Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Tyler Green Talk
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10 Things I Hate About Contemporary Art
Washington, DC- based Tyler Green speaks this
Thursday, 7pm at the Central Library. FREE!
Please join iMOCA and Tyler Green of Modern Art Notes (MAN)
as Tyler presents "10 Things I Hate About Contemporary Art."
The Wall Street Journal recently called MAN "the most influential
of all visual-arts blogs" and his blog (www.artsjournal.com/man)
has been praised in numerous other publications such as Forbes,
Slate and Art in America.
When: Thursday, November 13th at 7pm
Where: IMCPL- Central Library
Why: Tyler Green Rocks!
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13 Responses to “Tyler Green Talk”
November 11, 2008 at 9:13 PM
It would be great if Tyler's talk could be recorded or even videotaped. I will be teaching at the Indianapolis Art Center so will have to miss it.
November 12, 2008 at 1:21 AM
I agree. I am unsure whether they plan on recording it, be it video or simply audio. I would like to see more venues, particularly Herron School of Art and the IMA record their public talks and lectures and offer them on their web sites or at least available in their library. The technology is now cheap and readily available and I would believe that this service would be very much in line with their mission of education and public out reach. Let's see iMOCA will record this?
November 12, 2008 at 8:23 AM
I think we can make that happen...
November 12, 2008 at 1:04 PM
Christopher is a magician.
November 12, 2008 at 7:04 PM
Thanks for the post! :-) Come on out. Pretend you're at the Rocky Horror Show, even. And bring questions. I love seeing what I get asked when I do talks. Probably my favorite part.
November 14, 2008 at 12:33 PM
Tyler,
I enjoyed your talk last night and appreciate much of what you said. My question to you last night concerning museum building vs. art was the result of my visit to the Denver Art Museum this past summer. Cool on the outside, miserable on the inside. Your thoughts on the C.Still museum opening there I think in 2012? I walked thru the gallery with the display model and they had one of Still's pieces hanging in a corner location suspended from wires - they were torturing this piece.
Thanks for coming to Indy.
November 14, 2008 at 12:51 PM
Paintings hanging from wires, certainly one of the things I hate about art presentation. Perhaps I will post my homage to Tyler's lecture on this topic. I can think of others, like no labels, over hanging a show...
I too want to thank Tyler for coming out to Indy and thank iMOCA for helping to make this happen. I enjoyed the talk quite a lot. And thanks Chris for arranging to have the talk recorded on video.
November 14, 2008 at 3:49 PM
Hi Tyler,
Since you'd prefer for art critics to disagree, I'll oblige.
I thought your talk would have been stronger against the current state of contemporary art criticism and the art market if you had shown more examples of works by women, people of color, artists from cultures other than North America (how about some African, South American or Chinese artists, to name a few) and any artists who don't live/work in NYC/LA.
I thought your list of "must see" places were all pretty establishment. I didn't get the impression you have had time to sink your teeth into the incredible range of artists working here, for example. More's the pity. Next time, make sure to stop at the Stutz, Murphy, Harrison Center, etc.
Don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with the IMA. But any artist showing there is generally already making a bigger splash than his/her unheralded colleagues. Doesn't that to some degree change our perception of their work? (I would argue that it does.)
Now I admit that I don't read your blog, so perhaps you usually dig in in more detail than you had a chance to in last night's lecture.
OK, another point that I'd like to make: Many artists produce work that doesn't find favor with the public at first. I recall hearing Dale Chihuly say he made "chandeliers" for about 5 years before anyone started to understand or buy them. And I've heard similar comments from artists I've interviewed over the years. The point is that the public can sometimes be slow to "get" an artist's work.
I applaud any artist who sticks to what they think is their message (Bush plus Lincoln/Washington included) while they wait for the public's taste to catch up. Maybe it never does. But it's important that they pursue their vision, even when art critics savage them, no?
My one other beef is that you stinted on "10" things by glossing over number 6 to make a joke that eluded my comprehension. Can you elaborate what the point was and how it supported your thesis?
Looking forward to continuing the discussion. You made some good points in pursuit of a laugh, but for artists working outside the main U.S. art market zones (NY/LA/Miami), these are serious issues, not punch lines.
Just my 2 cents, of course.
November 14, 2008 at 4:37 PM
Half my day so far has been in discussing topics brought up in last nights talk. I love it. While I am sure Tyler may very well respond for himself, Barbara, I must point out a couple of things in the spirit of disagreement.
When it comes to Tyler's list of "must see" places, he was responding to his list of "must see" museums and therefore in their very nature are "establishment". Most of his choices were not the usual, MOMA, Guggenheim, DIA, etc. which is always brought up in such lists, so I feel answered in line to what he was asked.
He is a self proclaimed Art Museum Whore, of course his main interest and focus when coming to town will be to check out the IMA. Perhaps he saw some art elsewhere, I am sure he went to iMOCA, but when limited in time we all have to make decisions.
I do have a bit of a problem with the idea that the public, particularly an art going public, have to take the time to "get" and artists work. I personally find Chihuly quite over rated, while being a great craftsman I find it all a bit dull little more than large elegant christmas tree decorations. I am sure he has ome work that I like but... It is not that I do not "get" his work or I am missing something that if I could just understand it, then poof I finally "get" it. I just do not like it and find most of it gaudy. I, too often get a response from artists that if I do not like their work that it is because I do not "get" it. I look at art more than most. I read about it daily. I find myself to be fairly intelligent and perceptive, if I can not "get" it maybe there is something missing in the work or simply that I do "get" it but the work is still is bad. Just a possibility. :)
I will agree with you and I too respect any artist who pursues their vision despite what others believe. We must all make what we feel drawn to make.
As for his number 6? I am again reminded of my take on Chihuly. Over rate artist, while perhaps lacking the craftsmanship Chihuly at least has?
I am enjoying this. Let the dialog continue to roll.
November 15, 2008 at 1:49 AM
I was glad I made it out to the talk, fun night. Thanks to everyone who helped put it on!
Barbara--Edward Burtynsky, who Tyler talked about a long time, lives in Toronto, not NYC or LA.
As for the 3 presidents piece, I can't even imagine someone arguing for that piece. Sticking to your vision is one thing, but making work THAT bad is another. It wouldn't make a difference to me if that was Bush, Obama, or anyone else, it is so over the top bad it just hurts.
Scott--I realized I'd subscribed and read your blog a few times, I just never put two and two together to get 5.
November 15, 2008 at 3:37 PM
For a reseponse to part of Green's talk (the Praying for Peace part), see
http://take50.blogspot.com/
November 18, 2008 at 10:41 AM
I had to leave right after Tyler's talk for a long weekend out of town - if you missed Tyler's talk it will be on our website soon and I will post a link as soon as it's available. So glad this has started a dialogue.
November 19, 2008 at 4:43 PM
NOTE: I'm not defending Chihuly here. Just saying that sometimes a lot of art doesn't suit anyone at first, and that it often takes time for the audience to develop for an artist's work.
(The Chihuly reference is just because I happen to know that example, and it's one on the record.)
So, speaking of non-Western contemporary art, don't forget to check out the Inuit exhibition at the Eiteljorg.
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