Janet Kaiser on mon 25 feb 02
Well, seeing you asked...
Far from rotating in his place of rest, Will Turner would no doubt
empathise entirely with the winning artist... Having left the
masterpieces of his early and middle period behind, Turner turned to
painting what we today consider his best work... Based on his own
experience (in itself considered an eccentricity at the time) out in
the country and at sea (he was the one who was tied to a mast in a
storm) at home and abroad, his main aim was to capture the quality of
light in his later paintings. This he achieved admirably and in a
totally innovative way... However, his patrons, fellow artists, art
critics and other contemporaries considered him to be totally mad and
certifiable.
The winner of this year's Turner prize actually proposed a very
different work, but cost, time, technical constraints, etc. prevented
him from actually producing the piece. That the submitted
"tongue-in-cheek" entry actually won, was not surprising... The Turner
prize has become one of those national battle grounds which everyone
takes a delight in talking about and slandering. From shaking of heads
in cross bewilderment to great academic enthusiasm, at least it gets
contemporary art into the news... Even the front page of newspapers,
which do not have an art editor. I think that is cool.
In actual fact, although Eckhard and I have not seen the work, the
concept has already entered our vocabulary... "The light is on.
The light is off"... "We will win the lottery We will
not win the lottery". "It is raining It is not raining". "The
shop is open. The shop is closed"... All in the vain of "to be
/ not to be". may/may not. will / will not...
After all, it is "Conceptual Art" and whereas most of this genre has
left me cold, this did "tickle my fancy" enormously. The best part was
when he told the baying reporters that, "Yes, anyone could make this
art at home". Following in the footsteps of the famous unmade bed,
which I enact/construct daily, this was amusing to hear officially
verified.
As for your offer, I already have a 20 year old tin of "Berliner Luft"
(Berlin air) thanks. And I assure you if we had £15,000 it would be
spent on neither... The Chapel of Art is not that sort of "real
gallery".
Janet Kaiser - where winter has suddenly returned.
The Chapel of Art / Capel Celfyddyd
Home of The International Potters' Path
8 Marine Crescent : Criccieth : GB-Wales
URL: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
postbox@the-coa.org.uk
----- Original Message -----
I was reading Dave Berry waiting for my coffee last week...He a
nation-wide humorist....He found much mirth in the work of the artist
who won the prestigious JMW Turner Award....It seems the piece was a
device to turn the light off and on, off and on....every five
seconds....What a concept...
I find it less than funny...sad and perverted...less than
funny.....I immediately installed the piece at my house....The device
is my finger and the piece only works till it(the finger) gets
tired....I put it away in storage pretty soon...Seems that happens to
a lot of that arty farty high-brow, high-dollar crap that I get my
hands on lately......
What would you rather own?....A Rush "Peace Vase" from Artimator
Galleries...Or the piece previously mentioned?...Do the English say
bonkers, or maybe loony...What do you think Janet?...You wanna consign
for me my piece "Air I Breathed,"....I'll take 15,000lbs for it; you
can have the rest....send me your usual contract....I'd rather you
bought it outright. Isn't that what a real gallery would do in the
face of great art?.....EHEHEH...EHHEEH
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