Journal of the mental environment
“We’re running an uncontrolled experiment on the only home we have.”
London is entombed in ice, New York submerged underwater and Paris burnt to a crisp. Giant violet-green toxic clouds float through Asian city-states, forcing the privileged survivors to wear respirators while traveling outdoors. African warlords pay mercenaries by the liter and kilogram; water and bullets are the only currencies left on the continent.
This is the type of imagery that surrounds the speculative discourse of our planet’s impending ecological disaster – a litany of possibilities that all point toward complete social and economic breakdown.
Such a provocative collection of futurist anxieties might compel and inspire the art world to critically examine our situation, its causes and potential solutions, yet artists have largely remained silent and seemingly disinterested.
The most obvious reason why artists have glossed over the issue comes down to the current state of the market. Crisis or no crisis, business has never been better and art has become the ultimate form of conspicuous consumption.
A shining example of this philosophical disarray is “For the Love of God,” Damien Hirst’s platinum-dipped human skull, outfitted with 8,601 flawless pavé diamonds. At once an ironic jab at what art has become and a calculated attempt to manipulate his own self-worth, Hirst reportedly sold the skull for a $100 million, cash in hand.
Although the skull is not without its obvious ethical complications, its creation and success reflects the nihilistic disposition of the art world’s newest and most influential players – the business elite. Hoarding art not for art’s sake or personal fascination, this newly dominant breed of collector views a work in the same vein as tradable stocks – appreciating assets that conveniently double as potential conversation pieces.
So how can today’s artists escape the vacuity of a culture corrupted by financial speculation and reassert their position as civilization’s radical reformers?
Groups like No.9: Contemporary Art & The Environment point us in the right direction. A curatorial agency that holds the belief that contemporary art can stimulate positive social and environmental change, No. 9 produces artistic projects aimed at inspiring public discussion on global warming. One such project is “Icelandic Love Corporation: Dynasty” – a series of photographs and video that imagines a near future where cold weather has become a luxury, prompting rich tourists to travel to Iceland in order to experience the world’s last bit of melting winter.
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Comments
Of course therer are artists whole tackle climate change, genocide and other big, serious, scary stuff. Because this art is not fetching big bucks in the world of art dealers and collectors is more a reflection of the values of the "cashed up" than on artists. Artist whos primary goal is to express and reflect the darker side of thing are likely not to give a rats arse for its commercial appeal.
The engines of popular culture built to make money. We know there is no money to be made selling doom. Is any of this really surprising?
Of course therer are artists whole tackle climate change, genocide and other big, serious, scary stuff. Because this art is not fetching big bucks in the world of art dealers and collectors is more a reflection of the values of the "cashed up" than on artists. Artist whos primary goal is to express and reflect the darker side of thing are likely not to give a rats arse for its commercial appeal.
The engines of popular culture built to make money. We know there is no money to be made selling doom. Is any of this really surprising?
I live in Arcata in northern California. For the past four years I've sponsored an exhibit I've named "Don't Get Angry, Get Creative" at The Ink People in Eureka. It's been quite popular here, but of course who cares what a bunch of dirty hippies think anyways.
I am frustrated by the lack of focus on wrongs by most artists these days, but understand that most artists need to earn a living, and most people would rather have a piece of art that makes them happy, then one that makes them angry and upset.
Botero, with his series on torture, has come closest to political art I've seen recently, but of course he was able to because his regular illustrations have been popular and made him a living...this allows him to indulge his political views in these series.
I don't think artists have a responsibility and act as "reformers" but I would like to see this issue tackled more often. If hoodies are a worthwhile issue for the world's artistic elite to analyze, then surely climate change is as well?
I would also love to buy a well-executed painting of new york underwater, that sounds like a beautiful image.
Doesn’t the decision to be a provocateur arise from a mixture of political, ethical and social sympathies? To suggest that the atavistic consumption of art is a blame best levied on artists is patently absurd – because as connected to the world as artists are, not all are interested in social change; some prefer documentation rather than involvement.
Which isn’t to say that artists are without (considerable) influence; it’s just that the artist-as-a-statesman has become a stock character. It’s like saying that all painters must reek like absinth and Molotov cocktails, while all writers should wear black turtlenecks and smoke. The fact that many artists do admirable work within their communities should not give them license to suggest that all artists must take same moral high road.
This sort of pedagogue is obviously written in a vein attempt to garner cheap controversy from its readership. More unsettling is that Mr. Haddow is helping to perpetuate a different kind of artistic elitism, albeit one with nobler goals.
From my experiences in public organizing, artists have often been the most devoted and engaged in local and global issues. I see generalizations being cast on the artist community with virtually no basis.
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