Thursday Nite, November 14: What a
dope I am sitting and waiting for the arts panel discussion at Moore to get to
a tangible point. The topic is CITYWIDE, the collaboration of over 25 loosely
connected co-operative spaces who are exhibiting together, sharing spaces.
Sounds like a great idea. I was convinced until I heard benevolent curator from
NY/UK, Matthew Higgs talk down to the audience. There is nothing like an
English snob to make your own elitist tendencies take stock. I have lived in
London and know what I am talking about. He trashed the likes of Damien Hirst (who
made mega art careers in Britain possible) then went on to flatter a short
period in New York where seminal artists were falling off the sidewalk – does
Gordon Matta-Clark matter these days? – and signing up for shows at the vintage
White Columns Gallery, the alternative New York space. Pardon me? “We don’t use
the word alternative anymore,” stated Higgs. Is it now Indie-Galleries? Higgs began with an
analogy to his interest in small Manchester record labels that “changed the
world.” Excuse me? I love Joy Division and New Order too (Factory Records) but we are
talking about art galleries. Specifically, local mom and pop co-ops. There was little
discussion of the actual state of the Philadelphia playing field and why these
collectives are so crucial in a city of down market murals. His last comments
about how, "artists have all the power,” was BS at best and incredibly
patronizing. This discussion was a wasted opportunity for dialogue and an
example of curatorial (institutional) obfuscation as if his audience was a
collection of eager beaver dolts.
Saturday, November 16, 2013
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2 comments:
Brits like Matthew Higgs need to get over their sense of superiority which is mostly due to the surprising fact that most Americans are more willing to give someone a hearing than most Brits.
Spoken like a true-Brit. Thanks.
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