What is the role of the artist’s work within a social or institutional realm? Should artists’ practice address social issues, work for the institutions or should it be apart and question the status quo?
Grennan and Sperandio, engaged with a set of workers in CN4M. Then through their art they questioned the authenticity of the artists vision – of anyones understanding of their environment. Using renderers to paint their paintings, they removed the romantic notion of emotional gestures and replaced it with cool reproduction. The jarring, empty quality of these “centres” of community activity was immediately apparent to viewers belonging to the Gorton Visual Arts Group. They puzzled over the subject matter and in discussion with the artist discovered what lay behind these renditions, introducing them to another way of thinking about art and represntation. The artists saw no contradiction between where the work is seen, no distinction between gallery goers or community group members.
In Jil Moore’s work her approach to the huge subject of the rush hour, transport and the position of the individual became epic and philosophical. The glass vessels delicately placed on tiles of mirror created an endless feedback with the viewer. In the gallery, they were placed on a window sill reflecting the very transport systems outside. But Jil also travelled the bus network with Bill, the transport network coordinator and shared with him his stories. She spent time with the children and young peoples network coordinator and read documents.
Is being there, being part of something, trying to understand and directing all this into a work of art enough? Rachael, a woman who experiences mental health needs saw the work at St Lukes and commented that yes – she loved the work, she too thinks about life in this way and she writes poetry – but some people, she said, will just go into town to shop and will never think about their lives being part of a bigger picture.
