How @Twitter can be your muser and abuser in #art

There’s a lot of haters out there. Just ask artist Jason Wing who used tweets as the foundation of beautiful letterpress artwork House Wigger that was on show at the Casula Powerhouse. The tirade of abuse for being Aboriginal is raw and uncomfortable and leaves a lasting impression. Like this one from JohnBoy “I guess he used his fat nose to help hold his breath … Continue reading How @Twitter can be your muser and abuser in #art

Death in Venice. How I died from overwrought, self-indulgent art.

If you’ve read Death in Venice by Thomas Mann, you’ll know the protagonist Gustav von Aschenbach dies a self-indulgent painted-fool blinded by his passions. Walking the canals of Venice, I can’t help but think so many of the exhibits at La Biennale reflect a similar foolishness. Tangles of wire cabling and crushed plasterboard are not art, even if you fill an enormous room full of … Continue reading Death in Venice. How I died from overwrought, self-indulgent art.

There’s a lot of shit at @la_Biennale but Grisha #Bruskin is crazy wild #art #videoart

I’m going to say it straight out. There’s a lot of shit at the Venice Biennale. Two planks nailed to a wall? Shit. Self-indulgent video of artist? Shit. So much of it reminds me of the Emporer’s New Clothes by Hans Christian Anderson. The wonderful thing about there being so much shit is that the brilliant work stands out like a beacon in a storm. By … Continue reading There’s a lot of shit at @la_Biennale but Grisha #Bruskin is crazy wild #art #videoart

Painting of a dead koala

You will never succeed as an #artist without someone to tell you you’re shit.

You see it on Instagram all the time, artist’s posting their latest work, getting thumbs up and endless praise. None of those followers say ‘You’re shit’ – or very few of them. I’ve seen an endless amount of rubbish being gushed over like it’s the new The women of Algiers. As artists, our insecurities mean we love praise, we need it, hunger for it, but … Continue reading You will never succeed as an #artist without someone to tell you you’re shit.