: „I can paint that“, or „this installation looks like my garage“, or just „I don’t get it“.
As I walk through modern art museums and exhibitions where paintings are painted upside down, where I can hardly find any harmony in the composition let alone a message or inspiration in the artwork, I am wondering whether I am the only one to feel this way.
I remember walking through empty museum rooms blocked by a thin metal barrier, or wondering why the cleaning service had forgotten to remove the black spot on the floor just to discover later on that was the work of art.
I am asking myself how decadent we have become, and how influenced we are in our taste and sensibility to make them depending on the comments of few art critics who celebrate such works as highest art form and expression.

The most astonishing phenomenon to me is not that these works are exhibited and have achieved fame and a high commercial value, but that most of my fellow museums’ visitors are in awe in front of these works, and admire how a metal line between two walls in an empty room may mean anything beyond being a metal line. I remember watching with fascination how three elegant ladies obediently took off their Gucci shoes to wear a pair of dubious felt slippers to enter an installation made by a crushed wooden crate where inside a half living room was reproduced. As I was musing that probably a visit to IKEA would be more rewarding than admiring the crushed living room, I heard the “aaahs” and “oooohs” of the ladies inside the wooden crate.

At this point I want to ask: is anyone ever going to say: “These Emperors have no clothes!” is ever an art critic going to state that she sees no clothes on these artists and that such installations, digitally reworked compositions, upside down paintings and sculptures are an imposition on museums, galleries’ visitors.
I have the highest understanding for the cleaning service of a famous museum who disposed of a heap of metal and wood on the floor of the museum, and delivered it to the local discharge.

When have the curators of such exhibitions stopped to consider that it is all about the emotions raised in the visitors, it is not about the “objects”, i.e. paintings or installations, it is about giving the sense of belonging to the visitors in order to create a sustainable fulfilling art experience which touches not only the eyes but also and mainly the hearts of the people.

About
Dr. M.C. Remund is co-founder and partner of Kunstmuseum Gehrke-Remund in Baden Baden, Germany.
The Kunstmuseum Gehrke-Remund is a privately owned art museum dedicated to Frida Kahlo showing 111 oil pantings of the Mexican artist (licensed replicas from: © Banco de México Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo Museums Trust / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2008. The exhibition has the most complete collection of Frida Kahlo oil paintings worldwide

]]> Comment on Going Nuclear at the RSA by Diy Solar Panel http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com/2008/11/30/going-nuclear-at-the-rsa/#comment-81 Diy Solar Panel Tue, 14 Jul 2009 05:44:00 +0000 http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com/?p=49#comment-81 Nuclear fusion has a place in society whether it be for energy and research. But for art I am not so sure! Nuclear fusion has a place in society whether it be for energy and research. But for art I am not so sure!

]]> Comment on Interview about Art and Sustainability by News Room :: Interview about Art and Sustainability « Sustainability and Contemporary Art http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com/2009/06/30/interview-about-art-and-sustainability/#comment-79 News Room :: Interview about Art and Sustainability « Sustainability and Contemporary Art Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:05:36 +0000 http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com/?p=70#comment-79 [...] via Interview about Art and Sustainability « Sustainability and Contemporary Art. [...] [...] via Interview about Art and Sustainability « Sustainability and Contemporary Art. [...]

]]> Comment on Interview about Art and Sustainability by Interview about Art and Sustainability « Sustainability and Contemporary Art | The Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com/2009/06/30/interview-about-art-and-sustainability/#comment-78 Interview about Art and Sustainability « Sustainability and Contemporary Art | The Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:51:39 +0000 http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com/?p=70#comment-78 [...] via Interview about Art and Sustainability « Sustainability and Contemporary Art. [...] [...] via Interview about Art and Sustainability « Sustainability and Contemporary Art. [...]

]]> Comment on Art in the Age of Global Warming by H.-N. Völz http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com/2007/02/19/art-in-the-age-of-global-warming/#comment-74 H.-N. Völz Sun, 17 May 2009 11:20:05 +0000 http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com/?p=32#comment-74 The artist work about this themes. The artist work about this themes.

]]> Comment on Going Nuclear at the RSA by diy solar panels, earth4energy http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com/2008/11/30/going-nuclear-at-the-rsa/#comment-59 diy solar panels, earth4energy Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:00:15 +0000 http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com/?p=49#comment-59 that's quite risk to do. that’s quite risk to do.

]]> Comment on Going Nuclear at the RSA by Maja & Reuben Fowkes http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com/2008/11/30/going-nuclear-at-the-rsa/#comment-58 Maja & Reuben Fowkes Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:35:07 +0000 http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com/?p=49#comment-58 Thanks for the clarification of your approach, it still though seems to be right that Half-life presents quite a positive image of nuclear fusion. I found it interesting that, with the exception of your presentation, the point of view of pro-nuclear ecologists (like Lovelock) was not loudly voiced at the Nuclear Forum, which was the overall drift of the commentary. Thanks for the clarification of your approach, it still though seems to be right that Half-life presents quite a positive image of nuclear fusion. I found it interesting that, with the exception of your presentation, the point of view of pro-nuclear ecologists (like Lovelock) was not loudly voiced at the Nuclear Forum, which was the overall drift of the commentary.

]]> Comment on Going Nuclear at the RSA by Chris Oakley http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com/2008/11/30/going-nuclear-at-the-rsa/#comment-57 Chris Oakley Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:31:30 +0000 http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com/?p=49#comment-57 I read with interest your comments about my film Half-Life and presentation at the RSA. Whilst you are welcome to your opinion of the work and my approach unfortunately some your comments are factually incorrect and misleading in a number of areas. Whilst you are welcome to your opinion of the work and my approach, I think you'll find that I directly referenced that Harwell was founded to provide Britain with a nuclear threat in the opening of my presentation, rather than in some way made an embarrassed admission in response to audience presentation, as you imply. I also spoke about the fact that Harwell (and not Culham) did attempt to steer the direction of the materials offered to me. The starting point for the project was to attempt to re-frame the political position of nuclear energy in the highly polarised debates that exist around this issue, both in the UK and abroad. Has James Lovelock, for example, in his recent advocation of nuclear energy as a realistic measure to mitigate the effects of climate change, also fallen somehow under the spell of the nuclear industry PR? I read with interest your comments about my film Half-Life and presentation at the RSA. Whilst you are welcome to your opinion of the work and my approach unfortunately some your comments are factually incorrect and misleading in a number of areas. Whilst you are welcome to your opinion of the work and my approach, I think you’ll find that I directly referenced that Harwell was founded to provide Britain with a nuclear threat in the opening of my presentation, rather than in some way made an embarrassed admission in response to audience presentation, as you imply. I also spoke about the fact that Harwell (and not Culham) did attempt to steer the direction of the materials offered to me. The starting point for the project was to attempt to re-frame the political position of nuclear energy in the highly polarised debates that exist around this issue, both in the UK and abroad. Has James Lovelock, for example, in his recent advocation of nuclear energy as a realistic measure to mitigate the effects of climate change, also fallen somehow under the spell of the nuclear industry PR?

]]> Comment on The Art of Making Do with Enough by arash http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com/2006/09/30/the-art-of-making-do-with-enough/#comment-56 arash Sun, 07 Dec 2008 22:18:10 +0000 http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com/?p=33#comment-56 Hi, Great article, thanks. I referred to this article on my blog. Hope it is OK. Thanks Arash http://beyondcontemporary.wordpress.com/ Hi,
Great article, thanks. I referred to this article on my blog. Hope it is OK.

Thanks
Arash

http://beyondcontemporary.wordpress.com/

]]> Comment on Going Nuclear at the RSA by Solarbud http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com/2008/11/30/going-nuclear-at-the-rsa/#comment-54 Solarbud Mon, 01 Dec 2008 06:43:26 +0000 http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com/?p=49#comment-54 I have no problem creating Art using nuclear fusion. I have no problem creating Art using nuclear fusion.

]]> Comment on Sensuous Resistance: The Legacy of Modernism for Sustainable Art by Hamish Buchanan http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com/2007/07/30/sensuous-resistance-the-legacy-of-modernism-for-sustainable-art/#comment-6 Hamish Buchanan Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:08:51 +0000 http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com/?p=25#comment-6 Belief in the rigidity of the divide between autonomous art and instrumental art is as tedious and destructive as the religious and political fundamentalisms it purports to replace but never can. It serves only to protect existing hierarchies from the real risk, mess and glory of engaging with the full spectrum of human experience and meaning, which necessarily includes the social and the spiritual, the vulgar and the frivolous. It is an excuse, a euphemism, a crutch. Belief in the rigidity of the divide between autonomous art and instrumental art is as tedious and destructive as the religious and political fundamentalisms it purports to replace but never can. It serves only to protect existing hierarchies from the real risk, mess and glory of engaging with the full spectrum of human experience and meaning, which necessarily includes the social and the spiritual, the vulgar and the frivolous. It is an excuse, a euphemism, a crutch.

]]> Comment on Art in the Age of Global Warming by Border Crossing Stats » Art in the Age of Global Warming Sustainability and Contemporary Art http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com/2007/02/19/art-in-the-age-of-global-warming/#comment-2 Border Crossing Stats » Art in the Age of Global Warming Sustainability and Contemporary Art Mon, 10 Mar 2008 19:30:20 +0000 http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com/?p=32#comment-2 [...] Get more information about this from the author here [...] [...] Get more information about this from the author here [...]

]]> Comment on Unframed Landscapes by Mr WordPress http://artandsustainability.wordpress.com/2004/07/08/hello-world/#comment-1 Mr WordPress Tue, 08 Jan 2008 22:55:34 +0000 #comment-1 Hi, this is a comment.<br />To delete a comment, just log in, and view the posts' comments, there you will have the option to edit or delete them. Hi, this is a comment.
To delete a comment, just log in, and view the posts’ comments, there you will have the option to edit or delete them.

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