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Transcript of YOMO 03-11
Art & CULTURE MAGAZINE
MARCH 11
ART & REALITY How Art Saves Sniffy from Serpent Death What to do if your country`s government decides to quit…? Modern Art and its Exciting Deviations
Also in this issue… Art from
South Korea and Singapore:
Introducing the works of Nami Kim
and Speak Cryptic
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YOMO Art Gallery Support your local hero. Designed by Aminta Rother Cover by Nick Lu
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09 12 19 23 26
The Romantic Encounter of Art and Reality Part 1: Art Saves Sniffy from Serpent Death By Jim Muir
YOMO March Exhibition: Introducing Nami Kim and Speak Cryptic
Explore the infamous world of Graffiti in one of Canada’s most pulsating cities: The Toronto Graffiti Walk By Monisha Sharma
Deviations in Contemporary Art By Maiteree Mann
What to do if your county’s government decides to quit? “Is there a Pilot in Belgium?” by Emmanuelle Lambert
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07
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HERE IT IS, IT’S FINALLY DONE. AFTER COUNTLESS SLEEPLESS NIGHTS, THE VERY FIRST ISSUE OF YOMO IS OUT. I’M ALREADY VERY EXCITED TO
RECEIVE FEEDBACK…POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE. AS MOST OF YOU KNOW, THE YOMO PROJECT STARTED IN JANAUARY OF THIS YEAR WITH A BUNCH
OF VERY INTERESTING AND TALENTED ARTISTS. I DECIDED TO CREATE A BI-‐MONTHLY MAGAZINE IN ORDER TO NOT ONLY
INTRODUCE SOME OF THE ARTISTS FEATURED ON THE WEBSITE BUT ALSO TO
DISCUSS CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN THE ART SCENE. ONE OF MY FAVORITE ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE IS “THE ROMANTIC
ENCOUNTER OF ART AND REALITY.” THIS IS THE FIRST PART OF A SERIES THAT WILL EXPLORE THE EXCITING BUT NOT ALWAYS EASY RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN CONTEMPORARY ART AND REALITY. ALSO GET ADVICE ON WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR GOVERNMENT DECIDES TO
QUIT AND DISCOVER HOW THIS COULD RESULT IN AN UNUSUALLY ARTISTIC
REVOLUTION. WELL I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS ISSUE OF YOMO…
First things first.
Aminta
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THE ROMANTIC ENCOUNTERS OF ART AND REALITY Part 1: Art Saves Sniffy from Serpent Death by Jim Muir
THROUGH A SERIES OF ARTICLES I AM GOING TO TELL YOU THE STORY
OF A WILY CHAMELEON WHO HAS BEEN COVERTLY CREEPING INTO
YOUR REALITY. HIS NAME IS ‘ARTHUR’, ‘ART’ FOR SHORT. ART HAS A WIFE NAMED 'ELIZABETH', WHOM HE AFFECTIONATELY REFERS TO AS
'ELI'. THEIR LAST NAME, OF COURSE, IS 'TIST'. THEY HAVE BEEN MARRIED A LONG, LONG TIME -‐ CENTURIES, MAYBE EVEN MILLENNIA. FOR EONS THEY WENT QUIETLY ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS, LIVING IN GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS, SUPPORTED IN THEIR ENDEAVORS BY THE STATE AND WEALTHY CONNOISSEURS. THEY NEVER REALLY GOT INTO ANYBODY ELSE'S BUSINESS, SO PEOPLE PRETTY MUCH LEFT THEM
ALONE. BUT THEN SOMETHING HAPPENED. SOMEWHERE AROUND THE
MIDDLE OF THE LAST CENTURY A GERMAN PROPHET NAMED JOSEPH BEUYS HAD A VISION. HE SAID THAT ART SHOULD GET OUT OF HIS CASTLE, AND CIRCULATE AMONGST THE MASSES. HE SAID THAT EVERYONE SHOULD BE MORE LIKE ART. THE PEOPLE, FOR THEIR PART, WERE DUBIOUS. EVEN MANY OF ART'S CLOSEST FRIENDS WERE
SKEPTICAL, BUT ART TOOK BEUYS' WORDS TO HEART. HE STARTED DISGUISING HIMSELF, AND GOING OUT INTO REALITY, WANDERING
AMONGST THE PUBLIC. ART REDEFINED HIMSELF TO SUCH AN EXTENT
OVER THE YEARS THAT HE EVENTUALLY DEFIED DEFINITION. HE BECAME
UTTERLY UNRECOGNIZABLE. OFTEN WHEN HE DID IDENTIFY HIMSELF, UNBELIEVERS WOULD CRY OUT, "THAT'S NOT ART!" TO WHICH HE
WOULD REPLY, "YES, MY FRIEND, IT IS. I WALK AMIDST YOU NOW. I AM
A PART OF YOU, AND YOU ARE A PART OF ME." …
“Gibson advertised
that on a particular
day, at a particular
time and place, he was going
to set Sniffy between two
canvases and squash him
with a concrete block
to create a diptych.”
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EVEN MORE SURREPTITIOUSLY, ART WOULD OFTEN
CLOAK HIMSELF AS REALITY ITSELF, SO THAT WHEN
THE PEOPLE THOUGHT THEY WERE OBSERVING
REALITY, THEY WERE ACTUALLY ABSORBING ART INTO THEIR LIVES. LIKE MEDICINE SLIPPED INTO A
CHILD'S CUP OF HOT COCOA. ART AND ELI WILL ALWAYS LOVE AND SUPPORT
EACH OTHER, BUT THEY HAVE BEEN GROWING
APART. ART HAS BEEN STEPPING OUT ON HER. THEY ARE CURRENTLY UNDERGOING A TRIAL SEPARATION, AND A DIVORCE MAY BE IN THE WORKS. AS ELI SAID, "IT'S NOT JUST THAT HE HAS MOVED OUT OF
THE GALLERY. HE IS ACTUALLY STARTING TO BELIEVE THAT HE IS PART OF REALITY! HE SEEMS TO THINK
HE HOLDS SOME SWAY OVER SOCIETY!" WHEN ELI
SAID THIS, ART'S EYES LIT UP. IT WAS JUST AS THE
PROPHET HAD ENVISIONED! "ART," BEUYS HAD SAID, "SHOULD BE A REAL MEANS, IN DAILY LIFE, TO GO IN AND TRANSFORM THE POWER FIELDS OF
SOCIETY." I SUPPOSE IT ALL STARTED COMING TO
A HEAD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LAST CENTURY, WHEN ART STARTED DOING HIS LITTLE
PERFORMANCE PIECES. I REMEMBER THE FIRST
PUBLIC PERFORMANCE I ENCOUNTERED. IT STOPPED ME IN MY TRACKS AND CHANGED EVERY
IDEA I HAD ABOUT WHAT ART WAS, OR WHAT HE
COULD BE. IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I PERSONALLY WITNESSED ART AND REALITY KISS. IT WAS IN VANCOUVER (CANADA) IN 1990 WHEN ART TOOK THE PSEUDONYM 'RICK
In this photo: Jim Muir
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GIBSON'. GIBSON ‘RENTED’ A RAT FROM A
LOCAL PET SHOP AND NAMED HIM ‘SNIFFY’. SNIFFY’S FATE AT THE PET SHOP WAS TO BE
SOLD AS SNAKE FOOD. GIBSON ADVERTISED
THAT ON A PARTICULAR DAY, AT A PARTICULAR TIME AND PLACE, HE WAS GOING TO SET SNIFFY BETWEEN TWO CANVASES AND SQUASH HIM
WITH A CONCRETE BLOCK TO CREATE A DIPTYCH. THE PUBLIC OUTCRY WAS ENORMOUS. IT WAS
ON THE LATE NIGHT NEWS, AND IN THE
NEWSPAPERS. ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS GOT
INVOLVED. EVERYONE WAS TALKING ABOUT IT. THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS, BUT THEY WERE SURE IT WASN'T ART! AT THE
DESIGNATED TIME AND PLACE HUNDREDS OF
ANGRY PROTESTERS SHOWED UP. THE POLICE WERE CALLED IN AS THE MOB ATTACKED GIBSON
SPECIFICALLY, AND ART GENERALLY. BOTH WERE GENUINELY AFRAID FOR THEIR LIFE. SNIFFY WAS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND. GIBSON
HAD ALREADY RETURNED SNIFFY TO THE PET SHOP, AND ONE OF THE ANIMAL RIGHTS GROUPS
LATER ADOPTED HIM. THE ANIMAL RIGHTS
GROUP TOOK CREDIT FOR SAVING SNIFFY, BUT REALLY IT WAS ART WHO HAD SNATCHED SNIFFY FROM THE JAWS OF SERPENT DEATH! GIBSON
NEVER ACTUALLY INTENDED TO SQUISH SNIFFY. UNLIKE HIS COUSIN CY ANTS, ART WOULD
NEVER HARM AN ANIMAL FOR HIS OWN
PURPOSES. THE PERFORMANCE WAS OVER, BUT THE
DIALOGUE HAD JUST BEGUN. FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE BECAME MORE
LIKE ART. THEIR REALITY WAS JARRED SLIGHTLY
ASKEW AS THEY PONDERED WHAT ART WAS
TRYING TO GET ACROSS. THOUSANDS OF
HUMANS DIE EVERY DAY FROM WAR AND
STARVATION, DISEASE AND NEGLECT. RATS ARE SNAPPED INTO DEATH BY RATTRAPS AND PET
REPTILES ALL THE TIME, LET ALONE CRAZY CY ANTS’ EXPERIMENTS. WHERE ARE ALL THE
PROTESTERS FOR THESE EVERYDAY
OCCURRENCES? HOW CAN ONE RAT'S DEMISE
ATTRACT SO MUCH MEDIA ATTENTION AND
PUBLIC INDIGNATION IN A WORLD SO FULL OF
POINTLESS DEATH AND DESTRUCTION? ART PENETRATED REALITY AND GOT PEOPLE
THINKING. THE SNIFFY CAPER CROSSED A LINE
SOMEWHERE. WAS IT ABOUT ART, OR WAS IT
ABOUT REALITY? IT WAS CERTAINLY ABOUT
HYPOCRISY, AND IT WAS ABOUT LIFE AND
DEATH. THERE ISN'T MUCH MORE REAL THAN
THAT. IT AFFECTED ALMOST EVERYONE IN THE
CITY; IT WENT WAY BEYOND ART'S NORMAL
CONFINES. IT WAS, FOR ME AT THE TIME, A NEW PARADIGM OF WHAT ART COULD BE. ART, I THOUGHT, CAN BE A PART OF
EVERYDAY REALITY, AND A MEANS TO
TRANSFORM SOCIETY. THE SNIFFY SAGA IS JUST AN INKLING OF WHAT ART HAS BEEN UP TO SINCE HE STARTED MESSING AROUND
WITH REALITY. I KNOW ART FEELS SOME
REMORSE ABOUT THE DAMAGE DONE TO HIS
RELATIONSHIP WITH ELI, BUT I REALLY THINK HE IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK. ART’S ROMANTIC
ENCOUNTERS WITH REALITY ARE BRINGING
THEM CLOSER AND CLOSER TOGETHER ALL
THE TIME.
Read Part 2 of this series in the
next issue of YOMO
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YOMOartists
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NAMI KIM ARTIST. PRINT MAKER. GRAPHIC DESIGNER. NAMI WAS BORN IN 1979 IN SOUTH KOREA, HOWEVER SHE HAS LIVED IN SAN FRANCISCO, NEW YORK, THE PHILLIPINES, THE MALDIVES, AND IN CHICAGO. THE EVENTS AND OBJECTS FROM THESE PLACES AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP
TO HER PERSONAL HISTORY FASCINATE HER. DURING THE PROCESS OF CREATING NEW ART
PIECES, SHE RECONNECTS WITH THESE PLACES
AND EXPERIENCES, AND SHE CONTINUES TO HOLD THE MEMORY AND TANGIBLE FEELINGS
SHE ENCOUNTERED IN THESE VERY MOMENTS. HER RECENT WORKS, INCLUDING MAKING
SILKSCREEN PRINTS, HAS BEEN A REAL TURNING POINT FOR HER. SHE IS INTERESTED IN IMAGES
DERIVED FROM POP CULTURES AND PERSONAL
EXPERIENCES. NAMI’S WORKS HAVE RECENTLY BEEN SELECTED
FOR THE KOREAN AMERICAN DAY ART EXHIBITION AND HAVE BEEN DISPLAYED AT THE CHICAGO DOWNTOWN CENTER IN JANUARY ’11
Exclusive Interview with Nami Kim People always wonder of how others grew up and what influenced them to take certain paths in their lives. Could you tell us a little more about yourself? I grew up in South Korea and had a big family. I lived with my parents, older sister, younger sister, grandmother, aunts and a dog. I was a middle child and always tried to get attention, so I acted weird sometimes. For example, I cut my hair by myself looking funny or took my sisters’ stuffed animals and destroyed them. I was a troublemaker, but I loved to draw and paint. I got lots of awards when I was in elementary school. I really miss my childhood.
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So, then when exactly did you first realize you wanted to become an artist? When I turned 9, I won the first prize in a drawing contest in my elementary school. I still remember the feeling when people clapped their hands in front of me…such a good feeling. Did you also have any idols when growing up? YES, I do. “New kids on the Block” -‐ They are my idols and my turning point. When I listened to their music at age 13, they changed my life. I learned English really hard. I sent fan letters and gifts to my favorite “New Kids” member, Danny Wood. I joined a fan club and had pen pals from 10 different counties. They were all “New Kids” fans. My pure American dream started. The works you create are very unique, interesting, strange, and funny at the same time. Where do you get the inspiration for your art? I traveled a lot during the last 10 years and have lived in four different countries. New people, exotic places, food and culture inspire me. I am fascinated by the events and objects from these places and their connection to my personal history.
Like a Virgin by Nami Kim
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What is it that you want to express or achieve with your art? Mainly, I want to make viewer laugh and smile. At the same time however, I want to make the observers think and let them try to figure out what I want to express, like a puzzle. I hope my art forces discussion and reaction from the viewer. Whether positive or negative, love or hate, a conversation emerges. When you decided to me part of the YOMO project, you also decided to donate part of your profits from art sales to a charity organization. Why did you choose to support the Betty Wood Breast Cancer Foundation? Betty wood is mom of Danny Wood from “New Kids on the Block.” She died of breast cancer and Danny created the Betty Wood Breast Cancer foundation, remembering his mom. I want to support them, because, he changed my life. That little Asian girl who lived in Korea finally came to America, making art and following her dream. Danny made me who I am now. I really appreciate that. Now, it is my turn to give back.
CHECK OUT SOME OF NAMI KIM’S ARTWORKS IN THE CURRENT YOMO
EXHIBITION AT WWW.YOMOART.ORG/ARTWORKS THE PRNTS ARE NOW UP FOR SALE AND 10% OF THE PROFITS WILL BE
DONATED TO THE BETTY WOOD BREAT CANCER FOUNDATION.
15 “Let It Be…” by Nami Kim -‐ silkscreen on paper
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SPEAK CRYPTIC
“SPEAK CRYPTIC” IS THE MONIKER OF FARIZWAN FAJARI, AN ARTIST AND ILLUSTRATOR WORKING AND LIVING IN SINGAPORE. HE GRADUATED FROM THE
LASALLE COLLEGE OF THE ARTS IN 2007 WITH A BACHELORS DEGREE IN FINE ART, MAJORING IN PAINTING. EXCLUSIVELY FOR YOMO, FARISWAN CREATED THREE
ILLUSTRATIONS THAT ARE UP FOR SALE IN THE CURRENT YOMO EXHIBITION
SUPPORTING THE GIRL EFFECT CHARITY ORGANIZATION.
"THESE ILLUSTRATIONS ARE BASED UPON VARIOUS REACTIONS TOWARDS DIFFERENT
SITUATIONS THAT HAS TRANSPIRED WITHIN MY
IMMEDIATE ENVIRONMENT. IT COULD BE BEST DESCRIBED AS VISUAL DIARY OF A SINGLE
INSTANCE.
THE NARRATIVE HOWEVER, IS PERSONAL TO THE ARTIST BUT HE HOPES THAT CERTAIN SIGNS THAT
EXISTS WITHIN THE IMAGE WILL ACT AS A
CATALYST TO TRIGGER OFF THE VIEWER'S OWN
INTERPRETATION OF THAT INSTANCE." -‐SPEAK CRYPTIC
17 “The Movie Channel” by Speak Cryptic
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IS THERE A PILOT IN BELGIUM? by Emmanuelle Lambert
RATIFY A STATE BUDGET, TO NO AVAIL. SINCE THEN, THE PREVIOUS GOVERNMENT THAT HAD
RESIGNED THUS CAUSING THE JUNE ELECTIONS, IS ACTING AS CARETAKER GOVERNMENT TO HANDLE
CURRENT AFFAIRS. NOW ADD THE SECRET
INGREDIENT TO THE ABOVE RECIPE: THE SMALL
COUNTRY IS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION. HARD TO IMAGINE, RIGHT? YOU MIGHT GO AS
FAR AS TO SAY THAT SUCH SITUATION IS
IMPOSSIBLE! WELL, WELCOME TO BELGIUM. SURREALISM AT ITS BEST TENSIONS BETWEEN DUTCH-‐SPEAKING FLANDERS IN THE NORTH AND FRENCH-‐SPEAKING WALLOOUNIA IN THE SOUTH HAVE ALWAYS
EXISTED, MOSTLY COMING FROM THEIR
AUTHORITIES. HOWEVER THEY HAVE REACHED A
WHOLE NEW LEVEL OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS,
IMAGINE A SMALL COUNTRY IN WESTERN
EUROPE. THIS SMALL COUNTRY IS DIVIDED INTO
THREE REGIONS, ONE SOUTH, ONE NORTH, AND A THIRD REGION IN THE MIDDLE, WHICH
HAPPENS TO BE THE CAPITAL. NORTH AND
SOUTH SPEAK DIFFERENT LANGUAGES, AND
MIDDLE SPEAKS A BIT OF BOTH. LET’S TAKE IT FURTHER: IMAGINE THAT GENERAL
ELECTIONS TOOK PLACE IN THIS SMALL COUNTRY
IN JUNE LAST YEAR. A RIGHT-‐WING SEPARATIST
PARTY WON IN THE NORTH, THEREFORE
CLAIMING MORE AUTONOMY. A LEFT-‐WING
SOCIALIST PARTY WON IN THE SOUTH. AND IN THE MIDDLE, BOTH A LIBERAL RIGHT-‐OF-‐CENTER PARTY AND THE LEFT-‐WING SOCIALIST PARTY
WON. IMAGINE THAT SINCE THEN, ALL THESE PARTIES HAVE BEEN NEGOTIATING TO FORM A
GOVERNMENT ABLE TO CARRY OUT THE
NECESSARY INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS AND
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MOSTLY OVER BRUSSELS, THE CAPITAL. SURREALISM IS A WELL-‐KNOWN BELGIAN TRAIT, TRANSPIRING IN THE POLITICAL ARENA AT THE
MOMENT. A PEOPLE ’S REACTION THE BELGIANS HAD ACCEPTED THE SITUATION, UNTIL YET ANOTHER SERIES OF NEGOTIATIONS
FAILED MID-‐JANUARY. THEY ARE NOW STARTING TO
REACT IN THEIR PACIFIST AND SOMEWHAT FUNNY
WAY. EVERYTHING STARTED WHEN KRIS JANSSENS, A YOUNG FLEMISH JOURNALIST, POSTED A VIDEO OF HIMSELF ON YOUTUBE VOICING HIS FRUSTRATION AND ANGER AT THE INCAPACITY OF POLITICIANS TO
END THE DEADLOCK. THIS VIDEO HAS SINCE THEN SPARKED A WHOLE RANGE OF INITIATIVES, SUCH AS THE “SHAME” MARCH SUPPORTED BY A WEBSITE (HTTP://WWW.230111.BE/) IN THREE LANGUAGES, LAUNCHED BY THREE STUDENTS FROM
THE VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT BRUSSEL. THE MARCH
TOOK PLACE ON JANUARY 23RD AND GATHERED
OVER 34 000 PEOPLE. LESS CLASSICAL INITIATIVES INCLUDE THE
CAMPING16.BE WEBSITE, WHERE YOU CAN PLANT A
VIRTUAL TENT IN FRONT OF THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE ON 16 RUE DE LA LOI IN BRUSSELS, UNTIL A GOVERNMENT IS FORMED. THE IDEA SEEMS CRAZY, BUT TO THIS DAY AROUND 144 000 PEOPLE HAVE JOINED THE PROTEST CAMP. HOWEVER THE MOST TYPICAL BELGIAN REACTION CAME FROM BELGIUM’S BEST-‐KNOWN ACTOR, BENOIT POELVOORDE OF MAN BITES DOG FAME. IN AN INTERVIEW ON JANUARY 12, POELVOORDE URGED BELGIAN CITIZENS NOT TO SHAVE UNTIL A
PROPER GOVERNMENT IS IN OFFICE. AS SURREALISTIC AS IT MAY SEEM, THE CALL HAS LED TO A TREMENDOUS RESPONSE SO FAR. A COMMUNICATION AGENCY HAS FOLLOWED
SUIT WITH A WEBSITE, FEATURING PORTRAITS OF BEARDED PEOPLE (YES, EVEN VERY
CREATIVE WOMEN!). WILL THESE INITIATIVES HAVE A TRUE IMPACT
ON THE DECISION-‐MAKING PROCESS? IT IS HARD TO TELL AT THIS STAGE. IF IT DOESN’T, THE BELGIANS WILL FIND OTHER WICKED
WAYS OF EXPRESSING THEMSELVES AND
GETTING THEIR POINT ACROSS, YOU CAN BET YOUR BEARD ON THAT!
Watch Kris Janssens’ video with English subtitles at: http://universalsubtitles.org/en/videos/mQMJiwWDtPAG/ Check out all the beards at WWW.BEARDFORBELGIUM.BE
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Does this mess with your eyes??
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Photos by Monisha Sharma
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THE TORONTO GRAFFITI WALK
by Monisha Sharma
OFF THE TORONTO FASHION DISTRICT BY CHINA TOWN, IS A KILOMETRE OF UNADULTERATED ARTISTIC EXPRESSION. THERE, I FOUND MYSELF BATTLING SNOW ON A COLD, WINTRY SUNDAY AFTERNOON, IN THE MIDST OF A SPECTACULAR COLOUR
EXPLOSION. EVEN IN THE SNOWSTORM SEVERAL OTHER
GRAFFITI ENTHUSIASTS HAD DRAGGED THEMSELVES OUT OF
THEIR WARM ABODES TO WITNESS ART TAKE OVER THE CITY. THEY COULD NOT BE FAULTED FOR THEIR EAGERNESS. THROUGH LAYERS OF SYMBOLISM OR JUST CAMPY HUMOUR, GRAFFITI PAINTERS OR WRITERS AS THEY LIKE TO BE CALLED, MAKE THE WALLS OF THE CITY COME ALIVE. I’M DRAWN IN BY A
TREASURE MAP THAT IN TRUE GRAF STYLE IS PLACED NEXT TO
AN EXPLODING, CRIMSON-‐RED, LARGER THAN LIFE SCORPION CREATURE. FURTHER ALONG THE ALLEY, REFERENCES TO “STYLE IN PROGRESS” – AN ANNUAL LEGALIZED GRAFFITI EVENT, OR THE UNPOPULAR G20 SUMMIT RECENTLY HELD IN TORONTO
COVER THE WALLS. FROM THE WHIMSICAL TO THE
STAUNCHLY POLITICAL, GRAFFITI ARTISTS SUCH AS SKAM, KANE, MIKE GIANT AND REVOK PRESENT AN OPINIONATED COMMENTARY ON OUR LIVES IN TORONTO. THE ART OF GRAFFITI HAS EXISTED EVER SINCE MAN HAS
KNOWN HOW TO EXPRESS HIMSELF ON WALLS; FROM
CAVEMAN ETCHINGS MORE THAN THIRTY THOUSAND YEARS
AGO TO EXTRAORDINARY SPRAY PAINT CREATIONS ON CITY
WALLS TODAY. THESE SKETCHES FIRST ORIGINATED AS A MEANS OF COMMUNICATION OR CENTREPIECES FOR
CEREMONIES AND PLAYED A BIG PART IN RELIGION. IN MANY
WAYS, GRAFFITI HAS EVOLVED INTO A CULT OR SUBCULTURE OF ITS OWN WITH AN INTRICATE SET OF RULES. MODERN
GRAFFITI BEGAN AS A REBELLIOUS OUTCRY AND HAS BEEN
CLOSELY ALIGNED WITH PROPAGANDA, REVOLUTIONARY AND
“GRAFFITI HAS EVOLVED INTO
A CULT OR
SUBCULTURE
OF ITS OWN
WITH AN
INTRICATE SET
OF RULES”
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ANARCHIST SLOGANS. IT BECAME THE VOICE OF ANTI ESTABLISHMENT
SENTIMENTS OF THE COMMON MAN, MOST FAMOUSLY THROUGH DEPICTIONS
ON THE BERLIN WALL AND THE WEST BANK WALL. GRAFFITI CONTINUES TO BE ILLEGAL IN MOST COUNTRIES. THE LIFESTYLE OF A GRAFFITI WRITER IS PRECARIOUS AND THE RISKS FACED ARE FAR GREATER
THAN THE NON-‐ATTAINMENT OF ARTISTIC VISION. GRAFFITI ARTISTS ARE ALWAYS ON THE RUN FROM THE POLICE, COMPETING CREWS OR EVEN GANGS. HARSH FINES AND EVEN JAIL TIME IS NOT RARE. THE CHANCES OF YOUR WORK
REMAINING ON DISPLAY FOREVER ARE MINISCULE AS IT IS BEING PERFORMED
ON A STOLEN CANVAS. SOME HAVE REFERRED TO GRAFFITI AS BEING THE FINE
ART EQUIVALENT OF IMPROVISATIONAL THEATRE. THE JOY OF CREATION IS AT THE CORE OF THE PROCESS AND THE BIGGEST PLEASURE LIES IN THE ACTUAL
ACTIVITY RATHER THAN THE OUTCOME. THIS UNPREDICTABLE QUALITY MAKES
THE RESULTING ARTWORK MORE BREATHTAKING, AS IT IS ONLY THERE TO BE CHERISHED FOR A SHORT WHILE. THE WALLS OF A GRAFFITI FILLED ALLEY, JUST LIKE LIFE, ARE DEFINED BY CHANGE. TWO BLOCKS INTO THE ALLEY LIES AN ENCHANTING NATIVE INDIAN INSPIRED GRAFFITI PORTRAIT OF A WOLF, YOUNG GIRL AND AN EAGLE AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF A GRITTY, INDUSTRIAL CITY. THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE
POWERFUL COOL BLUES AND WHITES OF THE WOLF TO THE STOIC
DETERMINATION OF THE GIRL IS CAPTIVATING. HOWEVER, WHAT DOMINATES
THE WALL ON THE SIDE IS A WARRING CONVERSATION BETWEEN TWO
COMPETING GRAF WRITERS. IT IS APPARENT THAT THE ORIGINAL WOLF
GRAFFITI WAS WIDER ON THE LEFT THAN WHAT REMAINS ON THE WALL. ANOTHER ARTIST HAD STAKED HIS CLAIM TO THE WALL BY PARTIALLY PAINTING
OVER THE ORIGINAL ART WORK. NOT TO BE OUTDONE, THE ORIGINAL ARTIST CAME BACK TO PAINT A THIRD IMAGE ON TOP AND LEFT A MESSAGE FOR THE
OFFENDING ENCROACHMENT: “TIT FOR TAT... JUST LIKE THAT... TOY”. THE TERM “TOY” REFERS TO AN INEXPERIENCED OR DISRESPECTFUL GRAFFITI WRITER. GRAFFITI TODAY IS MORE MAINSTREAM AND COMMERCIALIZED, EVEN USED EXTENSIVELY IN ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS SUCH AS IBM, SONY AND
MICROSOFT. MANY GRAFFITI ARTISTS HAVE TAKEN THE LEAP FROM PAINTING
ON WALLS TO DESIGNING SKATEBOARDS, CLOTHING APPAREL AND SHOES. EVEN SO, THE HEART OF GRAFFITI IS STILL ABOUT MAKING STATEMENTS. THE HAUNTING LOOK UNDERNEATH AN “AUTHORIZED PARKING ONLY” SIGN OR THE CAREFREE BLISSFUL IMAGE ACCOMPANIED WITH THE DECLARATION THAT
“I’M JUST WALKING MY DOG, SINGING MY SONG” BOTH DEMAND ATTENTION
AND ELICIT AWE. THE VIVID COLOURS, VISCERAL AND UNAPOLOGETIC IMAGES
IN A SNOWED IN DULL GRAY CITY, TRANSFORMED A GENERIC ALLEY AND
SHOWCASED THE NEED FOR MORE GRAFFITI IN OUR LIVES.
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Yup.
26 Illustration by Elena Asimar
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DEVIANT ART (don’t worry, this is not about the website)
by Maiteree Mann
IF YOU ARE AN ART ENTHUSIAST AND GRAPPLING, WITH THE HUGE DIMENSIONS OF THE CONTEMPORARY
ART WORLD TODAY, LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THE VOLATILE DIMENSIONS OF WHAT WE KNOW AS ART AND
HOW THE CONSTANT DEVIATIONS IN ART HAVE CHANGED THE FACE OF CONTEMPORARY ART. IN RECENT TIMES THE ART FRATERNITY WORLD WIDE WAS JOSTLED BY THIS NEWS: “ON 11 AUGUST 2010, THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION DECIDED THAT A VIDEO INSTALLATION SHOULD BE
CLASSIFIED AS DVD PLAYERS AND PROJECTORS, AND A LIGHT INSTALLATION AS LIGHT FITTINGS.” BASED ON THIS NEWS, AS PER EU LEGISLATION, WORKS OF ART THAT USE LIGHT AND VIDEO INSTALLATIONS DO NOT
COME UNDER THE PERIPHERY OF WHAT CAN BE TERMED AS ART. THEREFORE, WORKS SUCH AS THOSE BILL VIOLA'S "ISOLDE'S ASCENSION (THE SHAPE OF LIGHT IN SPACE AFTER DEATH)", 2005, CANNOT BE CLASSIFIED AS ART PER SE. WHILE THE DECISION HAS BEEN WIDELY COMMENTED ON AND HEAVILY CRITICIZED, IT BRINGS US TO THE QUESTION OF WHAT REALLY IS THE DEFINITION OF ART? THERE HAS BEEN MUCH DEBATE RECENTLY ABOUT
WHAT WE PERCEIVE AS ART. THIS IS PRIMARILY BECAUSE ART TODAY IS NO LONGER CONFINED TO THE
CANVAS OR THE OIL PAINT AND WATER COLORS. GOING THROUGH HISTORY, ONE MIGHT RECOLLECT THAT
THE ERA BEFORE THE 1960’S SAW ART AS VERY TRADITIONAL FORM OF PAINTING. DURING THOSE TIMES, ART WAS MUCH MORE CATEGORIZED AND PERHAPS EASIER TO LOOK AT AND UNDERSTAND. ART WAS THEN
CLASSIFIED INTO MOVEMENTS AND STYLES SUCH AS ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM, SURREALISM, ETC. IT WAS
DEFINED BY THE USE OF MEDIUM, BRUSH STROKES, COLORS, TECHNIQUES, AND CANVAS UPON WHICH IT
WAS PAINTED. IN STRIKING CONTRAST, TODAY’S CONTEMPORARY ART MIGHT NOT HAVE EITHER THE CANVAS OR A BRUSH
AND YET BE A VERY CREATIVE FORM OF ART EXPRESSION. THIS HAS IN FACT OPENED BOUNDARIES AND GIVEN RISE TO EXCITING NEW WAYS WORKS THAT MIGHT NEVER EVEN HAVE BEEN IMAGINED POSSIBLE
BEFORE. BEGINNING WITH PROJECTS LIKE ‘9 EVENINGS: THEATRE & ENGINEERING’. EXPERIMENTS IN ART AND TECHNOLOGY (E.A.T.), WHERE 10 NEW YORK ARTISTS COLLABORATED WITH 30 ENGINEERS AND SCIENTISTS FROM BELL TELEPHONE LABORATORIES, TO CREATE HISTORY, CONTEMPORARY ART HAS INDEED
COME A LONG WAY. CONTEMPORARY ART OF TODAY CAN BE BEST CATEGORIZED AS A MIXED MEDIA COLLAGE LIKE FORM THAT IS
OFTEN BROUGHT TOGETHER THOUGH PAPER, EMBELLISHMENTS, PAINT, MUSIC, COLOR, VIDEOS, GRAPHICS AND VARIOUS OTHER MEDIUMS THAT ONE MIGHT HAVE NEVER ASSOCIATED WITH ART BEFORE. THOUGH SOMETIMES MARKED AS MURKIER AND DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND, CONTEMPORARY ART AIMS AT
BECOMING MORE ACCESSIBLE AND IN TRYING TO DEFINE TODAY’S PSYCHE MORE THAN TRADITIONAL ART
PERHAPS EVER HAS
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POST MODERN ART IN GENERAL AND CONTEMPORARY ART IN PARTICULAR SPEAK OF PLURALISM AND ECLECTICISM. A LACK OF A UNIFORM ORGANIZING PRINCIPLE OR IDEOLOGY IS WHAT CHARACTERIZES THE PRESENT DAY ART FORM. SOON AFTER THE MULTIMEDIA EXPERIMENTS IN THE 1970S, ART SAW A WIDESPREAD USE OF TECHNOLOGY-‐BASED MEDIA: AMALGAMATION OF SOUND, LIVE PERFORMANCES, FILM CLIPS, PHOTOGRAPHS, ETC. THE WORKS OF
ARTIST’S LIKE KRUGER, WITH HIS WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES, AS WELL AS KIEFER’S PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLAGES ARE EXAMPLES OF TODAY’S ART WORK. CONTINUING AND DEFINING THIS VERY TREND IS THE DECLARATION OF SUSAN PHILIPSZ AS THIS YEAR'S WINNER FOR THE TURNER PRIZE. THE TURNER PRIZE IS THE BIGGEST ANNUAL AWARD GIVEN FOR AN ARTIST IN BRITAIN. THE GUARDIAN REPORTS: “SHE IS THE FIRST PERSON IN THE HISTORY OF THE AWARD TO HAVE CREATED NOTHING YOU CAN SEE OR TOUCH." THE FACT THAT PHILIPSZ'S ART IS DEVOID OF VISUALS IS PERHAPS A STATEMENT THAT ART TODAY IS TRULY MULTI
DIMENSIONAL AND EVOLVING IN REGIONS ONE HAD NEVER DREAMT OF. MUCH OF THE RECENT PAST AND THE COMING YEARS SHALL PERHAPS SEE THE AMALGAMATION OF ART WITH NEW
TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL NETWORKING IN THE PROMOTION OF SUCH ART, ONE MIGHT ASK, WHY NOT? IT NOT ONLY HELPS ARTISTS EXPERIMENT WITH THEIR CREATIVITY BUT ALSO HELPS MAKE ART MUCH MORE AFFORDABLE. WHILE THERE ARE MANY WHO PREFER THEIR ART WORK TO BE REMAIN WITHIN THE FRAMES OF A CANVAS, ONE HAS THE FEELING THAT ASSEMBLAGE ART IS HERE TO STAY. PERHAPS, A SUCCESS FOR ART AND ITS FUTURE WOULD BE
BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN THE ADVENTUROUS WITH THAT OF THE TRADITIONAL. A SPACE WHERE ART GALLERIES
WORLD WIDE ARE NOT FILLED WITH ONLY EXPERIMENTAL ART AND GIVE AS MUCH CREDENCE TO THE TRADITIONAL
AS THAT OF FLUID CONTEMPORARY ART.
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IMPRESSUM Aminta Rother 1-20-21-301 Tabata Kita-ku, Tokyo JP – 114-0014 E-Mail: [email protected] www.yomoart.org