Artistic Expressions

This Month's Poll - Does Satire Belong in Public Art?

Earlier this year, the Czech Republic commissioned artist David Cerny to create a monumental sculpture to celebrate the nation's six-month stint as president of the European Union.  The sculpture was to be a collaborative piece created by twenty-seven international European artists to celebrate the unity of the continent and was planned to be on display for six months at the European Council building in Brussels.

But when installation day arrived in January, the finished product, called ENTROPA turned out to be a politically incorrect nightmare and a headache for diplomats across Europe.  The vast sculpture is a pieced-together map of the continent, each country represented by a sort of stereotypical caricature of that country's people or history. 

For example, Germany is represented by a grey block intersected by autobahns that, some people say, resemble a swastika.  France is draped with a sign that says, "Grève," or, "Strike!"  One of the most controversial parts of the sculpture is Cerny's portrayal of Bulgaria as a Turkish Toilet. 

But perhaps the most outrageous part of the story is that, despite what the Czech Republic asked for, the sculpture was not at all a collaboration.  Cerny and a small group of friends created the entire piece as a hoax meant, according to Cerny, to "find out if Europe is able to laugh at itself."  Given the outcry against the piece, and its eventual early removal, the answer to that question seems to be a resounding NO.  You can read more about the controversial piece here, and there is a full list of countries and their portrayals on Wikipedia.

Looking at Cerny's other work, it seems that this sort outcome should've been predicted when commissioning the piece, but I think it raises a larger question.  This sculpture may have been intended to be satirical and humerous, but given the venue, not many people were laughing.  Most felt that it was just inappropriate.  Others would argue, however, that the sheer amount of attention the piece has gotten makes it successful.  It has forced people to talk about stereotypes and cultural perceptions, so how could it be a failure? 

My question is this.  Satire is often offensive by nature.  That being said, does it have a place in public art?  Should the knowledge that a piece of public art will offend someone prevent it from being commissioned?  What do you think?

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Some words of advice for writers...or artists.

My friend Darrell Laurant is a veteran journalist and freelance writer who lives in Lynchburg, VA. For the last five years, he has been nurturing an international freelance writers' group called The Writers' Bridge. For the last thirty-six years, he has been married to Gail, an artist, whose influence has broadened his interest in all things creative.

Darrell recently sent this essay to the members of The Writer's Bridge, but it seems to me that it has a great deal to offer to artists as well.  He has graciously allowed me to share his words of wisdom here.  Thanks, Darrell!

1. KNOW YOURSELF. What kind of writer are you? Do you have the soul of a poet or the steel-trap  mind of a techie? What interests you? What gets you emotional? What do you know a lot about? What experiences have you had that might benefit others? Are you a slow or fast writer? Experienced or new? Once you realize these things about yourself, you'll know in which direction you should proceed in your writing career.

2. BE YOURSELF. To be creative is to subject yourself to the tyranny of subjectivity. You loved a movie, the person you went with hated it. You want to crank up a song on the car radio, another passenger wants to turn it off. You will never please everyone, so you might as well find your style and your point of view and stick with it. If what you produce doesn't seem to fit a "niche," so be it -- if it's good enough, the niche will magically appear.

3. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. Perhaps no other group of people is as hung up on self-flagellation as writers. Nobody's buying anything now. Nobody's paying anything. You can't get an agent. You can't make a living. There are too many of us. And on and on. I happen to believe that no one is given a dream and a passion for something without the corresponding capacity to succeed. If you feel driven to write, you'll outlast most of the writing multitude by sheer stubborness.

4. ACCEPT YOURSELF. No one starts out as a good writer, any more than you would start out as a good driver, good cook or good tennis player. Don't kid yourself. Accept criticism, and build on it. If you get a rejection, try to figure out why that happened and move on. There will be good days and bad days, but never stop trying to improve. It's a process.

5. ACCEPT REALITY. This may seem to be in direct conflict with No. 3, and in some ways that reflects the complexity of our world. When you are selling your work, you will always be faced with compromises. Remember, though, that you hold the power, and it is always your decision whether to make that compromise or not. If it's worth it to you, financially or career-wise, that's no disgrace. Moreover, accept that nothing you write is ever going to be perfect. At some point, you have to let it fly to the larger world, flawed or not. There's always another day, something else to create.

6. PUSH YOURSELF. If you're a freelancer, no one else is going to do that for you. Set goals. Make lists. Try to create a structure that you can operate within, as opposed to drifting in a vacuum. To be a freelancer is to adopt a dual personality -- you are your own boss, and also your own employee. Therefore, require of yourself what you would require of someone who was working for you.

Words of Wisdom from JK Rowling

Whether or not you've read the Harry Potter series or seen the movies, you've probably heard of JK Rowling, the uber-successful author.  She recently delivered the commencement address at Harvard titled "The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination."  As artists, we've all experienced both.  In fact, in my own life, being fired from a job gave me the freedom to finally throw off the shackles of corporate drudgery and live the life I had always imagined for myself.  Her words resonated with me in a profound way.
See the video and read the text here.

Using Art to Change the World

A couple weeks ago, I posted about Recycling Week in the U.K., and how several artists throughout the country had created sculptures out of used soda cans.  Well it seems that here in the U.S., CNN has also decided to use sculpture as a means of telling the world about the green movement.  The news giant commissioned Indian artist Suryakant Lokhande to create a sculpture out of recycled materials.  The product is a tiger, meant to represent the fragility of the environment.  CNN has posted a short video about the process of creating the tiger on their website. 

It's National Poetry Month!

If you'd enjoy a daily dose of inspiration, sign up for Knopf's poem-a-day email.  Each day during the month of April you'll receive a poem from some of the best poets in the world including Mark Strand, Mary Jo Salter, Julia Hartwig, and Richard Kenney, as well as classics from Frank O'Hara, Rudyard Kipling, Kenneth Koch and more.

I've been doing this for years, and to me, it's a great way to start the morning.

What Inspires You?

Spring has officially sprung, and today is the first day of a season full of new life and inspiration.  Granted, March is the snowiest month of the year here in Colorado, but for the last couple days, mother nature has shown us her benevolent side; the skies have been blue, and the temperatures warm.  Plants are even beginning to bloom.  I find spring to be one of the most inspiring times of the year.  It starts a whole new event season of outdoor activities, and I look forward to a summer full of exhibitions, parties, concerts, or just time with family and friends.

Where do you find your inspiration?  Click on the "comment" button below to share with us!

The R Word -- How Do You Handle Rejection?

Sometimes the universe tests us with rejection; life asks us if we are confident enough in ourselves and our creations to keep going in the face of obstacles. …While we must be open to feedback, we must also hold a faith that supersedes the opinions of those who do not agree with us. If you believe in something enough, you will not be put off by obstacles or setbacks. - Alan Cohen

The invitation arrives in the mail and your heart skips a beat.  You’ve been asked to submit a piece for jury consideration for the biggest museum show in your area.  You’ve just finished a work that you know is perfect.  It’s a shoe-in.  You fill out the application, enclose the slides and send them off, confident you’ll be accepted.  You envision your piece in glossy splendor on the pages of the show catalog; you imagine yourself stepping forward to receive the Best in Show award.  Fame and glory follow.  Your career is made.

Several weeks later the letter comes in the mail.  “Dear Artist,” it begins.  “We regret to inform you…”  You’re crushed.  You berate yourself.  I’m so stupid, How did I think I could possibly get in a show like that? Then you get angry. The jurors are idiots.  They obviously don’t understand good work.  You vow to get even.  I’ll show them.  I’ll never create another piece of sculpture again.  And I’ll never set foot in that museum again either.  You rationalize.  I’m sure they had to play the political  game and accept work from people that give them money or have better contacts. They didn’t have room for me.

Once the initial emotions have finished racing through your heart and head, what’s your next step?  Do you dash off an angry letter to the director of the museum, thus ensuring you’ll never be invited to show there?  Do you moan and complain to everyone you know, convincing your family, friends and colleagues that you’re a spoiled diva? Do you give up, believing your work will never be good enough?  If you stay stuck in those unproductive emotions, you’ll never achieve the level of success  you desire, a level many of your less talented colleagues may surpass.

Professional artists know rejection is part of the game -- it happens to everybody. The difference between satisfying success and bitter failure is how you handle it.  Rejection always hurts, but accepting the pain and moving on is critical to building your career.  How do you do that?

1. Turn loose of your work.  As with a child that you bring into the world and raise, at some point you have to let go.  Your children move into other relationships in life, and so must your art.  You can still love the pieces you create, but allow others to love them, or not, as well. 

2. Realize your work is not You. Your work may be the deepest expression of your soul, but it’s not your soul. Rejection has little to do with you, and everything to do with the viewer. Jurors and others who examine your work do so through their own lenses of life experience.  Sometimes they relate, sometimes they don’t.  It doesn’t mean they don’t like, admire, respect, or even know You. 

3. Rejection is not necessarily criticism.  Galleries, jurors, collectors, and others who make choices about work make those decisions based on criteria about which you may not know.  They may not accept your work not because it’s poor quality, but because they have enough bronze figures or abstract stone or wood miniatures. Maybe it’s simply not a fit for the gallery or show.  Much of the time it has nothing to do with your talent, your statement, or your creative expression.

4. With criticism, accept what makes sense to you and ignore the rest.  Everybody has an opinion, and most people don’t hesitate to express theirs.  Consider the source of the criticism.  If an art professional tells you your piece lacks proportion and gives you some ideas about fixing it, pay closer attention than you would to a collector who lives in a house full of ceramic frogs who tells you your abstract female figure doesn’t have any personality.  It’s important to listen with an open mind and then take an objective look at your work. If you can see how it would improve by incorporating someone’s suggestions, do it.  If not, let the comments go.

5. As my best friend says, honor the process.  Continue to improve your skills, stay true to your vision, create your art, and send it out into the world. Let go of your attachment to the results.  Sometimes you’ll feel the sting of rejection; other times you’ll feel the joy of success.  It’s all part of the journey.  As in life, the journey is just as important as the destination.

6. When all else fails, comfort yourself with the thought that every "no" leads one step closer to "yes."  You’ll learn to relish the rejection because you know acceptance is imminent.  A writing friend of mine plays something he calls the Rejection Game.  His aim is to collect one hundred rejection slips all while writing the best he can.  He’s never reached a hundred because he gets so many acceptances along with the rejections that he doesn’t have time to keep playing the game.

Tell us how you handle rejection.  Do you do a ceremonial burning of your rejection letters?  Paper your studio walls with them?  Use them as gift-wrapping?  Share your creative ideas.

Originally published in Creative Wisdom, November 2006.

Inspiring Impressionism at the Denver Art Museum

This past weekend we visited the latest show at the Denver Art Museum.  Inspiring Impressionism is a collection of more than 100 paintings and works on paper from seventy museums and private collections, some of which have never before traveled to the United States.  While the subject matter led me to expect masterpieces by Monet, Manet, Renoir, and Van Gogh, I was surprised to see a large collection of Old Masters exhibited side-by-side with the later works.  The show explored the influence of Titian, El Greco, and others on the Impressionists and inspired interesting dinner conversations later.

This is more of a thinking person's show than the usual Impressionist blockbusters we're used to experiencing.  You won't see all of your favorite postcard images here, but you will gain an understanding of how the painters of the late nineteenth century learned and developed a style based on the compositions and techniques of those who came centuries before.

The show runs until May 25 and timed tickets are available at the museum web site or by phone at 1-866-942-2787 (1-866-942-ARTS) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. MST daily. A service fee will be added to online and phone orders. Ticket prices (which include a self-guided audio tour with adult and children's versions) are $20 for adults, $17 for seniors and college students, $12 for youth. Members receive free admission and can pay four dollars for the audio tour.

Tickets also include admission to the museum, and if you haven't visited the new Hamilton wing designed by Daniel Libeskind, you're in for an experience.