Main Concept
I am going to explore the relationship between the consumer and the consumed, the art object and the observer of art. I am interested in the moment of time that the viewer is captured, while viewing the artwork, in particular with luxury and high end art work. What motivates me is the thought that art can be portrayed as a commodity and as a status symbol within our society, and I wish to investigate the process of buying and selling art and the art market. I will also question whether the consumption of art as a luxury is society’s downfall, or if it is what makes art so successful.
This interests me as I feel awe when I see artwork like Balloon Dog Orange by Jeff Koons (1994 - 2000) sell for 58.4 million dollars (Popham, 2013) as if it is a one off piece by a desirable brand like Chanel, or a precious valuable material. I am also interested in the pricing and selling of art as it compares to a business, and I want to make this connection apparent to the viewer. This is because I feel curators of commercial galleries underpin pricing based on reputation and brand name of the artist.
Methodology
I will utilise skills such as sculpture, painting, video and installation for the production of work during the course this year, as I feel I work best with mixed media and it will enable me to create an atmosphere and experience for the viewer. I will explore more interactive, digital art which is a new avenue for me, as this is a media that can be exploited to ‘perfection’.
I aim to create a motion-sensor based art work that follows the viewer’s movements. When the viewer moves, the image moves, and it will act like an interactive conversation between the viewer and the art work. The work will be a digital piece, projected onto a large screen or sculptural painting. I will use existing digital art skills and also learn new ways of working, with new software. For example, the Xbox Kinect sensor will allow me to create something capable of tracking and responding to the viewer’s movements.
I will create a gallery full of mesmerizing art that is not for sale with the intention to deceive the viewer, or consumer. A placebo art market that deceives the tastes of its consumer.
Context
My practice relates to the context of the exhibition, the commercial gallery and luxury. The broader cultural context for my work is the fact that I feel, within today’s society, commercial galleries and art fairs can be biased and treat art as a business, and therefore certain artists can become brands. I hope for my work to expose this side of art to the public and the art viewer.
Within my gallery the art will depict precious materials reacting against each other, for example, I have worked with silver paint and black ink to cause a reaction. Another piece within the gallery may be a play on shipping stickers names to manipulate the process of selling art. In the past I have used the tone silver, and this has become a strong aesthetic identity throughout my practice, as silver connects my work to ‘luxury’ and therefore I will continue with this style.
Other artists making work in similarly to myself would be Andy Warhol for his approach to business-art (Revolver Gallery, 2015). His ‘Campbell Soup Cans’, (Warhol, 1962), and ‘Brillo Box’ (Warhol, 1964), both comment on mass production and consumption within society.
Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst are both examples of artists who I admire for their business strategies in producing and selling their art for the consumer, and the way they have built brand names by doing this.
An artwork that inspired the interactive and digital concept for my work this year is, ‘Flowers and people – Dark’, (2015), by teamLab. “This artwork is rendered in 'real time' by a computer program. The interaction between the viewer and the installation causes continuous change in the artwork.” (teamLab, 2015).
Initial Plan
Research more about business art, buying and selling and pricing of art within the commercial gallery, or the art market.
Research working with motion sensors, experiment using an Xbox Kinect sensor, get advice from people in interactive design.
Experiment with creating my own commercial gallery as an installation. Each art work connecting with aspects of consumerism, or playing on the fact that it is a product, playing on the consumers tastes.
Bibliography
Artworks
Koons, J. (1994-2000) Balloon Dog Orange. London: Anthony d'Offay Gallery. Available from http://41.media.tumblr.com/a1bd4798707ec7804626531e9cf7c0db/tumblr_mw6hh9yDLT1r29uz6o2_r1_1280.jpg [Accessed 29/09/16].
TeamLab (2015) Flowers and People – Dark. https://www.team-lab.net/works/flowerandpeople-dark Accessed 29/09/16].
Warhol, A. (1962) Campbell Soup Cans. New York: Museum of Modern Art. Available from https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/andy-warhol-campbells-soup-cans-1962 [Accessed 02/10/16].
Warhol, A. (1964) Brillo Box (Soap Pads). New York: Museum of Modern Art. Available from http://www.moma.org/collection/works/81384 [Accessed 02/10/16].
Newspaper Article Online
Popham, P (2013) So what is it about Jeff Koons that has so captured art world’s imagination as Balloon Dog sells for record $58m? Independent, 15 November. Available from http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/so-what-is-it-about-jeff-koons-that-has-so-captured-art-world-s-imagination-as-balloon-dog-sells-for-8943284.html [Accessed 02/10/16].
Websites
Revolver Gallery (2015) Andy Warhol Screenprints – The Process and History. Revolver Gallery. Available from http://revolverwarholgallery.com/andy-warhol-screenprints-process-history/ [Accessed 01/10/16].
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