Barely There –MOCAD’s mission accomplished

For a college final exam, I worked with a group of students to conceive of and participate in a performance art piece. We clashed on every idea. Our final idea frustrated me, because I thought it was devoid of any conceptual or artistic merit.
The day of the final we were in the fine arts building’s basement. I only remember one other performance. One group displayed a very detailed, beautiful drawing. Then each group member took a turn and erased the drawing (I only later discovered this concept mirrored a conceptual piece by Robert Rauschenberg where he erased a William de Kooning drawing). I remember vaguely the other groups who had elaborate videos and performances.
My group turned the lights off, and then we took turns and walked across the floor- - the floor was dirty with sand and the room was cavernous. We all had different cadences—someone kicked a plastic ball – and at the end we all walked together in a muffled shifting through the room. In his class critique, the professor described our work as monotonous, frustrating, and borderline pointless. This, in his viewpoint, showed that we understood contemporary art and we received an A.
We deserved a D. Actually, in this professor’s contemporary art philosophy, we deserved an A. In my view, we deserved a D --- maybe a C.
I believe that there are two sides to conceptual art (at least for me to write about the subject, it is easier if I can simplify conceptual art into two categories). On one side, there are artists that demand that you contemplate deep issues through an unfamiliar, creative new language – their language to tell, or better yet, open up a dialogue of questions about difficult concepts. On the other side, there are artists that demand that you acquiesce to them knowing better. They are smarter than you. They think deeper than you. They are Artists, and you are not. This group irritates me since they often rehash ideas that other artists explored at the conceptual art’s birth. An idea can only be original once. So these artists bask in self-importance while they skim the top of substantive issues, which results in an insult to the viewer and to their predecessors in this field.
In my view, Barely There is great because you get to see both sides. In fact, I believe that you can get an immersive education in conceptual art if you attend Barely There.
My review of the show breaks down the pieces showcased by Barely There into three categories. First, I discuss one of the important historical pieces. Second, I discuss one piece that frustrates me, and which adds to the discussion regarding the purpose of conceptual art and the duty of the artist who puts forward conceptual art. Third and finally, I discuss two pieces that inspire me and sparked a conversation in my head about what is good about conceptual art. Because this show hits all three of these categories, I think it is a brilliant example of MOCAD’s mission to educate the public.
Art History
The show’s cornerstone piece is a pivotal video in conceptual art, the World Question Center, 1969. James Lee Byars created this piece. His performance work shows the value in conceptual art. It can force us to ask questions and add substance to what may be the seemingly mundane of the everyday. Namely, all of us have questions, none of us have sufficient answers, and this highlights the beauty of communal interaction. The piece consists of a group of artists, which includes Byars, who sat at a call-in center. Prior to the live broadcast on Belgian T.V., various intellectuals were asked to call into the broadcast with an important question. And that was it. Byars merely acknowledged the questions—Byers offered no answers.
Art Misery
There is one piece that is merely a blue pen without a cap positioned at an angle by a red pen cap. It is by Wilfredo Prieto and titled Infidelity. While it invokes an initial laugh at its title’s implication, this piece falls flat as an original conceptual piece when compared with the other pieces in the show. In my mind, this piece fails because it echoes Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain. In 1917, Marcel Duchamp entered a urinal into a show and titled the urinal Fountain. Through this act, Duchamp expressed his belief that the artist defines the art and not the viewer. He selected the urinal, he positioned it at a different angle, he created a new context for the object, and through this process he highlighted the value of the artist’s intellectual analysis of an object (his “readymades”) in contrast to an artist’s physical ability to create a piece of art. How does Infidelity add to this important piece?
I enjoy conceptual art, but the artist needs to challenge himself or herself before I can appreciate his or her particular idea. As noted, these discussions and these types of questions are only original once.
Art Ecstasy
There are two pieces that highlight particularly deep thought by extraordinarily unique and creative voices. The first is a remarkable multiple faceted piece that the artist presents in several stages. The artist was inspired by his thoughts on his father’s death. The artist is Pablo Helguera and the piece is titled Endingness, 2005. The artist provides an essay on memory, death, and his art practice. He also provides a movable art sculpture, which consists of geometrical shapes. The shapes are made of wax and framed with wood and the artist carved his essay into the wax. You can see the artist’s hand at work, and you can see an artist that is open emotionally to let viewers experience the artist’s process as the artist explores difficult questions. The final element is an orchestral score that the Detroit Symphony Orchestra performed at MOCAD.
The second piece was Love Lettering, 2002, by the brother and sister art team Rivane and Sergio Neuenschwander. Rivane is the sister artist, and her brother Sergio is a neuroscientist. This is a beautifully quiet piece. This collaboration illustrates what is great about conceptual art. It engrosses viewers through a single-channel video where color saturated fish swim through the screen with pieces of a love letter attached to their tails. The words are taken out of context, which highlights fleeting, fragmented memories of love and lost. You get the tragic sense of someone that tries to grasp a beautiful memory, yet is unable to grasp it fully. The piece also has an organic, industrial soundtrack, which accompanies the piece without competing with the gentle and quiet ephemeral strength of the main imagery of the piece.
There are other pieces, but these are the ones that resonated with me the most. The piece that frustrated me the most also sparked the most discussions after I saw the show a second time. Does that fact validate it? Please see the show and let me know your thoughts.

June newsletter for Kelly and Colin Darke

Sibling Revelry: colin & kelly's art

Show Closings: This is the last week to see a selection of pieces from Kelly's series: Daily Visual Journal, showing at St. Johns VanElslander Cancer Center - You have only a few days to view the work before it is taken down on June 30th, 2011 - located at: St. Johns VanElslander Cancer Center 22101 Moross Road, Grosse Pointe, MI (313) 647-3000 hours are Mon. - Fri. 7am - 5pm, but please call first to make sure they are open. The Wordplay show at the Grosse Pointe Art Center closes July 9, 2011 (they are showing Colin's work Hope Halted--shown above.) The Grosse Pointe Art Center is located at: 16900 Kercheval Rd. Grosse Pointe, Michigan 48230 hours are Tue - Sat: 12 noon - 6 pm Closed Sunday and Mon

New Media Please join Kelly on her new Facebook fan page, Kelly Darke - Fine Art, for up to date information about new completed artwork, artwork in progress, links to interesting artists and art related information. click here:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelly-Darke-Fine-Art/136573807574

New Projects Kelly is excited to announce a new project that she is working on that involves embroidery and formal gowns - like a bridesmaid dress... If you, or someone you know, has a dress that could be donated to her project, please contact her for more information. Also, if you donate a dress Kelly will donate 10% of her commission of the sale of the dress to a charity of your choice. More information about this project is coming soon. Colin is preparing for a solo show and lecture at MSU College of Law.  The show will be up throughout the Fall, and the opening and lecture will take place on October 12, 2011, 5:00 p.m., at 368 Law College Building, East Lansing, Michigan 48824. The show will consist of selected pieces from Colin's Hope Against Odds series of paintings and his Rule of Law series of paintings.

New Work Kelly has a new painting for sale at Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/listing/76417939/garden-original-oil-on-canvas Garden - oil painting on canvas - 48" wide by 30" tall - original $4,300 prints of this painting are available through these sites: http://kellydarke.artistwebsites.com http://kellydarke.fineartamerica.com

my top 5 studio killers this past week:

1. Sunshine! after two months of rain I couldn't resist some time in the sun...

2. Graduation parties

3. Carnival!

4. Twitter - tons of fun, but I get lost for hours reading and following links...

this ivy needs some serious help! little webby type stuff killing it, help!

5. my garden

Work-in-progress re Egypt #art #Detroit #ruleoflaw

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links to inspiration resources I've discovered recently...

blogs and books I've been stumbling across while taking the Blast Off class with Alyson Stanfield:

Mike Dooley and Notes from the Universe

37Days

Ali Brown

Jack Canfield book The Success Principles

4 hour work week

The Domino Project

Ralph Waldo Emerson writing prompts - trust30 - 30 day writing challenge ralphwaldoemerson.me

taking action, or not

I was talking with a friend the other day about my art career and how I was taking a class with Alyson Stanfield to help my career Blast Off. I explained how I have a difficult time following through on my art projects since I don't have the deadlines and assignments of school - I want to finish them, but for whatever reasons, I don't. My friend asked if perhaps I was afraid of something. Hmmm, that's the second time that question has come up in recent weeks.

Is it really so scary to fail? or succeed? Or even try? It seems ridiculous to be afraid of success, but I suppose that would mean change and taking responsibility for your life - both of which are difficult and frightening. Our brains are so wired to stay within our comfort zone that when we are challenged, even by our own ideas and projects, we become anxious and uncomfortable, perhaps making our idea seem not so great anymore. Suddenly, there are seemingly good reasons why such idea might not work: it would take too much time, I don't have the right tools or materials, someone else probably thought of it already, or it's just a dumb idea anyway. So, as these 'very legitimate' (not really) reasons surface, we let our once great idea fade into the back of our memory only to resurface months or years later to which we say to ourselves, hey, that's a great idea, why didn't I ever do that? Oh that's right, it would take too much time, I don't have the right tools or materials, someone else probably thought of it already, or it's just a dumb idea anyway.

And so we keep ourselves within our comfort zone endlessly. I would like to think that we can decide to move beyond this state of inaction by taking the necessary steps to make change gradually and for the better. As I have been doing the lessons in the Blast Off class I have followed links to a variety of blogs and books that talk specifically about making these changes in a very deliberate way, not waiting for the right time or a bolt of inspiration, but taking action, every day, a little at a time. So, I'm taking steps, every day, to make some changes - so, if you notice my situation is the same next year as today, kick me.

making progress... a little bit at a time

latest Stitched Sketch... and amazing fiber art by Amanda McCavour

quick image of my latest stitched sketch...

There are a handful of blogs I check regularly for inspiration and information about fiber artists and exhibits - one of them is little yellow birds written by fiber artist Joetta Maue. Today, Joetta posted images by fiber artist Amanda McCavour - her work is amazing!  She creates sculptural pieces with thread only! You must check out her website. She is exhibiting in the show Play curated by Joetta Maue - showing until June 24th, 2011 at the Textile Center in Brooklyn, NY

iPhone flower

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Pic of newest painting

Here are some pictures of my piece Hope Halted at the Grosse Pointe Art Center's latest show, Word Play








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Great idea! Http://hatchdetroit.com

Two young professionals in Detroit just launched a brilliant program to boost Detroit -- namely, you come up with the brilliant idea for retail space in Detroit, let the crowd vet your idea, and if you win you get $50k in startup capital.


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