Page 16 - Studio International - December 1971

for Bengston's absence in a show in which he the payment of a fee for work done, at It was really rather mischievous of Charles
surely should have been included. present an artist is forced to work for Spencer to have removed remarks of mine from
Factions and bitchiness plague the whole nothing and let his work be shown for their context so as to represent me as being in
scene, and they are intolerable and wholly nothing. Often the man who hangs the support of the multiples movement. My
destructive. You could not run a cat-food pictures gets more than the man who introduction to the Multiples Catalogue from
factory on such a basis. makes them. No other worker would which he quotes was, of course, entitled
GERALD LAING tolerate this. `Anti-Multiples' and while it did indeed begin
Conon Bridge (c) The pursuit of various long term with the sentence (words in italics are those
objectives : a greatly increased say in art which Spencer deleted): `To comprehend why
Gerald Laing's letter in this issue of Studio politics, art gallery policy, public mass production of art objects, with all its
International points once again to what seems appointments etc.; the eventual philistine and corrupting implications, appeals
to me to be a simple truth of the art world : application of the Dutch system of a to such an apparently large and influential
artists are in the hands of the entrepreneurs. basic living wage to all bona-fide section of the art world, one must appreciate the
From the moment that an artist finishes his artists; control of the art colleges, etc. atmosphere of decadence which many artists
work, it, and he, are subjected to a continual I can see as well as anyone the problems and critics rightly feel to dominate the whole
process of dilution and manipulation by those inherent in this, but the bald fact is that artists business of art transactions in the western
whose job it is to convey, or to use Bob Irwin's do have the power, BUT ONLY world.' I then went on to say: 'I shall maintain
word, 'midwife' this work to the public. The COLLECTIVELY, to implement these that technological art is not any kind of answer
fact is that exhibition organizers, magazine proposals. to the problems it purports to solve. That it
editors, writers, whatever their motives cannot This is the first statement of the idea. No would, in fact, result only in a larger and more
fail to impose their own aesthetic ideas on the doubt it will evolve. I urge all artists who have deadly model of the trap in which we now find
work and sometimes even fundamentally any views on the subject, even negative ones, ourselves. What technological art advocates
change it. to write to me at the address given. would have us do is dispense with uniqueness
However the crux of the matter is that the ALASTAIR MACKINTOSH and maintain the commercial structure of
assistants in this maiming process are the artists 32 Edgehead Road transactions when it is exactly the opposite action
themselves. Ford, Midlothian which is required. To do away with the personally
This is because the artist has absolutely no created art object simply because that notion
protection against the process (unless he is really Multiple discontent has been misused is to throw out the baby with
well-known, in which case he seems interested Mr Jacobs (`Multiples in the USA' Studio the bath water in a most outrageous way. In
in his own work only and does not use his International, September 1971) charges the fact, to replace unique production with mass
power for the good of others). Out of a perfectly present 'generation' of American collectors production while keeping to the commercial
justifiable desire to have his work shown, the with their inability to appreciate 'watershed forms of transaction is only to create an even
artist is forced to play by the rules of the art experiments' in art. ' ... what the American more inescapable commercialism in which art
world; inevitably he has to pick up some of its consumer finds most to his taste is ... to have must struggle to survive.'
habits. The factionism among artists in Britain his aesthetic experiences fed to him, like canned For the record, since Spencer lumped me in
stems from the fact that artists are forced into soup, by an assembly line.' with so many anti-object zealots, I have also
a competitive position by the system which Only two positions occur to me viz. the said: `(There is a suggestion) that the way to
exists. American public and art: subvert a corrupt market which exploits art
Further the artist is more often than not (1) They are collector/consumers. If this is objects for commercial gain is to do away with
treated in a way that would bring any your view, Mr Jacobs then, you have no right the creation of art objects. This is rather like
self-respecting Trade Unionist out on strike. to display petulance because they won't buy saying that the solution to the problem of
At the moment, though, he is powerless to your wares whether it be 'watershed brothel-keeping is to exterminate the female
resist this treatment because he is on his own. experiments' or soapsy sudsy. The Customer is population.'
What is needed is some sort of very basic Always Right. To continue your culinary (Mrs) JANET DALEY
union of artists. This will only work if artists imagery, you should take the advice of our London, N8
are willing to discipline themselves, and not great American consumer piano player,
even as much as any other worker, but just to H. Truman, `If you can't stand the heat, get
the extent of each thinking of himself as one of out of the kitchen.' Colonial toehold
many artists rather than unique. This means a (2) They are our brothers caught with us in Ireland lacks a Ministry of Culture. Instead,
degree of respect for the creativity of other mortality and blasted with ignorance. This is we have a semi-private and self-sustaining
artists, even if their work is not liked. Together the game where 'work becomes play for mortal body supported by public money. It is called
artists can control the art world; individually, stakes'. I make art, Mr Jacobs, and I fail through the Arts Council and is presided over by an
however strong they are, they can only be fear and ignorance every single day. So what elderly Jesuit whose name and title, like
controlled. This is basic trade union theory. else is new ? Malachi Mulligan's possess the magical two
I am not suggesting a complicated structure I'm sorry that this has to be so personal, Mr dactyls: Father O'Sullivan (`tripping and sunny
or programme; artists do not want to spend Jacobs, but I'm bored to the gut with the like the buck himself'). Next in importance is
much time worrying about other peoples' position you represent. Either get in there and an architect, Michael Scott. The only thing of
problems and thrashing out details. But the play with the Madison Avenue lads for your general interest about the Council is its
aims can be easily stated: `share of the market' or hold hands in the dark remarkable perseverance in the face of several
(a) The control by artists of the presentation with the rest of us while we try to find some way years of savage public criticism. The Irish Press,
of their work. This includes installation, to the light.' the Evening Press, the Irish Independent, the
photographs, press statements, catalogues HAL STALLINGS 11 Irish Times, Hibernia, This Week and the
etc. Obviously there would be no California journal of the Irish-American Cultural
attempt to control criticism. 'There is a mixed way as usual, damn it! This letter Institute, Eire-Ireland, have all at one time or
(b) The provision of reasonable financial is an example. We're arguing, Mr Jacobs, about real another (the Evening Press frequently) carried
issues, right ? I, also, want my name in Studio
return for participation in an officially International—it will help the image, hence sales, articles which indicted the Council severely. No
organized show. This is no more than right ? . cogent reply was ever made.
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