Creative Global Network for the Visual Arts

Is Modern Art a load of Rubbish?

One day in early January 2010, whilst on his lunch break, a guy was having an argument with a friend about modern art. His friend, having studied art at university, was vigorously defending it with the usual arguments of the art being representative and an emotional interpretation of the artists’ innermost feelings and experiences.

The guy disagreed.

He saw the vast majority of modern art as ‘crap on a canvas’ (or words to that effect). He held the stance that todays modern art could have been produced by absolutely anybody with no tangible artistic talent. The only reason this art work sold, he felt, was because the artist had become a ‘known entity’ on the art scene and was able to project some anal significance to the mess they had created and labeled it as ‘art’.

The conversation turned into a heated debate and so the guy decided to set himself a challenge. He would see if, with absolutely no artistic talent at all, he could create a piece of modern art and sell it for a profit; his hypothesis being that “most of todays modern artists are tallentless and absolutely anyone can create modern art and sell it”.

The Faux Artist was born.

The challenge would have the following guidelines:

1) The modern art must be sold for a profit i.e. more than it cost to make

2) The modern art can not be knowingly sold to friends or family of the Faux Artist

3) No-one else can help the Faux Artist in the creation of the modern art

4) There is no restriction on the type or number of mediums utilized in the art work, however must satisfy point 1

5) Any reasonable channels can be used to try and sell the art work

6) At no point must the Faux Artist lie to enhance his artistic profile
…that would just be down right dishonest, now wouldn’t it!

With these rules in place, let the experiment commence!

www.FauxArtist.co.uk

-The Faux Artist-

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Faux Artist on February 23, 2010 at 11:52

Queue example for 'lack of debatable evidence to back up argument' as described in previous post.

;-)

-The Faux Artist-
www.FauxArtist.co.uk

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Permalink Reply by Faux Artist on February 23, 2010 at 12:02

Faux Artist said:

Queue example for 'lack of debatable evidence to back up argument' as described in previous post.

;-)

-The Faux Artist-
www.FauxArtist.co.uk

Sorry, i'd better reply to this post as it sounds a bit aggressive.

I just found it really funny that you replied with that after what I just said!

This is an experiment for debate; not arguments. All opinions welcome, however misguided :-p

-The Faux Artist-
www.FauxArtist.co.uk

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Permalink Reply by Milan Golob on March 9, 2010 at 18:54

Why you hate art?
Milan Golob

http://www.golob-gm.si/Migration_Policy_and_External_Economic/Docum...

http://www.golob-gm.si

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Permalink Reply by Rebecca on March 12, 2010 at 18:58

Commercial art is not the same as modern art, but I do see the point being made.

Faux Artist said:

The measure of commercial art... Yes, of course its the market success.

Installations etc are a whole different animal all together which this experiment isn't looking at :)

www.FauxArtist.co.uk

-The Faux Artist-

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Permalink Reply by Faux Artist on March 13, 2010 at 9:52

Thanks Rebecca.

I think a lot of people are getting hung up on the definitions of words and the turn of phrase.

As a non-artist, and speaking on behalf of all non-artists, the exact meaning of words in the artistic community may be misunderstood. However, as commercial art is aimed at anyone, I think you have to take it on the chin that 'modern art', 'abstarct art', 'impresionist art' etc etc....are all seen as roughly the same thing with 'commercial art' being any art medium that is created with the end goal being to sell it.

Now, I understand that these words will have their own meaning in the art world but on the commercial art platform, these definitions go out of the window.

I come from a scientific background. I could do a weather forecast using only the 'correct' definitions of processes and actions that make up the weather, but as a weather forecast is 'commercial' and my target audience are not meteorologists, they wouldn't understand (or care).

I hope i've explained this now, and that you can follow the experiment without tutting at my use of language as I think that was clouding my reasoning behind the experiment for you all :-)

-The Faux Artist-

www.FauxArtist.co.uk

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Permalink Reply by Rossello Damiano on February 27, 2011 at 18:38

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Permalink Reply by artgenerator >> Werner Klompen on March 12, 2011 at 22:15

I read this and feel the wolves the air-castles.They thinking of money tells the truth is the reality from everything .

It is a old storry that goes around to get the mind active .To draw lines .My adage to this is : art is dead God is gone .

What the fuck we dont stop to make rubbish . It's so musty and beautiful .

It's the pleasure for both side's to created , to make and yes the experiment .For you rules , for me magic , unknow , questions , mistakes , searching for controlle the unexpected .

When i read well ; is to sell crap the exepriment ? So please buy my crap & rubbish to become art .

To keep my own art to make some rubbish out of it .

Because it is nice to create by the faux artist rules .

Next monday art for free

I put trash & garbage on the street .Come before the nightman !!!

Sell it .

TIP : Do you wanna be sure that you can sell some garbage take the Mon link from Lady Gaga .

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Permalink Reply by Rossello Damiano on November 1, 2011 at 14:46

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Permalink Reply by Marshall Barnes on November 3, 2011 at 15:29

I think Bruce Rimell was pretty close to this, but I want to be more specific:

First, I'd like to point out a major flaw in this whole thought experiment - "The only reason this art work sold, he felt, was because the artist had become a ‘known entity’ on the art scene and was able to project some anal significance to the mess they had created and labeled it as ‘art’."

The major flaw is obvious - if the only reason that such art sells is because the artist is a 'known entity' then the experiment is null and void because the guy with this hypothesis, who would be conducting the experiment, isn't a known entity and so his participation would render the results null and void from having an evidentiary application toward proving said hypothesis.

Besides, if the talentless guy makes some art and doesn't sell it, what does that prove? That the art isn't any good, that he isn't known enough to sell it despite the fact that it isn't any good, or that it's actually pretty good but not known enough to be able to sell it?

Furthermore, even if the talentless guy in question creates a piece of what he thinks is modern art - and it sells, it could very well be that he's not as "talentless" as he thinks he is...just not intelligent enough to know talent when he sees it - even if it's his own...