For the last several years Ive struggled with publishing an art book, even though I always made collections of art. I succeeded in finishing art for several publications that I just stored away. Years upon years of work. I could never justify why I was making a book about 100 Black female robots, or 100 this or 100 that. I believe a fraction of the experience was just getting the ideas out of my system, onto the paper. However for publication something was always missing. Thus I refused to print, which ironically was the easiest part (printing). I never wanted to make a book for the sole purpose of monitory gain. It never interested me. I was always interested in the commentary, the essays that the book would contain. How was it going to be not just a dope art book but also a seminal resource? In later years I would learn to articulate why I was purposefully making my controversial images and why it was important as I referenced the works historical foundation. What was more important than making art was how and why I was adding theoretically and aesthetically to the conversation, thus building my layer upon the foundational artists that preceded me. I knew what I was talking about but lacked to theory and the language to voice its relevance. Another part of the problem was that I was working inside of an established ideological box. Established from the world of European art and comics, (some of my major artistic influences still) I was trying to stay faithful to a similar art making approach for an extended period of time. Why, because artists are known for a consistent style and large bodies of work of similar commentary. Though I love collections of work by particular artists, I dont think that way, and publishing my own collection of 100 similar images lacked appeal once completed. Therefore years later (having more artistic/theoretical publishing examples before me, and behind me) I am free to think of publishing in a looser context. We’ll have to see how loose and what the context will be. But I am happy to share that it is liberating to progress from this subliminally neutralized area and start thinking outside of the proverbial container. As a smart mentor recently told me There’s more room outside the box.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 13:08:15 +0000
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