September Issue 2001
A View From Down Under
Bouncing off Walls of Silence
by Judith McGrath
The Association of Art Galleries, an elite
little group in our city, publishes a quarterly magazine to inform
the viewing public of exhibitions scheduled by its membership.
This glossy little guide can be picked up free from members' galleries
only. The latest instalment informs the reader how the Association
has commissioned independent writers in order to commence a regular
series of critical essays on the local visual art scene.
The inaugural essay is by the one and only art critic from the
one and only daily newspaper in this city. In his essay, Walls
of Silence, the critic asserts that dialogue on the visual
arts today is nil, inhibited by the fear of saying the wrong thing.
He purports to encourage debate by stating that in art there is
no wrong thing. All well and good except this is the same writer
who caustically identifies what is 'wrong' with art, and dictates
what is artistically 'right', in his weekly column. Debate is
not this man's forte.
I would argue that there are numerous uninhibited dialogues on
the visual art scene taking place in this and most cities around
the world every day. They are not heard in public forums directed
by state-funded organizations where invited academics offer didactic
commentary followed by a limited Q & A session. Nor are they
read in glossy art magazines that originate in some distant major
metropolis and occasionally commission commentary from the local
literati. No, today's dialogue takes place in free and open venues;
in cafés, galleries, studios, on a park bench, on the phone,
on-line. Participants prefer an egalitarian environment where
no spontaneous outburst is put down as being of dubious origin.
Debate is by definition a discussion between
matched sides. But when one side constructs an elitist environment
on a stage, under a proscenium arch, behind a lectern, with a
microphone, then dialogue becomes lecture and lecture kills debate.
Elitism is born when exclusivity and authority get together to
close open minds and protect the status quo.
Exclusivity in the visual arts is found in all cities, as creative
people collect into closed groups. Divides are dictated by such
diverse attributes as art school attended, style of practice,
career level, who you know and where you live. Each group identifies
the parameters of their exclusivity by declaring the only creditable
Art Scene consists of certain named artists (members of their
own circle) who studied at specified art schools (their own local
or any overseas institution) and exhibit in selected galleries
(which they support) to be written about by one of their own (commissioned
biographer). For exclusivity to survive, any event not orchestrated
by a group, unless it can bring kudos to it, is dismissed as unimportant
and ignored. This attitude is evidenced in my city by walls of
silence from established groups that have crushed niche publications
and small galleries that tried to get off the ground. Without
support, each effort evaporated yet surprisingly, some are still
mentioned with reverence and nostalgia by the very groups that
let them die.
Authority, like Expertise, is a label conferred
on one by another. An expert may speak without authority just
as those in authority often speak without expertise. However the
expert must be able to validate their utterances with facts or,
at the very least, an impressive curriculum vitae that displays
excellent educational credentials and proven practical experience.
Whereas the words of someone in authority need only be validated
by the ubiquitous 'they' of "they all say" fame. In
the visual arts, when a comment is made with authority, its truth
or relevance is not defined by proven expertise as much as by
the commentator's backing group. If 'they' all agree, the authority
is unquestioned. It has been my experience in this city, that
any group can legitimise any rubbish as fine art simply by displaying,
writing and talking about it with authority. And when authority
is deemed absolute, debate is stifled.
In summary, when it comes to dialogue in the visual arts, placing
a level of authority on a speaker perpetuates an exclusivity that
fosters an elitist attitude, one that is legitimised by its own
exclusivity, which is perpetuated by the speaker's level of authority!
In effect, art dialogue enters an ever-decreasing spiral where
only those ensconced in the centre are permitted to participate.
There are no walls of silence blocking open
dialogue in the visual arts; it's just that some ears don't want
to hear. As the elitist circle grows ever smaller the public dialogue
grows larger and reaches out further then the myopic minority
ever imagined. Walls are being eaten away by electronic bytes.
Authoritarian pronouncements and didactic lectures are being replaced
by logical and/or emotive two-way debates involving practicing
artists and individual appreciators, around the world. They discuss
ideas and encourage broad opinions. The participants congregate
in-groups that are not exclusive as their parameters are flexible
and movement between them is accepted. As the group ebbs and flows,
authority or expertise shifts according to the topic being discussed.
It's a refreshing and revitalising atmosphere, one that permits
debate to continue, loud and vigorous.
Judith McGrath lives in Kalamunda, Western Australia. She is a freelance writer and reviewer for various art magazines in Australia. You can see more of her writing on her web site at (http://www.artseeninwa.com).
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