Pushing out barriers to art

part of my on-going reflection on what art is, its meaning and significane to others. this internal discourse that's been churning inside of me for years now, and until recently, found self-expression in the work that i do as well. its a joy (and a burden at times) to be in a job that is an extension of myself.

anyways, i thought this to be an insightful commentary piece stemming from the recent uob painting of the year awards. rather unusual for Straits Times to write commentaries, but perhaps not so much in this particular section of the paper on Saturdays.

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Straits Times, 19 July 2008, S14 - Pushing out barriers to art

Controversy has been attached to the artist Joel Yuen's series of photographic prints, showing arrangements of animal parts, which won this year's UOB Painting of the Year. Some, it seems, call it in bad taste. Now, art needn't be controversial, of course. And neither does controversy validate an effort to artistry. Nevertheless, the debate is useful for providing an opportunity to further public openness to what constitutes art. Too often, art is expected to be pretty. (But though Jackson Pollack is hugely admired, his paint splats are surely disturbing to take in; not pretty.) Worse, judgement too often is deferred to the size of the price tag next to the canvas, sculpture, or print. (Yet many artists fail to make money for pieces that are eventually highly regarded. The art didn't change over time, taste had to catch up.)

Contemporary art can be difficult, certainly Mondrian's black-bordered squares and rectangles of colours are hard to appreciate at first. To put it in just a few words, contemporary art gives the narrative and ideas attached a far bigger role than previously in the history of art. What the artist is trying to say - and how - has become very important. Without this, a Rothko canvas might simply be a bunch of fuzzy-edged rectangles of colour. But even without a grounding in art, history - and remember, galleries often provide useful primers - art can still be approached at face value. It evokes an emotional response, and we might be convinced t read up. With a deeper background, our reaction then evolves. Art is, after all, a relationship between the audience and the work.

So while some may be uncomfortable with Mr Yuen's prints, his attempt to make his audience think about animals and consumption, by "taking (animal) parts and putting them together", clearly has sparked engagement with the work. One person who viewed it was quoted in this paper saying: "These photographs ae disgusting... (They) make me very uncomfortable. Even if art is not beautiful, it should not inspire such feelings." But instead, that's precisely it: art draws out emotions, even if sometimes disturbing ones. (Think Francis Bacon's disturbing human forms. or Fang Lijun's bald headshinting at untold stories that you subtly invited to draw out.)

Maybe the debate over Mr Yuen's winning work eventually wlll bring a fresh appreciation of art. This would support many local artists who may not now be readily understoof, from those working in traditional forms to the emerging digital media. The barriers are being pushed out. With luck, more of the public will venture into the space.