Artists. What does an artist actually do?
Does an artist’s work record history, is it a signifier of culture, does it teach, is it a communication tool, does it incite conversation or is it only a nice to see and possess?
I love the answers on discussion platform Quora. My favorites: an artist is a person who has sold his/her soul to drawing, painting, film and sculpting; A visual artist is an illusionist. S/he can create things that do not exist in reality; A visual artist is a person who creates physical objects based on aesthetic principles, often as a way of representing an idea, be that intellectual, cultural, emotional, or otherwise.
An Artist’s Life for Me.
Each brush, pen and pencil stroke, camera click, collage assemblage. twisted and carved mold and installation idea serves to tell a story in color, form and composition, resulting in expressions that offer cultural, political, historical or social commentary, or simply aesthetic value. This compounded with the ongoing pursuit of attracting collectors’ attention, seeking out art commissions, showcasing artworks, securing curators buy-in and gallery representation - in an industry characterized by REJECTIONS, are indicative of an artist’s ongoing journey, as if perpetually navigating “survival of the fittest” environments.
It has been reported that the business of making and selling art has been especially harsh for artists at the middle and emerging end of the spectrum, especially over the pandemic period, with closed art fairs, shuttered galleries, cancelled exhibitions and travel bans.
According to an article by online art sales platform Artsy, the art market shrank by 22% in 2020, down from $64.4 billion in sales in 2019 to $50.1 billion last year. That drop, reported in economist Clare McAndrew’s “The Art Market 2021” report (published by Art Basel and UBS), puts a figure on the enormous impact of COVID-19, which forced much of the art world to shift online.
The report also went on to quantify the art market’s significant digital pivot, a much needed light over the period - facilitating access to available art by a wider audience. It reported, Online sales value doubled, from $6 billion in 2019 to $12.4 billion in 2020.
Despite contemporary challenges, the artist community continues to maintain a wellspring of passion, energy, and motivation. Whether through brain waves fueling thoughts and concepts, or through the physical act of making art and chasing opportunities - not even a global pandemic appeared to impede the activities of these creative protagonists. As a matter of fact, the period of initial pandemic paralysis for most, seemed to fuel a survivalist endurance for many artists - which is sadly a familiar space in which they operate.
I believe artists are the true magicians, creating something out of nothing while taking us along journeys rife with metaphors and allegories amidst manipulated lines, shapes, textures and space - giving rise to images of curiosity, beauty and wonder.
Of note:
“Reflections” by Chicago Photographer Terrence A Reese - a documentary-style compilation of intimate portraits of iconic African Americans in their personal spaces is headed for exhibition in the LOUVRE’s “Interiors Collection.”