ASK ME ABOUT ART THE JOY OF ART - exhibition

art about art

I just did a show which I suppose would be classed as 'art about art'; a controversial (or not) method of reminding everyone that artists are fucked, no matter what they do. we are poor (or are we) and we are most definitely in a constant dichotomy of some sort, reaching deeper into emo-dom than your average teenager. I'm aware of the sometimes cringe-worthiness of making and presenting art about art. I hate artists stating the obvious, nevermind hipster irony and satire that's meant to be the shit right now. the struggles of an artist to 'find ourselves' or suddenly climax to one amazing piece of work, are just ridiculous and unattainable plights, let alone expectations. we'll never find ourselves, and why the fuck would we want to, or even know what that is. just say 'I want to go on a holiday', 'I'm tired', not some wank like 'I need to find myself'. fuck off. and how sad if one piece of work we have made identifies us as an artist. so yeah, I thought why not make art about art, maybe even this once? we make what's important for us to make at the time and yes, I have questioned how an art career is meant to work, but more so when those questions arise, where the fuck do they come from? art isn't the bastard here, but we're lucky that it's resilient enough to take blow after blow of our angst against the backward world we find ourselves living in

ASK ME ABOUT ART THE JOY OF ART

you know, for this show, I was going to do an interview on film. it would feature interesting and probing questions revealing background info and chat about my current work and nice cutaways to me in my studio making stuff.  then, I didn't want to. thank fuck. I made an actual piece of art instead. funny thing is, that film I made in the last couple of days before the show, pulled it together.




so, art about art. bear in mind I like to employ opposites a lot. sometimes I can't think of the thing but I can think of the opposite, or something more opposing than the original. so to me, that can equate to the thing. confused? sorry. I think there's always a wee bit of this tool used in all my work, where is totally unidentified. sorry again for being a tricky bastard. not sorry at all though

 I used the word 'art' in a lot of the paintings in this show and so it's about art, right? I don't see how it's any more about art than any other art I make. that's about art too. I'm not taking the piss. I'm serious. I am taking the piss some, but not of shit art, maybe the word 'art'. I'm not trying to satarise anything. art is a complete headfuck and 'art' is a weird word. I don't give a shit about 'art' just as I don't give a shit whether you think my work is 'abstract' or 'landscape' or 'portraiture'. those are not terms that describe what we do as artists. if art is it all, then we're neglecting our specialisms. I am inclined to think, nowadays, shit art is not the product, it's the artist. you can be a right shit artist. I've met some. I'm trying to avoid being one

go see the show HERE

new show in progress

so, I decided to put on a show at my new studio in glasgow. project slogan has made me used to the DIY approach so here goes another idea. I'm showing a series of paintings and maybe a film (if I get it done in time). there's 10 really shitely made screen prints free to the first takers and I also screen printed all the invites and posters. this was more out of necessity than anything. shame most of the work in this show is probably really unsellable because I could do with some money. ah well, here's a sneak preview of some working leading up to it. also come along and see the actual work

 free prints for the preview

invite bags being printed. to be honest, I had heaps of bags and couldn't afford paper, hence the bags. I put project slogan badges in so let's hope it looked deliberate

 qeren modeling my invite ridden poster prints

 the boy upstaging me as usual

all modes on

I'm refreshing my own memory here of a performance piece I did first in 2007. I was considering selling on some old keyboards (I have far too many) but I still have a flame for 'all modes on' which I need a lot of them for. maybe there is still milage in this piece and maybe I will resurrect it again sometime when it's appropriate. I've also never really written much on line about it so here goes

all modes on is a performance lasting 30-50 minutes and basically consists of me and a lot of old keyboards and tape. over the course of the performance, in time, I tape down each and every key with tape. each time it's different and each time there is a similar outcome, a developing visual aesthetic and a slow, hypnotic crescendo of sound. in large venues I make sure I have a projector and camera screening live from above the performance area to get all those nice blacks, whites and new lines in. in small venues I have done it with amplification and with a close crowd

I'm an artist and a musician and I keep the two pretty separate. they are different disciplines, and should be, so this 'cross over' area was something I approached with caution. I am too used to seeing artists trying to use music and calling it art when it's not and visa versa

when I studied music at school I remember my teacher telling us about modal music. the easiest way, I was taught, to know those modes by sound, by using the white keys on the piano. C-C = Ionian (equivalent to our major scale) D-D = dorian (a scale used a lot in folk and celtic music E-E = phrygian etc. sometimes certain modes were employed in music for battle for their 'strong' feel. sometimes in times of depression certain modes were banned for use by composers because they were too 'sad' and stuff like that

I like the act of taping down the keys and choosing how to make the sound emerge. I guess some folk think it's all predetermined, and some think it's random. I can only describe it as a sort of improvisation, much like when you're painting, you do something, then you assess, look at it, maybe for some time, then make your next move on the back of that. with this though, it's with sound and it's more immediate, like music is

and without all that babble, the mark making process, the concentration required and numbing loudness during the last half of the performance, makes me feel like it completes some kind of circle much like the feeling of realising a painting is finished, or realising you understand music




here's excerpts from a wee zine I gave out at my show at peacock visual arts of all modes on 2008

yoko ono knife

a new piece I gifted a friend today (luck them) and I think has some milage in it. I don't know why yoko ono was part of this, or if she'll sue me, but I'm going to go with my instinct on this and make a set

iphone drawings

I started making some illustrations a la iphone mainly because I'm moving house and studio and all my pens and pencils are packed, so my hands get bored

2p coin

 teacup

 pencil

clock

parcel tape

 toy car

 bathroom door handle

 thread

 remote control

 wifi router