Artistic Ambitions

I subscribed to Artforum magazine for the past year. Artforum arrives bagged in its own plastic, about a half-inch thick and large, like 11"x11", a big thick square. Inside there are a few articles about different artists and shows, but the majority of the pages are advertisements for galleries and shows around the word.

One double-page spread could be for a gallery in London, the next double-page for Milan, the next for New York, Seoul, Krakow. That part I find very interesting.

I originally wanted the magazine to show the pictures of paintings and sculptures to Cass and Camille, to try and build their sense aesthetics, their sense of capital-A Art. I try to discuss different works with Cass, even while he seems more interested in pointing out the boobies as they come and go page by page. 

As time went on, I got nervous that Artforum might in reality be a Conde Nast-like collection of wankers and bozos, so I went to a professional artist colleague for counsel. He assured me that it does, in fact, hold a specific position as a nearly "official" account of whatever constitutes the "global mainstream fine-art scene." It was not immune to accusations that it was too white and male, and to its credit, it has been trying to address that. 

My professional artist colleague said that it's fun to thumb through to see what's happening and where, but in many circles the art mag Juxtapoz was at least an equal to Artforum, if not the superior "official account." He said that because it dealt seriously with street art as well as other amazing (otherwise fringe) work as fine art, it's considered the other side of the coin, the tails to Artforum's heads.

I used to subscribe to Juxtapoz back in the day (pre-9/11), and I still have most of those copies. And I look at them with Cass, talking about the paintings and sculptures while he points out boobies.

Full circle, baby!

Looking through so many copies of Artforum has really honed my own feelings about fine art, or I guess, Fine Art, especially as I try to hone my own craft. Some works I really dig, and many others don't speak to me. At all. It's nice that that's how that's supposed to be. 

Art for me. Art for my kids. I realized that if one of my kids came to me and said they were going to be a professional artist, for, like, a career, I'm sure that by that time I wouldn't be surprised, which I think is reasonable.