Writing excerpts from my Advice Column “Ask Artblog” for theartblog.org. If you have a question about art you would like see discussed, please write me at ask@theartblog.org.

Protesting, Posturing, and the Forgotten Artist

“An artist that makes artwork about communities probably doesn’t really give a sh*t about the individual, or whether they themselves will be remembered. Let us not overlook that activism is not the work of individuals but of groups (Take Back the Bronx, Decolonize This Place, GULF, BAN, Liberate Tate (more here). Therein lies the contrarian backlash—artist as individual—and institutions that buy into the artist as genius doctrine. Art for so long, as long as it has been written about, is about the individual, the genius. That’s why collective activism makes very little sense for an artist—all of us. We are all indoctrinated through art history (capitalism), to consider ourselves inherently individuals (neoliberals). The art world— collectors, auction houses, galleries, museums—buy in to the individual artist as genius doctrine. The creeping anxiety of death that calls us to spawn is the same motive for making your art—to not be forgotten. You will be forgotten or at least one day…problematic.”

Burnt out, millennial, and artist

“The millennial practice of endurance performance art is branding yourself as an artist on social media while simultaneously creating massive amounts of artwork to keep relevant within an aggregated timeline. With economic decline the arts will likely suffer because Art is a niche market that caters to the wealthy upper-class – a class today that is 1% of the population. Henceforth a market which reports that 65% of the artists who make a living with their art are actually 10 people. I exaggerate, but I’m mostly right. You’re a millennial, you should google it. In any case, less viable career options for the majority of working artists.”

“Endurance Performance art was initially indoctrinated into art history when the term “burnout” first came to define itself via the article you shared, by psychologist Herbert Freudenberger, to cases of “physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress.” Hence Chris Burden in a locker for five days, Tehching Hsieh in a cage for year, Marina Abramovic, just Marina Abramovic. Checking out = endurance art, the two constructs or actions seem to have a lot in common. The 1970’s like today saw a lot of political upheaval, protests championed by the 1960’s against the Vietnam War and for Civil Rights, Equal Rights, the rise of environmental awareness, a corrupt presidency and an economic recession. Yikes, here’s hoping we don’t follow in the 1980’s footsteps. Seriously, everyone, Stranger Things is pretty, but honestly, not that deep.”

Dualism in art practice, can you be both artist and comic artist?

“On a philosophical level, irl, I subscribe to monism not dualism (sorry not sorry, Descartes) obviously because I’m not going to stop making both art and comics. I genuinely believe artists and comic artists are all making the “art” and one feeds into the other, and we should all be exhibiting together forever. And anyway I got into comics more so because I can’t afford paint. The path paved towards art making is laid by necessity from the financial standing of an artist.

The dual art practice extends even beyond the comic and art combo. I’m thinking the distinct difference is in the writing – like the difference between a novelist and an artist. People (me) are surprised Victor Hugo**** was a sick comic artist, draughtsman, technically. I’m skeptical that for me making comics is a good thing because I’m not fully present in a dual art practice that it is two distinctly different art practices. Am I always giving just half of myself? Even Bruce Wayne slowly becomes more Batman.”

Public Charities are the New Corporate Takeovers

“Billionaire is a coined word now. It’s a political signifier of the neoliberal global capitalist (I ran out of asshole words) take over and they own the artworld. I hit on this topic in a previous article “To organize or not to organize (an art festival), that is the question” (sorry for the title). Please go read that as I go on to explain that an art museum near you is funded by billionaires. Welcome back.

I see a similarity in the right now art world – or – artworldwise to what was happening in the United States in the 1960’s – 1980’s, (I mean look Dadaism, Surrealism and the Situationists predate this) which saw a rise of political art and activism across the country that led to a boom in alternative art spaces and artist collectives throughout inner cities across the United States. And that was a criticism of global capitalism, the patrons, the board of trustees, the art institutions where artists were exhibiting – the billionaires. Where today we are in an economic crisis being that the 1% dominate the capitalist market, the middle class is disappearing and the other 99% are left struggling to keep up and out of debt, or in debt or living in poverty. In comes activist art, which seems to be primarily on the Marxist side of things.”