Page 24 - The MoMA/ Guggenheim issue of World of Art magazine (2001)

TOPIC
by Andrea Pagnes

ANdreA PAGNeS IS A FreelANce
crITIc ANd ArTIST BASed IN VeNeZIA

Today, to identify the concept of “unity” in art is almost impossible. copies increase; means of merely mechanical reproduction are
Actually, the concept of unity has been progressively corrupted often over spoiled; a real, proper exchange of ideas is practically
and broken down by a multiplicity of languages, codes, aspects and extinguished. If art has always been considered a looking glass of its
features completely detached from one each to other. Nowadays own times and society, it is now more than evident that today the
art seems to be only a synonymous of a market that imposes those obtained results are just merely conventional.
artists committed to efficient organizations, prepared to invest money A crowd of “clone”-artists are often due - if not obliged - to
to promote and publicize their own productions, whichever they follow what is up to date and what the art market requires, often
maybe, without really caring about the qualitative level or content without being aware that is just the market itself the pathos killer.
they have. In such a situation, it doesn’t matter anymore if an artist is The foolishness is that the intellectual and conceptual vision that
capable of substantiating his artworks with a high emotional/idealistic has structured xx° century art, if from one side has brought to the
intensity. affirmation that “everything can be art and everybody can be artists”,
Those who consider themselves as artists are a confused messy from the other side has pointed out that art is an “objective nothing”.
multitude by now. even if there is still someone among them who Art no longer carries out the collective ideals as they have really
believes to preserve a pureness and a creative honesty, sooner or disappeared from the Western culture. Nowadays, human beings
later must inevitably compromise and give into the art market rules to seem to be united only in one thing: the need - or worse - the hunger
guarantee himself - at least - a minimum of surviving. for money, giving - in this way - their contribution to nourish the
more and more art has become a “job” incapable of perverse tentacles of “Greed”.
communicating to mankind. It is just a mere business between It seems paradoxal, but in such a reality, the artist “produces” only
dealers and collectors: this is sad, even if it seems inevitably for himself, trying to carry out those individual and personal ideals that
necessary. day by day change, assuming different identities. In this way art runs
We are facing the emptiness of contents and meanings: already a risk of being like the most vulgar of the mass-media (TV), useful only
known images and signs are constantly repeated and re-elaborated; for those who makes it.

22 WORLD of ART