On 2007-01-27 23:24, Tamapoutini wrote:
Wickid! Now here's something to distract us from our tiki making (deep/meaningful/challenging or otherwise)
Many good points made, too many to go quoting them all, so here goes my rambling subjective 2c on the 'objectives' of tiki-art & art/craft in general...
Art is Art.
Some has a 'message', some does not. Some is made simply to 'look pretty', some is produced with social commentary in mind. (isnt it amusing that lowbrow or craftwork is the recipient of such debate; surely by its very nature such work should slip under the radar of serious art discussion..?)
As a fulltime artist/craftsperson I can fully appreciate that not all work is created with a view to change the world. We all have to eat & it doesnt take long to figure out that 'pretty things' generally sell better than Earth-shattering/thought-provoking things. This leads me to conclude that there are more people in the world who like pretty things than there are art-appreciators wishing to be challenged. I personally would love to be producing work that would grab your balls Hewey, but suspect that a living would be very hard to achieve in doing so. :lol: I think that those rare artists & pieces that confront (*even the lowly craftsman sometimes indulges in creating something less pretty & more ball-grabbing) are the precious gems of the art realm. It is perhaps their rarity that lends the punch; if we were all producing deep n meaningful all of the time, it probably wouldnt seem so deep n meaningful..?
There is also the problem of offence. Stray too far away from Pretty & you're bound to piss someone off. Not the end of the world you might say; try it I say! I have had a few disgruntled windowshoppers for relatively minor offences I thought: it can be very difficult to weather an attack from a complete stranger over something close to your heart & much easier (& less frequant) to let slide similar comments on less Serious work. Another reason for its' rarity..?
Jump: I agree fully with Capt'n Scullys comment on a collection (of supposedly 'lowbrow' art) often making a statement in itself & in practice this relates to a point Paipo makes - One tiki lollipop might just be a tacky souvenir: stick six of them on a board & all of a sudden you have a commentary on the misappropriation of cultural identity. Where/when does an object or image become Art? Is it simply the artists intent? What would happen if you put 1000 of those lollipops on a mountain top? or set fire to them? etc...
My take on the great art/craft debate is that ART is in the eye of the beholder AND/OR in the intent of the maker.
-Is a 'bad' painter still an artist..? What about a 'good'/technically proficiant painter who only paints bowls of fruit (even if photo-realistic); is his/her work art or craft? Does it have to be provocative to be considered art? What if the artists intention is simply to produce a laugh? Is amusing art, real art?
Also, surely a 'good' painter is a Master of his 'craft'..? Just a thought.
It does get a bit confusing which is probably why it has been such a long standing debate.
If someone can see the art behind a tiki mug; great! If someone else thinks it is just a dumb old mug; well thats just as valid -to them! I believe there is meaning behind almost anything if you put your mind to it. Maybe the real litmus test for an artist is in having the intention reach the viewer in the form in which it was intended?
I think most people would agree that Great Art is a combination of both; well made & at least interesting, if not necessarily challenging. I agree any sort of commentary beyond a pretty depiction or recreation is of value. If you are saddened by a particular tiki-bar being demolished, go right ahead; make a statement to that effect. One way to give the arts a shot in the arm, is to give it a shot in the arm...
Jump: Hitler & the Swastika (swas-tiki?) What of it? It happened. And to use his image is a provocative thing for sure. But what of it? If it is too unnerving, dont use it. Or if someone else has used it in a work & you dont like it, then dont look at it and/or dont buy it, and/or buy it and stick it on a mountaintop/set fire to it - whatever. I agree with the Rev; 'artistic anarchy' is just as valid as anything else.
There you go; a bit of a ramble. Wish I had some rum. Or some Tequila for that matter; now that stuff brings out the artist (and the controversy) in me!
Take care. Make art. Make tikis. Original ones. Drink. Think. Dont think. Dont drink. Whatever.
How about a tiki-poetry thread? A drunken tiki-poetry thread? (tiki poetry written whilst drunk or poems written about drunken tikis - or drunken tiki artists/craftspeople?)
You guys are crazy! Or are you just drunk? :lol:
TTT :)
