After hearing Jeff Koons reflect about the progression of his career and his evolution of process; It got my mind working. I think it is about time I put my mouth to where my keyboard is…in other words start blogging my musings, perspectives, and reflections upon how I am experiencing the Art World. My voice, my perspective, my interpretations are just that… relative to my own encounters in the art community. My goal is not to add more noise to the excessive banter that I think can go on with blogging. But rather hone on on very specific concepts and perspectives that hopefully will engage those seeking to help manifest positive social change through Art (As This is my main mission statement for my professional endevaours). Perhaps also by seeking a quality of audience whearas quality is deemed by the dynamic outreach of and interaction with the people following and interacting with my various social media endeavors. The goal is to start an organic, grass roots dialogue. For what is social media but a means to connect us effectively closer together to perhaps be more efficient in goal-seeking and various opportunistic agendas(those agendas being ones of an elevating and enhancing nature?

    Now that I have reflected a little about the direction I would like to take my social media focus, specifically the written word, let me come back to Jeff Koon’s talk last night, Thursday, April, 18 at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum. I never knew the spiritual context that is consistent throughout the initial probings to his current body work. Koon’s curiosity with the world around is emphasized wit optimism and a comprehension of dualities. I infer that perhaps some Taoist philosophy may of been on his reading list at one point or another from the way I heard him articulate some of his ideas. I appreciated and found hope in his perspective on how all experiences are relevant and uniquely important. The notion of hierarchical experience is disgarded with Koon’s in particular context with art-process and interpretations. Visual language and symbolism is found from the “banal” and mundane and reaffixed to perhaps seek the spiritual cues that could be perceived as lost in a contemporary context. My conclusion is that the mysticism that could be found in the ways of the ancient can be in fact found in the language of Koon’s world… which is referencing the reality of “our” (the Western, American perhaps in this case) own visual language in everyday objects and advertisements. 

     From hearing Koon’s hear about the trials and tribulations of becoming a self-sufficient individual and hoping to create work that was authentic to his own sensibilities. is something we can all learn from. It is not as if this artist’s success happened over night. It was many years in the making ripe with mistakes, moving back home, starting over and taking the reigns again. 

     Bear with me as I continue to grow and work on evolving my voice as a thoughtful maybe even eventually so bold as to be critical ( whereas the context of critical is meant to be a means to critique in efforts to elevate not bring down) Never should there be a dialogue of what is good or bad art as these things are relative. What I find is informing my practice as a concurring and carefully ascertaining creative professional in the art context is my desire to align myself with relevant conversations going on currently. But perhaps helping educate other’s in the process while I am in evolving in my own compression of said art practices and dialogues. What is a very real obstacle and what creates a rift in the Art World is perhaps the disharmonious  conversations going on where unfortunately some creatives are having conversations that have already occurred decades early. This is why I cannot empathize education. The notion of the isolated artist walled off from the world is the leading cause of art that does not have a clarity and focus. For truly an Artist who shows a comprehension through interpreting a simultaneous dialogue of individual and collective experenice while showcasing process, exposing vulnerability and emphasizing their unique perspective in the midst of it all.. That is what I would say is Art that speaks to me and is in turn has a tendency to live on to become a “successful” work in what ever trappings one can associate. I cannot emphasize that the idea of “good” or “bad” art, the rampant and oh so quick discrediting of an artist work when causally visiting a gallery or museum, is thrown out in my book. That conversation does not impart any wisdom or cultivation of the creative.

gallery talk

Friday, January 18, 12:30 pm

Meet at the information desk, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Carol Huh, Freer|Sackler assistant curator of contemporary Asian art, takes an in-depth look at a selection of works in the exhibition Ai Weiwei: According to What?

The Hirshhorn is located on the National Mall at the corner of 7th Street and Independence Avenue SW.

The closest Metro station is L’Enfant Plaza (Green, Yellow, Orange, and Blue lines).