Great question! I’m also torn, like you, and think there are some great points and reflections also in the comments. I like to have information available but perhaps not look/listen right away. I enjoy a good booklet / film / podcast to understand more later with just some more general overview in the art space itself. I guess my “perfect” experience (when I have time) is view clean, hear from artist or curators, go back and view again. That said, if it shouldn’t be the artist themselves explaining is also a different question you pose, and for this I think it depends so much. It can have to do with visibility, history, and more -- the artist can decide how much to put out there but then they need to be prepared that others might have their own interpretations.
Amazing show, I wish I could see those sculptures in person! It reminds me of when I stumbled on to Simone Leigh's work for the first time. I was there to see another show but I remember being knocked out by it. There were just tiny title plates on the wall and I had to do a deep dive into her work on my own. In the end, if it's really great work, I think it speaks for itself.
It's a good question that you raise. I tend to trust my gut response the most. But then I think back to the talks you did on Tracey Emin and Ai Weiwei, and they completely changed my opinion of their work and opened up an empathetic understanding of their lives in a way that I still think about.
Ah that's so nice to hear Mary Jo, thanks for sharing that about those talks I gave! I feel the same as you, I trust my gut. But then also I do think literally any art can be interesting if you have certain information about the maker, the ideas behind it, the context in which it was made etc even if the visuals don't grab you. But then I'm endlessly curious about people...
What powerful work from Alia Farid. Joyful but also with a darkness about it. I was interested in the video in which she talks about how we take basic resources like water for granted. And the two communities of people across borders who have been connected because of this resource but who are now increasingly estranged.
I think the more information the better... you can always choose not to read or listen to it.
Yes! although as Martin says, written text can be a barrier shaping how we perceive the work at that moment of viewing it. I dunno, I'm still really torn!
When I see lots of written explanatory or contextualising text in or around the exhibition space , unless they are from the artist, I often feel it is a barrier between me and the work. However, strangely, I don’t feel that way listening to the contributors on an audio guide. Far more companionable!
Interesting! I know what you mean, and I do think that written text, which is often quite nebulous in galleries, can really bog me down and drain me before I've even seen the art. Unpicking the language and its meaning can be exhausting.
I do often prefer to listen to artists talk about their work if possible rather than read what curators say about it. Maybe that's the way to do it.
Great question! I’m also torn, like you, and think there are some great points and reflections also in the comments. I like to have information available but perhaps not look/listen right away. I enjoy a good booklet / film / podcast to understand more later with just some more general overview in the art space itself. I guess my “perfect” experience (when I have time) is view clean, hear from artist or curators, go back and view again. That said, if it shouldn’t be the artist themselves explaining is also a different question you pose, and for this I think it depends so much. It can have to do with visibility, history, and more -- the artist can decide how much to put out there but then they need to be prepared that others might have their own interpretations.
Amazing show, I wish I could see those sculptures in person! It reminds me of when I stumbled on to Simone Leigh's work for the first time. I was there to see another show but I remember being knocked out by it. There were just tiny title plates on the wall and I had to do a deep dive into her work on my own. In the end, if it's really great work, I think it speaks for itself.
It's a good question that you raise. I tend to trust my gut response the most. But then I think back to the talks you did on Tracey Emin and Ai Weiwei, and they completely changed my opinion of their work and opened up an empathetic understanding of their lives in a way that I still think about.
Ah that's so nice to hear Mary Jo, thanks for sharing that about those talks I gave! I feel the same as you, I trust my gut. But then also I do think literally any art can be interesting if you have certain information about the maker, the ideas behind it, the context in which it was made etc even if the visuals don't grab you. But then I'm endlessly curious about people...
What powerful work from Alia Farid. Joyful but also with a darkness about it. I was interested in the video in which she talks about how we take basic resources like water for granted. And the two communities of people across borders who have been connected because of this resource but who are now increasingly estranged.
I think the more information the better... you can always choose not to read or listen to it.
Yes! although as Martin says, written text can be a barrier shaping how we perceive the work at that moment of viewing it. I dunno, I'm still really torn!
When I see lots of written explanatory or contextualising text in or around the exhibition space , unless they are from the artist, I often feel it is a barrier between me and the work. However, strangely, I don’t feel that way listening to the contributors on an audio guide. Far more companionable!
Interesting! I know what you mean, and I do think that written text, which is often quite nebulous in galleries, can really bog me down and drain me before I've even seen the art. Unpicking the language and its meaning can be exhausting.
I do often prefer to listen to artists talk about their work if possible rather than read what curators say about it. Maybe that's the way to do it.
'depends on the art, the artist and the exhibition' -- you might be right. I think this is where I'm getting to.