Hot Dog / Cold Dog

Hot Dog

Pheobe Unwin

I've been digging through the internet for sites devoted to contemporary painting. Seeing as I live somewhere with no art galleries, have no friends involved with or interested in art, and that all major art magazines (including my former favorite "Modern Painters") don't cover painting in any serious way, the internet has become my only outlet/ input. Like with everything on the internet, patience is key to wading through the mountains of garbage. In my searches I have come across a few artist that I was previously unaware of that I strongly identify with.

One of these artist who I keep coming back to is Pheobe Unwin. As in my approach to music, I care very little about the biographical details of the creators of whatever art I enjoy.They rarely add anything to my appreciation and very often detract from it. Art they relies on an artist's back story for it's appeal is rarely the art that interests me. All I know about her is that she is British and depressingly young. The level of success she has achieved at such a young age would normally leave me torn, debating wether to hate her or just hate myself. That is if the attention she has received was not completely warranted (which is almost never the case).

After spending last weekend at Art Fair Tokyo, I was struck by how many young, and not so young, artists seem to be devoted to finding their "thing"; be it an impressive trick, a semi-clever take, or a broad, familiar and popular subject (such as pop culture, consumer culture, or in the case of Japan, endless artists inspired by manga and anime). Ms.Unwin seems less concerned with establishing a brand and a business model, so how she has found such success is intriguing.

What I like the most about her work is the impression I get that she has no preconceived destination when she begins a painting. She truly seems to let each one work itself out in whatever way seems best without trying to adhere to a style, theme, or point of view. She is not being purposefully eclectic, either, trying on different styles in a superficially showy way. She definitely has a clear voice but that voice is allowed to come out in each painting in in an unlaboured and natural way. A few motifs come up in multiple paintings but nothing ever seems forced or contrived. Some paintings are beautiful and some are not. Her application and approach to paint varies widely within each painting as wells from one to another. She seems completely open to the possibilities of each panting and willing to pursue them without hesitation.

I guess what draws me to this willingness to explore a painting to a sometimes unexpected end is that it is what I struggle with the most in my work. The tyranny of expectations, the overwhelming desire for consistency, and the tension I feel when a painting starts straying to far from what I thought it's original intent should be, are the things that hold me and my work back the most. She seems to have freed herself from, or never had, these pressures. I've gotten better, especially in drawings and smaller works, but the chance that a painting could fail (whatever that means) or worse that I will somehow make something that doesn't represent the artistic face that I think I want to present to the public is still my greatest fear. To be comfortable enough to make what I make and have the conviction to stand by it is something I'm striving for. In that pursuit, Pheobe Unwin is an inspiration.

Cold Dog

Serious Discussions of Pop Culture

This may just go to show that I spend too much time on the internet or listening to podcasts, but the trend of treating pop culture with an unwarranted seriousness has been getting to me recently. 

What do I mean? Well, talking about the latest Batman movie like it is a complex work of art of such significance that it can, and must, be dissected over hundreds of articles so that we can appreciate it's full glory. Or, Star Wars being talked about with the same respect that was previously reserved for classics of western civilization like The Odyssey.

Look, I know it's fun to talk with your friends about movies or TV  with a seriousness that is completely out of proportion with the work itself. It's what sports fans do. Assigning a life or death importance to a game is fun because you can experience that tension while deep down knowing that really there are absolutely no real world consequences. That's whole reason sports exist. 

I have a particular weakness for reading books about the music I love written with a depth and thoughtfulness that does not match that of the music itself. We all get a thrill from overly investing in something that, in the end, matters very little. Attachment without consequence. And that's fine. That's what "nerds" do.

My problem is when that's all you do. When you start to believe that Star Wars is a timeless classic that stands as a pillar of western culture because you have never actually read or are unaware of any actual works of serious merit which really are the basis for our culture. You can discuss Lost in a deep way all you want but when you actually start to believe that it is a deep work of art, it's time to hit the library to check out the dusty books in the back.

Hey, I'm no scholar. I don't sit around reading Paradise Lost, either. But I am not afraid to admit the deeply unpopular fact that there is a hierarchy of artistic creation out there. Popular culture surely has a wide reaching effect and that is not to be overlooked and I am not saying that it is all insignificant trash but I am suggesting that are many dedicated, serious-minded, brilliant creative thinkers creating powerful works of art and none of them are JJ Abrams.

So, reign it in a bit, please.