On this blog, we will explore several major aesthetic theories from realism to postmodernism and engage in a dialogue about the very nature of art. Key contemporary artists will be explored in depth as each theory is unpacked and examined.
Each response should be between 150-250 words in length. These are due on the date listed at the top of each entry,
Monday, November 14, 2011
What observations can you make about the contemporary art market based on "Exit Through the Gift Shop"? Do you think graffiti art is am important form of art? Why or why not? Do you think it will be as valued as it is right now in another 50 years?
I have to say that the documentary was really interesting. It was also inspiring to see Banksy, who is a mystery person, and other graffiti artists, while not only working on their art and exhibitions, but also talking about it. In the film I thought that the contemporary art world today gets very easily exited, and did not seemed like it got tricked by Thiery, the protagonist, as he was able to become famous in a year by just misinterpreting Banksy's words, and sell his paintings pretty expensive. In terms of what I think about Graffiti art, I believe that it is an interesting form of art that has become very popular in the past 10-20 years. However, I do not always approve, and my example is the city I grew up in, Athens (Greece), as people sometimes, and I can't call them artists, just go out there and write something in an ugly way on the walls of beautiful, classical, buildings, that end up becoming a canvas for vandals and people that think are graffiti artists. On the other hand I admire good graffiti art, especially in areas that are not so beautiful. I do not think it is as important people think it is, as I do not hear about graffiti artists as much as I hear about other types of artists, and I think it has a more limited crowed. Moreover, I think that a Banksy piece for example will still be valued in 50 years, as he had some revolutionary images created that are now famous world wide and anyone could recognize. Nonetheless, I think that at some point graffiti art will not be as popular as today, as it seems to be a trend that might pass.
First off I found the movie "Exit Through the Gift Shop" to be a big let down. When I first saw the trailers for the movie, I thought it'd be all about Banksy and all of the other graffiti artists, instead it was about a Frenchman with a camera. Still though, I did enjoy the first half of it, unfortunately I feel that it dived a bit too much into Terry the Frenchman.
I do think that graffiti is a great form of art because its all about personal expression in the public realm using the cheapest materials available. It essentially is what I view contemporary art as being: Out of the gallery and in people's faces. That said, it is really easy to make popular graffiti if Terry the Frenchman showed us anything.
Truth be told, its because of people like Terry that "genuine" street artists (as in the ones who do things illegally on the streets) will probably be overshadowed by a million knock-offs. Terry proved this to be true by producing dozens of works and setting up his own show after only becoming an artist a month or so prior.
One of the things that I characterize graffiti artists as being secretive and produce their own work. Terry was out in the open from the beginning of his "career" and had an entire staff produce his work for him. In my eyes, that doesn't make him a genuine graffiti artist.
However, I don't think Graffiti art will be valued quite like it is now. I see this trend in the art "market" as being a minor boom. In a way this is good, since it will draw a lot of people like Terry the Frenchman into the medium. Eventually they'll branch out and try new things and Graffiti will just be another pitstop in our adventure through art. Graffiti art will most likely become some fancy term like "Modernism" in 50 years time too. That'd be pretty nifty.
The contemporary art market is pretty crazy. There is a current interplay between “high” art and “low” art, or conventional art and graffiti. There is an interesting development going on in the art world where graffiti is now moving off the street where it first originated and into museums. From the film, I think it's hard to tell if this happened because graffiti became the next big thing and collectors wanted a piece of the action and started placing graffiti into auctions and museums or because the artists themselves wanted to push the envelope more and started exhibiting their work (such as Banksy did in "Barely Legal" and MBW did in "Life is Beautiful"). Either way, it happened. And it's really interesting.
Graffiti will survive with or without the existence or acceptance of museums. However, while graffiti does not need art critics or curators or collectors or the like, it is my opinion that these institutions have a lot to learn from graffiti. Graffiti has now permeated all different areas of life. Now it blends into graphic computer design as well as photography, sculpture, conceptual and instillation art. It is a wonderfully diverse style and movement.
The Contemporary art market sickens me a little. I think it is becoming commercialized in a way which creates a toxic environment for artists. Mr. Brainwash embodies this for me. He created art for the means of selling it. He didn't care about the process. Not that I don't enjoy some of his images because I do, but he just seems like a fake to me. He copied the story others were genuinely creating and labeled it as his own. Street Art is about making a statement about the everyday person. It is about pushing and challenging societal constructs...MBW just seems like a joke to me. He doesn't care about political statements or the people he cares about the commercial value of the street art style. I personally feel street art is extremely important. It unifies and speak to everyone not just us art peoples. I saw someone wearing an hat and smiled because I knew what it was. Street Art connects people. if I hadn't been on a deadline to get somewhere I probably would have stuck up a conversation with said hat wearer. The point of street art is to create this stock of symbols and style that appeal to the "common" person. In fifty years I hope that there will be a new way art is connecting people. There will be new artist and with new artists comes new movements. What was started in the 1980s won't go on forever, but the basic ideas behind it will still be there.
The contemporary art market is trend based. It's not really surprising. Collectors want to invest in something valuable, and if everyone else believes a particular artist's work to be valuable, then that collector wants a piece.This is only a small part of the whole culture, and even though its pretty shallow, it's what bring attention and money to the art world. I find all of this negativity towards Jerry (or MBW) really interesting. I'm not going to fault a guy for loving a movement and wanting to be part of it. His art isn't very stimulating, I'll admit, and his explanations are barely coherent ramblings, but he's doing something he does have a lot of passion for and he's become wealthy for it. Shephard Fairey said that MBW is interesting as a sociological phenomena, and I thought that was very telling. His work imitates street artists' styles and has no unique characteristics, it's like it summarizes the street art movement. With a few good references and some clever marketing, his work was snatched up by collectors. It's all about perceived value in art.
I think graffiti is incredibly important. Ideally, it is the art of the powerless reclaiming their voices. It is a politically charged action because it is illegal. It can be used to express a great many ideas to many people, and that is what makes it valuable. There has been documented grafitti in ancient Rome and in cave walls from thousands of years ago. I don't see graffiti, or street art, going away any time soon. As long as there are artists and empty walls, there will be street art.
I always find the movie “Exit through the gift shop” interesting. Its like Banksy is calling attention to the phony side of the art market while still appealing to those same people with this movie, and getting away with it because he is doing it in a “nice” sort of way; using Terry (if Terry is even a completely real character?) as an example. The contemporary art market is all about the money, and there will always be some that will follow where the money is. Are these people still real artist? Is what they make art? Questions that will never have a definite answer. I do think that graffiti is an important form of art. I’m sure that art historians will be studying it at some point as “that movement that brought low art into the gallery”. It has already integrated itself into higher art, the line is actually becoming almost nonexistent. Im not sure it will be quite as valued in 50 years as present, but rather another link in the evolution of art.
What observations can you make about the contemporary art market based on "Exit Through the Gift Shop"? Do you think graffiti art is am important form of art? Why or why not? Do you think it will be as valued as it is right now in another 50 years? I have always really enjoyed this film and I definitely think that graffiti is art. It is extremely popular now because it pushes boundaries not only in location but also subject matter. It is important because radical ideas can be expressed to a wide range of viewers and the artist does not have to fear commentary because it begins without ownership. The market for graffiti is even further removed from the artist himself/herself because there is a need for anonymity in their work. Although there is a high value for recognized graffiti artists now, I do foresee the popularity for this style of art diminishing. Right now the boundaries are continually being pushed and discovered and it will always be a huge form of public, radical communication but just like any form of art, interests will change, styles will change, and there will be a new wave of something even more contemporary and graffiti will become out dated and a chapter in an art history book.
My dad has been telling me to watch “Exit Through the Gift Shop” for a while now, and I’m glad that I finally did. This documentary gave insight to a form of art-graffiti- that is not generally considered to be art to most people in the world and puts not a face but a voice to the infamous Banksy and his counterpart Thierry Guetta. The film’s focus on wacky Thierry and his journey as a Street art filmmaker gave the audience an inside glimpse on the process involved in making graffiti art, and how there is a lot of meaning behind each “piece”. The contemporary art market has definitely shifted throughout the years, Graffiti began being recognized as “art” in the 80’s when it was taboo- and now I think that it has definitely become accepted in the art world and can be considered “high” art. I found it interesting that the documentary shows an avid art collector’s private collection; her pieces varied from an impressionist painting to a graffiti piece by Banksy (and she is even present at MBW’s Life is Beautiful.) This shows that the contemporary art market has shifted when private collections begin to accumulate graffiti and put them almost on the same scale as a Picasso. If I was asked this question five year ago if I thought that “graffiti art is an important form of art” I would have said no because it destroys buildings etc. However after learning more about it and watching films like this- I do feel like graffiti is an important form of artwork, although tagging up every corner of a building is not aesthetically pleasing for me; grafitti allows people who hold no power to create these powerful messages about politics or freedom- and show their ideas through these public arenas where everyone can see them. I’m not quite sure if it will be valued in the next 50 years- or if a new form of street art will arise and will be the new controversy form of art. The art world is constantly changing and I guess we will just have to wait and see.
I really enjoyed watching the film “Exit Through the Gift Shop” and was intrigued by the issues it brought up about the commercialization of street art and its power as a contemporary art movement. It was interesting to see the evolution of the graffiti movement from its early beginnings to its present day incarnation as a highly influential form of art, as well as its new status as a commodity. Artists like Mr. Brainwash have moved on from location-based and temporary works and now sell mass produced pieces for great financial gain. Although it is evolving constantly, I can see graffiti being an influential form of art for years to come, especially since the advent of social media and technology allows it to be viewed almost anywhere on earth. Its unique and controversial subject matter, its questionable legality, and the political and social commentary present in graffiti help it to generate massive public interest, and as long as it keeps current with the issues, people will continue to talk about it.
Watching Exit Through the Gift Shop demonstrates the fact that the artist does not necessarily need to create their own art anymore. The exhibition that Thierry "made" was completely comprised of work made by others he employed. He only created the ideas but he took credit for the art as well. I don't think that people should be able to have their work created by others entirely. The work isn't theirs. Many people have ideas and it those that are true artists that can make these ideas into successful artworks. That is why they are valued as artists. Having an idea along is not art. So therefore those that have others create their ideas are not artists.
I do think that graffiti art is important. It brings art out of the gallery and into the real world sphere. I think that it is important since not everyone has time or wants to go to museums so having street art is a way to get ideas across to large masses. I think that graffiti art will continue to evolve and change just like other art forms and will still be valued in years to come. It will probably change a lot from what it started as but hopefully art will still be in the streets in the future.
Art can be very much about what is trendy rather than what is original and unique. Graffiti art can be a very important style when it is done in a creative, inspiring manner. I think the work Banksy creates is witty and different. He is just as credible an artist as someone whose work is in art galleries. He redefines the style and discusses relevant topics in todays society through his work. However, Mr Brainwash exploited the style of graffiti art rather than trying to push the style further. There are other artists like him who are more interested in how much money they can make rather than creating a meaningful piece of art. Artists such as Mr Brainwash belittle the style and prevent it from receiving the recognition it deserves. I think the style will continue to be valued because graffiti art has become an integral part of society. The work will go down in history because it is how many artists express their emotions about our world today.
I just saw this post now! I liked the graffiti art but I think the real art was the documenting. I think the contemporary art market seemed much more about seeing the newest thing more than wanting a piece because you really enjoy it. Even though Mr. Brainwash's work did not necessarily have intense meaning in each piece nor were each piece individually that great, everyone loved seeing the show. I think graffiti art is just as much performance art sometimes as it is art on its own. I really loved it though and i was very intrigued.
After watching “Exit through the Gift Shop” I feel that contemporary art market is quite a big joke. As soon as the promotion and publication about Mr. Brainwash spread around, dealers and collectors were already starting to buy pieces from him. Terry who knows nothing about art or how to create a piece of artwork was able to name a very high price for his work. It shows that buyers and dealers does not really care about the content or the quality of the work, what they are after is the name of the artist who they thinks will have a chance to become more famous in the future. It is a type of investment that turns an artwork into a commercial object.
I personally think that graffiti is an important form of art because it helps to make the definition of “art” more complete. It is a technique that can be separate into its own branch, with its own unique and distinguish style, and therefore should be value as much as the traditional technique such as drawing, painting, or sculpture.
I feel like even after 50 years from now, graffiti will still be value as much as it is now. The art world seems to revolve in a trend cycle, people get bore of things but they eventually comes back into trend after awhile. It is also a form of art that has many rooms to explore and so I think it will be very interesting to see how it will evolve in the next 50 years.
It is clear that "Exit through the Gift Shop" is poking fun at how much of a joke the contemporary art market has become, but I feel as if that has to be expected since it is caught in this kind of divide between “high” and “low” art movements. Over the past decade there has been a heightened appreciation for “low art" which I think creates a bit of a dilemma for art collectors. I have faith that Low Brow/Pop Surrealism/Graffiti art is going to turn into a very powerful, influential movement that will only continue to be valued over time. I think that street art specifically puts art back into the hands of the people, which can be a very appealing aspect. It spits in the face of the notion that art can only be art if it is in a traditional gallery/museum setting and act as public service announcements that depict the opinions, perceptions, and issues that come from everyday cityfolk. Graffiti is only going to continue to grow as these artists, like all other kinds of artists, are obsessed with their concepts and aesthetics. These artists will keep getting more and more talented, all the while trying to out-do the last artist. Thinking of it this way, I really don’t think graffiti will ever have a completion. Graffiti is the earliest form of 2-D art, really, so I certainly don’t expect it to dissipate.
I have to say that the documentary was really interesting. It was also inspiring to see Banksy, who is a mystery person, and other graffiti artists, while not only working on their art and exhibitions, but also talking about it. In the film I thought that the contemporary art world today gets very easily exited, and did not seemed like it got tricked by Thiery, the protagonist, as he was able to become famous in a year by just misinterpreting Banksy's words, and sell his paintings pretty expensive.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of what I think about Graffiti art, I believe that it is an interesting form of art that has become very popular in the past 10-20 years. However, I do not always approve, and my example is the city I grew up in, Athens (Greece), as people sometimes, and I can't call them artists, just go out there and write something in an ugly way on the walls of beautiful, classical, buildings, that end up becoming a canvas for vandals and people that think are graffiti artists. On the other hand I admire good graffiti art, especially in areas that are not so beautiful. I do not think it is as important people think it is, as I do not hear about graffiti artists as much as I hear about other types of artists, and I think it has a more limited crowed. Moreover, I think that a Banksy piece for example will still be valued in 50 years, as he had some revolutionary images created that are now famous world wide and anyone could recognize. Nonetheless, I think that at some point graffiti art will not be as popular as today, as it seems to be a trend that might pass.
First off I found the movie "Exit Through the Gift Shop" to be a big let down. When I first saw the trailers for the movie, I thought it'd be all about Banksy and all of the other graffiti artists, instead it was about a Frenchman with a camera. Still though, I did enjoy the first half of it, unfortunately I feel that it dived a bit too much into Terry the Frenchman.
ReplyDeleteI do think that graffiti is a great form of art because its all about personal expression in the public realm using the cheapest materials available. It essentially is what I view contemporary art as being: Out of the gallery and in people's faces. That said, it is really easy to make popular graffiti if Terry the Frenchman showed us anything.
Truth be told, its because of people like Terry that "genuine" street artists (as in the ones who do things illegally on the streets) will probably be overshadowed by a million knock-offs. Terry proved this to be true by producing dozens of works and setting up his own show after only becoming an artist a month or so prior.
One of the things that I characterize graffiti artists as being secretive and produce their own work. Terry was out in the open from the beginning of his "career" and had an entire staff produce his work for him. In my eyes, that doesn't make him a genuine graffiti artist.
However, I don't think Graffiti art will be valued quite like it is now. I see this trend in the art "market" as being a minor boom. In a way this is good, since it will draw a lot of people like Terry the Frenchman into the medium. Eventually they'll branch out and try new things and Graffiti will just be another pitstop in our adventure through art. Graffiti art will most likely become some fancy term like "Modernism" in 50 years time too. That'd be pretty nifty.
The contemporary art market is pretty crazy. There is a current interplay between “high” art and “low” art, or conventional art and graffiti. There is an interesting development going on in the art world where graffiti is now moving off the street where it first originated and into museums. From the film, I think it's hard to tell if this happened because graffiti became the next big thing and collectors wanted a piece of the action and started placing graffiti into auctions and museums or because the artists themselves wanted to push the envelope more and started exhibiting their work (such as Banksy did in "Barely Legal" and MBW did in "Life is Beautiful"). Either way, it happened. And it's really interesting.
ReplyDeleteGraffiti will survive with or without the existence or acceptance of museums. However, while graffiti does not need art critics or curators or collectors or the like, it is my opinion that these institutions have a lot to learn from graffiti. Graffiti has now permeated all different areas of life. Now it blends into graphic computer design as well as photography, sculpture, conceptual and instillation art. It is a wonderfully diverse style and movement.
The Contemporary art market sickens me a little. I think it is becoming commercialized in a way which creates a toxic environment for artists. Mr. Brainwash embodies this for me. He created art for the means of selling it. He didn't care about the process. Not that I don't enjoy some of his images because I do, but he just seems like a fake to me. He copied the story others were genuinely creating and labeled it as his own. Street Art is about making a statement about the everyday person. It is about pushing and challenging societal constructs...MBW just seems like a joke to me. He doesn't care about political statements or the people he cares about the commercial value of the street art style.
ReplyDeleteI personally feel street art is extremely important. It unifies and speak to everyone not just us art peoples. I saw someone wearing an hat and smiled because I knew what it was. Street Art connects people. if I hadn't been on a deadline to get somewhere I probably would have stuck up a conversation with said hat wearer. The point of street art is to create this stock of symbols and style that appeal to the "common" person.
In fifty years I hope that there will be a new way art is connecting people. There will be new artist and with new artists comes new movements. What was started in the 1980s won't go on forever, but the basic ideas behind it will still be there.
The contemporary art market is trend based. It's not really surprising. Collectors want to invest in something valuable, and if everyone else believes a particular artist's work to be valuable, then that collector wants a piece.This is only a small part of the whole culture, and even though its pretty shallow, it's what bring attention and money to the art world. I find all of this negativity towards Jerry (or MBW) really interesting. I'm not going to fault a guy for loving a movement and wanting to be part of it. His art isn't very stimulating, I'll admit, and his explanations are barely coherent ramblings, but he's doing something he does have a lot of passion for and he's become wealthy for it. Shephard Fairey said that MBW is interesting as a sociological phenomena, and I thought that was very telling. His work imitates street artists' styles and has no unique characteristics, it's like it summarizes the street art movement. With a few good references and some clever marketing, his work was snatched up by collectors. It's all about perceived value in art.
ReplyDeleteI think graffiti is incredibly important. Ideally, it is the art of the powerless reclaiming their voices. It is a politically charged action because it is illegal. It can be used to express a great many ideas to many people, and that is what makes it valuable. There has been documented grafitti in ancient Rome and in cave walls from thousands of years ago. I don't see graffiti, or street art, going away any time soon. As long as there are artists and empty walls, there will be street art.
I always find the movie “Exit through the gift shop” interesting. Its like Banksy is calling attention to the phony side of the art market while still appealing to those same people with this movie, and getting away with it because he is doing it in a “nice” sort of way; using Terry (if Terry is even a completely real character?) as an example. The contemporary art market is all about the money, and there will always be some that will follow where the money is. Are these people still real artist? Is what they make art? Questions that will never have a definite answer. I do think that graffiti is an important form of art. I’m sure that art historians will be studying it at some point as “that movement that brought low art into the gallery”. It has already integrated itself into higher art, the line is actually becoming almost nonexistent. Im not sure it will be quite as valued in 50 years as present, but rather another link in the evolution of art.
ReplyDeleteWhat observations can you make about the contemporary art market based on "Exit Through the Gift Shop"? Do you think graffiti art is am important form of art? Why or why not? Do you think it will be as valued as it is right now in another 50 years?
ReplyDeleteI have always really enjoyed this film and I definitely think that graffiti is art. It is extremely popular now because it pushes boundaries not only in location but also subject matter. It is important because radical ideas can be expressed to a wide range of viewers and the artist does not have to fear commentary because it begins without ownership. The market for graffiti is even further removed from the artist himself/herself because there is a need for anonymity in their work. Although there is a high value for recognized graffiti artists now, I do foresee the popularity for this style of art diminishing. Right now the boundaries are continually being pushed and discovered and it will always be a huge form of public, radical communication but just like any form of art, interests will change, styles will change, and there will be a new wave of something even more contemporary and graffiti will become out dated and a chapter in an art history book.
My dad has been telling me to watch “Exit Through the Gift Shop” for a while now, and I’m glad that I finally did. This documentary gave insight to a form of art-graffiti- that is not generally considered to be art to most people in the world and puts not a face but a voice to the infamous Banksy and his counterpart Thierry Guetta. The film’s focus on wacky Thierry and his journey as a Street art filmmaker gave the audience an inside glimpse on the process involved in making graffiti art, and how there is a lot of meaning behind each “piece”. The contemporary art market has definitely shifted throughout the years, Graffiti began being recognized as “art” in the 80’s when it was taboo- and now I think that it has definitely become accepted in the art world and can be considered “high” art. I found it interesting that the documentary shows an avid art collector’s private collection; her pieces varied from an impressionist painting to a graffiti piece by Banksy (and she is even present at MBW’s Life is Beautiful.) This shows that the contemporary art market has shifted when private collections begin to accumulate graffiti and put them almost on the same scale as a Picasso.
ReplyDeleteIf I was asked this question five year ago if I thought that “graffiti art is an important form of art” I would have said no because it destroys buildings etc. However after learning more about it and watching films like this- I do feel like graffiti is an important form of artwork, although tagging up every corner of a building is not aesthetically pleasing for me; grafitti allows people who hold no power to create these powerful messages about politics or freedom- and show their ideas through these public arenas where everyone can see them. I’m not quite sure if it will be valued in the next 50 years- or if a new form of street art will arise and will be the new controversy form of art. The art world is constantly changing and I guess we will just have to wait and see.
I really enjoyed watching the film “Exit Through the Gift Shop” and was intrigued by the issues it brought up about the commercialization of street art and its power as a contemporary art movement. It was interesting to see the evolution of the graffiti movement from its early beginnings to its present day incarnation as a highly influential form of art, as well as its new status as a commodity. Artists like Mr. Brainwash have moved on from location-based and temporary works and now sell mass produced pieces for great financial gain. Although it is evolving constantly, I can see graffiti being an influential form of art for years to come, especially since the advent of social media and technology allows it to be viewed almost anywhere on earth. Its unique and controversial subject matter, its questionable legality, and the political and social commentary present in graffiti help it to generate massive public interest, and as long as it keeps current with the issues, people will continue to talk about it.
ReplyDeleteWatching Exit Through the Gift Shop demonstrates the fact that the artist does not necessarily need to create their own art anymore. The exhibition that Thierry "made" was completely comprised of work made by others he employed. He only created the ideas but he took credit for the art as well. I don't think that people should be able to have their work created by others entirely. The work isn't theirs. Many people have ideas and it those that are true artists that can make these ideas into successful artworks. That is why they are valued as artists. Having an idea along is not art. So therefore those that have others create their ideas are not artists.
ReplyDeleteI do think that graffiti art is important. It brings art out of the gallery and into the real world sphere. I think that it is important since not everyone has time or wants to go to museums so having street art is a way to get ideas across to large masses. I think that graffiti art will continue to evolve and change just like other art forms and will still be valued in years to come. It will probably change a lot from what it started as but hopefully art will still be in the streets in the future.
Art can be very much about what is trendy rather than what is original and unique. Graffiti art can be a very important style when it is done in a creative, inspiring manner. I think the work Banksy creates is witty and different. He is just as credible an artist as someone whose work is in art galleries. He redefines the style and discusses relevant topics in todays society through his work. However, Mr Brainwash exploited the style of graffiti art rather than trying to push the style further. There are other artists like him who are more interested in how much money they can make rather than creating a meaningful piece of art. Artists such as Mr Brainwash belittle the style and prevent it from receiving the recognition it deserves. I think the style will continue to be valued because graffiti art has become an integral part of society. The work will go down in history because it is how many artists express their emotions about our world today.
ReplyDeleteI just saw this post now! I liked the graffiti art but I think the real art was the documenting. I think the contemporary art market seemed much more about seeing the newest thing more than wanting a piece because you really enjoy it. Even though Mr. Brainwash's work did not necessarily have intense meaning in each piece nor were each piece individually that great, everyone loved seeing the show. I think graffiti art is just as much performance art sometimes as it is art on its own. I really loved it though and i was very intrigued.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching “Exit through the Gift Shop” I feel that contemporary art market is quite a big joke. As soon as the promotion and publication about Mr. Brainwash spread around, dealers and collectors were already starting to buy pieces from him. Terry who knows nothing about art or how to create a piece of artwork was able to name a very high price for his work. It shows that buyers and dealers does not really care about the content or the quality of the work, what they are after is the name of the artist who they thinks will have a chance to become more famous in the future. It is a type of investment that turns an artwork into a commercial object.
ReplyDeleteI personally think that graffiti is an important form of art because it helps to make the definition of “art” more complete. It is a technique that can be separate into its own branch, with its own unique and distinguish style, and therefore should be value as much as the traditional technique such as drawing, painting, or sculpture.
I feel like even after 50 years from now, graffiti will still be value as much as it is now. The art world seems to revolve in a trend cycle, people get bore of things but they eventually comes back into trend after awhile. It is also a form of art that has many rooms to explore and so I think it will be very interesting to see how it will evolve in the next 50 years.
It is clear that "Exit through the Gift Shop" is poking fun at how much of a joke the contemporary art market has become, but I feel as if that has to be expected since it is caught in this kind of divide between “high” and “low” art movements. Over the past decade there has been a heightened appreciation for “low art" which I think creates a bit of a dilemma for art collectors. I have faith that Low Brow/Pop Surrealism/Graffiti art is going to turn into a very powerful, influential movement that will only continue to be valued over time. I think that street art specifically puts art back into the hands of the people, which can be a very appealing aspect. It spits in the face of the notion that art can only be art if it is in a traditional gallery/museum setting and act as public service announcements that depict the opinions, perceptions, and issues that come from everyday cityfolk. Graffiti is only going to continue to grow as these artists, like all other kinds of artists, are obsessed with their concepts and aesthetics. These artists will keep getting more and more talented, all the while trying to out-do the last artist. Thinking of it this way, I really don’t think graffiti will ever have a completion. Graffiti is the earliest form of 2-D art, really, so I certainly don’t expect it to dissipate.
ReplyDelete