I was looking at these sculptures by Robert Bradford for some time. Is this art? I asked myself. I’m not sure what the definition of art is. But I have an inkling what it isn’t. And my inkling tells me that no matter how clever, resourceful, and interesting these are, they are not art. I’ve said it. They are curious, aren’t they?
I hate tattoos. Ever since I read Moby Dick, they’ve given me the creeps. My uncle had a sailor’s tattoo. Anchor on the arm. But now these tattoos have become another form of art. Although I must say the designs are more like pics you’d put on your hockey mask or the hood of your car. But they are not art. No more than the designs on shampoo bottles are art.
My daughter has about 7 or 8 tattoos. My fear is that she is becoming a collector. My son, the oldest in the family, and the most rebellious at a young age has… none. He says they’re for losers. I don’t know about that. But they are permanent. Of course if you do change your mind and want your tattoo(s) removed, you can check out the following sight if you’re near Toronto. http://www.advantagelaserclinic.com/tattoo_removal.html?gclid=CPjll9zjuqoCFWgCQAodUGBc6g Or a place near you. Apparently its a growing business.
Matthew Craven is quite a good artist. You can check out his paintings on his sight. But what I want to look at is his face ‘coverings’. I’ve run across this phenomena a few times. They have become like tattoos. They are popular amongst collagists. And they have a relationship to mask art. But I don’t get it. They are affective to a degree but after you’ve seen one… as they say.
The whole idea of embroidery on top of faces is fascinating. It is like masks. And tattoos. But what intriques me is the notion or idea of patterns across faces, bodies, pictures of any kind. I’m thinking of fences, bars, grates, nets, etc. Check out this sight for more pics.
“I work with sewing, embroidery and drawing to explore the essence of signs in their physical manifestation. I take inspiration from my own personal experience and observation of how, in other cultures, bodies themselves are treated as living graphic symbols. I then use sewing and embroidery in a further attempt to re-signify, and mark the space with a man-made sign, a trace. I am interested in people’s stories and histories, and the relation between intimacy and the outer world. I have been working with hair for the past few years. I stitch and sew hair together until it becomes a sculpture. I see hair as a metaphorical medium to represent bodily boundaries, the embodiment of space.”
power of h Weblog 
Recent Comments