I'm aware that many people have an idea of what constitutes art and that a great many things, portrayed as art, fall outwith the bounds of it. I suspect I may be throwing one of these at you right now. For me, if the artist has applied his mind to think about what he's making and how it appears (or sounds - perhaps even smells or feels) then he or she has produced a piece of art. Sometimes my mind wavers about a bit and I just cannot see what the artist is on about but sometimes I pick up on the thread of thought of the artist - often in a way that's difficult to describe.
So it was with Roger Ackling's latest exhibition at the Ingleby Gallery in Edinburgh (it's on till the 21st of April if you want to pop along and try it out on your mind). Occupying the entirety of their main room, it is a collection of garden shed odds and ends that have been incised with lines made by a magnifying glass and the sun. I don't think The List website were so convinced (read their review here) but I liked it.
Around three walls or the room was a blackened line hanging with incised half clothes pegs at irregular intervals
9 comments:
My first thought when seeing so-called "art" such as this is..."I could do that." I don't get it. Seems like a lot of wasted space in the gallery for real art. And besides, its not like someone is going to come in there and buy the work from the artist, unless they are in need of a shovel or spade for their garden shed. Thanks for getting me going this morning. (;^))
Blood boiled at no additional cost - all part of the service.
It is available for purchase (quite pricey)
I've just spotted the rather ambiguous reply. Blood boiling is free - the artwork is available for purchase.
To each his own but to what little is left of my mind if that's art than my storage shed/shop is a masterpiece.
And to think British Airways laid on extra flights from America just for this.
Get some teabags in Chip, there'll be a busload round in the morning to see your shed.
I like your definition of art, Sandy, and this stuff made me think, which is always good. I think there is great value in looking at ordinary things in a context that is slightly skewed from their ordinariness.
Thank you Shundo, there is a beauty in the ordinary things in life, sometimes but bringing it into the gallery you see it easier.
I think one of the good things about blogging is that when you start setting words down it challenges you to justify what you think to yourself. I quickly discovered that I didn't want to express strong for and against opinions where art literature and music were concerned. I change. What I like or don't like changes.
Having said which, I do have some sympathy with what Grayson Perry said to the effect that it would be good for art to move now from putting everyday objects into wonderful buildings (which lend their aura to the objects) to putting wonderfully crafted objects into buildings which may be wonderful or everyday.
Sadly I missed GP's British Museum exhibition. I would like to see this though - although probably not enough to make the trek to Edinburgh! Despite what I said above, I do like the more conceptual stuff - with the proviso you describe in the post.
Thank you Dominic, the fact it's found it's way into a blog of it's very own expresses an opinion - that's why you're not seeing the pictures I saw in the gallery in the Botanics the other day. If I like it, I'm happy to say so, occasionally the other way, but I'm quite clear on making it look like an opinion rather than a fact.
You never know, these things travel and may fetch up in Yorkshire at some point - there's some added enjoyment in seeing something in the flesh you've already seen in the papers or on the net. Grayson Perry is a bit like that for me when two of his vases, much like his Turner prize ones, fetched up in the modern art gallery in Glasgow. I liked those too.
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