Undertakers Embalm it Better

Happy Halloween, everybody.

Hustle Hustle Hustle

There’s a good article by Elizabeth Shambelan in the recent issue of Artforum (Not on the web. You'll have to buy a copy) I was reading the other night. It’s broadly framed around a discussion of how the Pompidou center was essentially a tool of the French government to co-opt “the spirit of ‘68” in Paris, and thus stabilize and mitigate a burgeoning threat to their power. Sort of, "Look, we’re hip too!”

I won’t get too deeply into it, but focus of the article is a sociologist named Albert Meister who wrote a “what if” book about a bohemian, crunchy-granola and yoga society that builds a secret city below the then new museum and discards all traditional values. As Shambelan points out it’s a society based on refusal- the refusal to take part in the political system, the refusal to take part in the traditional social/corporate system. He predicts the rise of globalism and societies built on information technology. It all sounds very late 60s Utopian Society fuck The Man kind of idealism, but it got me thinking about the artist’s role in the “system.” It’s a very art school topic to discuss, and somewhat tired in most circles, but I think about this every year Miami Basel rolls around.

If the role of the artist is to reflect back upon society, to act as its mirror, how then is it possible to detach from the very system you should be available to critique once you’re part and parcel. Artists increasingly put their faith into the industrial mechanics of art commerce to gain a name and increase their audience. The model for this business is fairly standard now:


(Hit that image to see it larger)


I’ve used the classic business flowchart here because that’s what we’re talking about - capital 'B' Business. This isn’t a new concept. The blurry line between what’s commercially viable and what’s artistically significant is old hat. But in a society that is increasingly absorbed by a corporately sponsored reality, where the boundaries between the workplace and private life have all but dissolved, it begs the question: should the artist revolt against the business system of art. Should the practice of art be far more separate from a corporate identity than it’s become? The art stars of the world: the Hirsts, Currins, and Koons’ are the flagship products in what's become a big business. Even the quote unquote renegades like Dash Snow, Shepard Fairey, and Banksy, who often purport to criticize the business of art in their work are usually (willingly) co-opted by the very system they rail against. The seduction of legitimization at the hands of the gallery system is a powerful drug, Charlie Murphy.

Shouldn’t artists be the ones at the furthest margins of these machinations? I’m not arguing against corporations or big poppa business. People need jobs, and big markets need big companies. But with all the options available for connectivity, and the creativity inherent in the participants, I wonder why more viable and credible alternatives haven’t emerged to do the business of art. How do we detach from a system that's so firmly entrenched? Is this even an important question in the minds of most artists?

If I invent the new paradigm, I'll let you know. Maybe I can be the future CEO of big Art, Inc. (™)

Welcome to the Party

I’m pushing down the Friendsgiving post because God said it was ok. Also, I’ve been invited to the Young Republic Online Party. My name is Raymond. You guys are dope.

I’d like to think that being an artist is really important and maybe someday everyone will like me because I make such awesome and interesting work. My art will let them see the world the way I see it, and they’ll say “you’re right about that, that thing you said about the world. So fucking right.” Maybe being an artist will lead me down a path to riches that will allow me the personal freedom to live my life without boundaries while also satisfying my urge to make things. I’ll shoot art from my fingers. Artist friends will cover me like armor and we’ll talk about victory and how everybody has won. We won’t envy each other’s eyeballs out over the resource pile. I’ll look back from my rocking chair at one continuous episode of serious personal fulfillment time. I won’t be an art star and neither will anybody else. I’ll fucking rule.

To Do:

1) Post about a good article I read in Artofrum.
2) Generally wreck your shit.
3) Make Dinner

Our 4th event ever! Friendzgiving!!

For Immediate Release:
Opening November 17, 2007 8pm - 10pm
Location: The Joanna Gallery, 4014 Graustark, Houston TX http://www.thejoannawebsite.com/
Exhibition dates: November 17 - December 9, 2007
Contact: yrepublic@gmail.com www.youngrepublic.org

Friendzgiving 2007

The Young Republic is pleased to announce their 4th annual event "Friendzgiving." Continuing the four-year conceptual idea of art events based on holidays, Friendzgiving is set around the traditional American holiday of Thanksgiving. Friendzgiving is a time for friends, artists, writers and associates from around Texas to come together to cook and share a Thanksgiving dinner. While doing so, participants will make traditional Thanksgiving crafts including decorated pilgrim hats and turkey hands. The event will take place at Joanna Gallery, a gallery in a converted house with a full kitchen.

Friendzgiving dinner will be held on the 15th. The gallery opening on the 17th will display crafts made from the event, including video of the preparation and eating of the dinner. Leftovers will be served.

Each dinner participant has a dish to complete. No participant should spend more than $10 on ingredients.

Dinner menu:
Turkey
Stuffing
Cranberry sauce (jellied and fresh)
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Green bean casserole
Rolls
Pumpkin pie

Participants include:
Daniel Adame (stuffing)
Seth Alverson (turkey team)
Elaine Bradford (pie team)
Rachel Cook (sweet potatoes team)
Katie Haught (stuffing)
Cody Ledvina (rolls)
Lindsay Kayser (sweet potatoes team)
Gene Morgan (turkey team)
JoAnn Park (mashed potatoes team)
Brian Rod (green bean casserole)
Jenny Schlief (mashed potatoes team)
Gina Sonderegger (pie team)
Raymond Uhlir (turkey team)
Laura White (cranberry sauce)
Eric Zimmerman (green bean casserole)

It is the stated goal of the Young Republic to promote progressive thoughts and artistic expressions, and through the malleability of the organizational framework, do so in fresh and exciting ways. The conceptual structure of the Young Republic is not entirely dissimilar from the art that it promotes, changing to fit into the same progressive mind frame of the artists it exhibits. All coordinated events are prepared in hopes of creating a forum for the exchange of creative and invigorating discussion through performative events rooted in visual culture and the major fine arts.

Look Ma, I'm blogging

This is a blog about my last 24hrs. They were pretty arty. So, for some reason, i feel like i should blog, though i'm not really going to talk much about Art. Or maybe i am, i don't know. I'm new to this whole blogging thing.
Last night i had to give a presentation on my work at the Artist Saloon (i had to do this because 2 other artists cancelled at the last minute, don't even get me started on how much artists are annoying me these days.) Because of late notice and technical difficulties i showed slides that i loaded into the slide carousel in random order. It was kind of like putting your music on shuffle. But was fun, hopefully the audience agreed. For those of you who have never come to an Artist Saloon, you're seriously missing out. Free food, free booze, and all you have to do is listen to a few people talk about their work. It's good times, i swear. After the Saloon, i headed with some friends to my favorite bar Alice's Tall Texan. We drank, we talked about art, we drank some more. Needless to say, woke up this morning a little hung over.
When in this state of being, i need some serious breakfast. So we went to Telwink. This is the place to go to get more food than any normal person should ever eat in one sitting. This is an image of my breakfast feast. Followed by an image of how much of my feast i couldn't stuff in. (these two pics are the main reason i wanted to blog today.) The hashbrowns are the most fabulous greasy goodness. And they refer to pancakes as cookies. And the entire mess of food cost me something like $5.50.
After food, since JoAnn had me kidnapped by driving, we went to UH to go to a lecture by Ken Little. Ken has a show opening tomorrow at Finesilver, and everyone should go. His lecture was entertaining. He started off reading us an essay about his "utopia" which he wrote when he was 13. His utopia involved being a serious artist. He showed images of art he did in 1st grade. It made me want to go to my parents house and photograph crazy old work of mine and work it into my lecture. So expect that in the future.
While at UH i also stopped by JoAnn Park and Woody Golden's studios for little studio visits. I dont think i'm very good in studio visits, but i do like to see what my friends are up to, and try and talk it out with them.
Outside of the painting studios i saw this:
Don't know why the sign is there labeling it "student work", but, for some reason, i was highly entertained by the entire installation, especially the sign. Did they have to label it so people wouldnt throw it away? Did someone feel like they were being degrading by putting up the label? Was this a sign to show people where to place their work? I have no idea. And i dont care.
We also went through the shows at the Blaffer. I really kind of enjoyed the giant photos with wide west horizons, and always a bird somewhere, and one fantastic pair of cowboy boots. Nice. Amy Sillman was upstairs. I'm not sure what i think about these paintings. I wasn't all that into them. It looks like a lot of work i see these days. JoAnn really liked her color palette. I was reminded what a great space the Blaffer is. Beautiful white walls, seriously tall ceilings in one of the rooms. I've seen some good shows here. Too bad its on the campus of UH. And dont even get me started about the parking.
Since getting home from my art outing at UH, i've been trying to get some work done. And as soon as i finish this blog its back to the crochet and watching some baseball.

asian art mania

This is my very first time to blog. I'm a little bashful because my opinions aren't thought out very well. Jenny made an assignment for me because we both knew that I would never write anything otherwise, but now that it's finally happening I don't think I like this structure. Not that it's inherently bad- I just realized I don't have strong feelings about the subject of the assignment. Whatever, it's something to write about. Asian art at the MFAH. Does anyone care anymore? I feel like I'm riding the last sad wave of hype. The parties are over and the opening seems like it was months ago (maybe it was, I haven't done any research). I did see the show though, two times in fact. Is it still up? Echoing what I've heard about it before, I think my first impression was a sense of claustrophobia. Lots of work crammed in a space. All of the work I wanted to get close to was hung too high to see. Lots of colors. Lots of paintings. My favorite piece is the sculpture of the famous (Chinese?) lady with her throat slit wide open. I like bloody work, go figure. Everything in this show is very Asian. The only thing I wonder is if this collection is an accurate sample of whats going on in that continent, or if its the equivalent of a foreign collector coming to the states and buying nothing but work with red white and blue motifs. Why did they put up that Zane Lewis piece? It wasn't there the first time I saw the show. Congratulations to the Chaneys for buying so many colorful things.

My faves

Because Jenny gave the assignment to blog about our top 10 artists, i'm gonna do it. This is my list. Sure it consists of a few of my friends, but what can i say, i love the work they are doing right now. I reserve the right to amend my list at any time, but as of today, here it goes, in alphabetical order so as not to hurt anyones feelings:

1. Sterling Allen
2. Justin Boyd
3. Maurizio Cattelan
4. Christo and Jeanne-Claude
5. Lygia Clark
6. Mark Newport
7. Helio Oiticica
8. Dario Robleto
9. Tyler Rowland
10. Mel Ziegler

The image is ‘bidibidobidiboo’, 1996 © maurizio cattelan. I use it not as an indication of his being above anyone else on the list, but because i have a soft spot for taxidermy squirrels at the moment, considering i have one on my couch in the other room, as i type this.

Because i love top 10 lists, you can expect to get alot from me. You asked for it. Or at least Jenny did.