Reflection

The Miwon Kwon and Glen Adamson articles touched home with issues dealing with art, craft, and the changing definitions of art and site specificity from the mid 20th century to now. In relation to my own work, I find it difficult to make personal connections to conceptual art without craftsmanship or aesthetic value. However, when viewing art in a gallery setting, I am often drawn to conceptual works of art and I don't necessarily care if the work follows aesthetic art frameworks. I especially feel this way when viewing works that are meant to be funny or derisive. After reading some reflective postings, I realize that many of us are struggling with similar issues. We have sort of separated our work from the work that we view in the galleries that we visit, and maybe we have forgotten to ask ourselves if our art "fits" with the art that's being made today, or if we even care to. I certainly have forgotten and even now as I write this I'm not sure of how I would answer those questions. I think this is especially difficult for artists who work 2 dimensionally, where such artists now work outside of their medium or have turned to social and political works (activist art). Much of the work that is shown in emerging galleries deal with interactive art, video, and installation which (I feel) more easily lends itself to 3D works. The biggest change that I have personally seen in the last ten years is that it's no longer acceptable to ask if you care if the viewer relates to your work. Ten years ago I was asked this at almost every critique and it was OK to say "no I don't give a sh*t" I don't think that we have those luxuries anymore. I know that artists have been dealing with these issues for much longer, It just seems more defined now. The big questions that have emerged from the readings and discussion are: Where does my work fit into the art that's being created today? Is my work self-indulgent? What am I trying to say to my viewer? How can I allow the viewer to feel connected to my work? Can I link the aesthetic qualities of my work with more conceptual themes?