Contemporary Craft – politics & blogs

Contemporary craft in Melbourne is street wise, informed about art history, political and fun. It is not fluffy, twee granny craft, but radical, cool craft. To understand how radical contemporary craft can get see:  Radical Cross Stitch, “seriously seditious stitching”.

“A more interesting role for the word ‘craft’, perhaps, rather than leave it marooned as a pejorative cultural refugee, is to return to it updated to its function as a politicised response to modernization.” Paul Greenhalgh The Modern Ideal (V&A Publications, 2005) (p.93)

In this political response craft is: un-alienated labour; it is vernacular/ethnic rather than global; and eliminating perceived class hierarchies in the arts and society. Craft is still seen as a political resistance or a personal antidote to the worst effects of modernism. Contemporary craft is often marketed as an ecologically responsible form of production and a way of creative recycling. The variety of recycled materials used in contemporary jewellery is amazing. Contemporary craft is also marketed a way of showing support to an ethnic group or a local artist by purchasing their vernacular versions rather than a modern globally available Ikea version. (In an extreme version of this political vision, another hierarchy emerges where craft is ethical and the fine arts are, in contrast, amoral.)

To make a living from their craft hobby is the ambition of many workers. Some do ‘down-size’ their lifestyle to become full-time craft workers in preference over a larger salary. The more professional of these contemporary crafts are for sale in Melbourne’s alternative art boutiques (see my entry on Art Boutiques). There is a great variety of unique jewellery, accessories and other craft items of fashion in Melbourne. But it is not just the professionals who are doing crafts; many women are doing crafts as a hobby (and it is mostly women as most of the young men are doing street art see my entry on Gender & Street Art, not forgetting that street art emphasises many craft techniques from calligraphy to stencils).

How much of the idealistic politics of craft is a reality? Morris & Co. hand blocked printed wallpaper merely replaced one form of repetitive work with another. The industrial work places of the ancient and medieval world are not good models for a good life. The art/craft distinction is interpreted by socialists as a class hierarchy and by feminists as a gender hierarchy but the hierarchy of arts and crafts has largely disappeared in contemporary art galleries, they are often seen side by side in the same gallery. However there still are hierarchies within crafts (that are still being challenged by both contemporary art and craft): the hierarchies between respectable crafts and other crafts, for example, imagine the outcry if a high-school needlework class swapped sewing needles for tattoo needles. And although craft does promote the regional, the vernacular styles and technique there has also been international modern and contemporary craft styles, from the Arts and Crafts movement and Art Nouveau onwards, that replace the vernacular.

Political arguments, aside, due to the interest in contemporary craft there are a lot of really interesting craft blogs, The Melbourne Stiches and Craft Show 2009 had a craft bloggers corner, where people could talk to craft bloggers and look at the craft blogs online. Here are a few craft blogs that I’ve found interesting:

Melbourne Jeweller – information, reviews and thoughts about Melbourne’s jewellery scene.

Craft City Melbourne – a directory of local crafty favourites, written by a number of authors (they welcome contributors) and organized by suburb and pursuit.

Polka Dot Rabbit – another interesting craft blog from Melbourne.

Embroidery As Art – for the textile artist.

Glass Central Canberra – more than just glass art

Page 63 of your Manual – Sayraphim Lothian artist’s craft blog

Thanks to my wife Catherine, who enjoys cross-stitching and greeting card making, for the inspiration and additional research.

Bloggers & Tweeter Drinks

I went for drinks with some of Melbourne’s bloggers and tweeters, unfortunately the whole thing turned into a debacle as Sister Bella’s was closed. It is pleasant to stand around or even eat in some of Melbourne’s lanes but Sinder Lane is not one of them due to the smell of garbage. Trendy as these laneways are with all their bars and street art, the rubbish bins are a reminder of their true function as service lanes for deliveries and garbage collection.

Michael had organized another Melbourne Blogger and Tweeter drinks. Michael writes the blog My Aching Head and at Sister Bella’s on Sinder Lane (off Drewery Lane, off Little Lonsdale) was his choice of venue. I went to the last blogger drinks that Michael had organized back at the end of May. This was the first time that there were tweeters at the drinks. I don’t tweet (too many tweet might make a twat).

I meet up with two women who were also looking for the blogger and tweeters drinks. One of them was Vetti who writes Vetti: Live in Northcote. Vetti writes about life, food, op-shopping and interesting things.

On finding the bar closed the tweeter tweeted this information and an alternate plan. However, even with all this cutting edge communication Michael still had to go and wait at Sister Bella’s for any stragglers. We went to Section 8 in Tattersalls Lane which was open. Section 8 is a container bar; basically two shipping containers behind a chain-link fence on an empty lot in the city. One of the shipping containers has been converted into a bar with a large window cut along one side. It was crowded and the three of us had trouble finding somewhere to sit. There are more Drew Funk murals on the wall. I had just seen him spraying over at Don’t Ban The Can’s Croft Alley Project. On the walk to Sister Bella’s I had seen another one of his murals on the side of Chinese restaurant. The man’s work is all over the city.

Back to the subject of blogging and to blow my own trumpet – this blog has now had 40,000 hits. I believe that I have attracted this number of readers because I have written about other people (generally interesting artists) rather than myself. I have done research, thought, fact checked, asked people, found relevant links and put the leg-work in to see things for myself before reporting on them. There is also very little competition in writing about the visual arts and so much to write about. I wish that there were more bloggers writing about the arts and culture.

I noticed that my old blog, Culture Critic @ Melbourne, has been closed by its host, Arts Hub. I will consider republishing some of the entries on this blog and rewrite others.

Reality & Art Criticism

People have been asking me: “are you going to see the Dali exhibition at the NGV?” It is a fair question, particularly as I have been interested in Dali ever since reading his Unspeakable Confessions in my high school library. However, I really don’t know if I will and if I do I will probably not write a blog entry about it because blockbuster exhibitions are not the focus of this blog and so much has already been written about Dali. Art Blart managed to write and photograph  the exhibition before any of the other blogs (kudos to Marcus Bunyan). And Melbourne Jeweller also reviewed the exhibition.

The reality is that I get asked if I’m going to see a lot of exhibitions. I welcome all invitations to attend art exhibitions and other events however, I can’t promise to attend or write about the exhibition. The reality of my visits to art galleries and other events is dependant on a large number of factors that have nothing to do with the exhibition. It depends on so many things: my wife, my friends, Melbourne’s extreme weather and the location.

The location of the gallery does play a part. The gallery’s proximity both to me and to other galleries will influence my decision to visit. Trying to explore the numerous aspects of Melbourne’s art world is like an urban orienteering adventure. And although I am fond of urban exploration and I do want to write about new galleries I have to take into consideration the time it takes to find a new gallery in a strange location which may means that I don’t have time to see other exhibitions. Melbourne’s poor public transport system makes it difficult for me to get to some galleries, even some of those in the inner north, like Northcote. I have also neglected to write anything about the galleries in Armadale, Ivanhoe, Hawthorn, Prahran, and St. Kilda for the same reason. I do try to rotate the galleries that I write about along with the variety of types of art that I write about from sculpture to street art.

Sometimes I go to exhibition openings but mostly I don’t; I’ve been to many in the past. Attending art exhibition opening is useful and fun to drink and talk with the artists and other people. However, I can only attend one or two openings in a day or night and the exhibition is sometimes difficult to see the art because of all the people.

Sometimes I see an exhibition and for a variety of reasons that may have nothing to do with the quality of the exhibition I don’t end up writing about it. I may try writing about it and fail to find the right words. Another story may be more news worthy and so another story never gets written. Sometimes a gallery is inexplicably closed when I visit so I never get to see the exhibition.

Today I went to East Richmond, photographed the aerosol art in around the train carpark and looked at most of the galleries on Albert St. I was delighted to see Tracy Potts exhibiting at Anita Traverso Gallery because she was one of the first artists that I reviewed in my first blog entry in my old blog. I am currently reading Will Self’s novel Great Apes so Lisa Roet’s latest exhibition at Karen Woodbury Gallery had additional resonances. (See Art Blart’s review of her opening). I talked with Daniel Doral at John Buckley Gallery and looked at the paintings by Gareth Sansom there.

These maybe the only exhibitions that I get to see all week – I check my diary and the weekend is looking busy with family. I will have to do more research and writing before I publish anything about what I saw today.

These are some of the realities of art criticism.

Bloggers

On Sunday I meet up with some other bloggers in Melbourne at the Workshop Bar on the corner of A’Beckett and Elizabeth Streets. The Workshop Bar had New Zealand beer on tap and a small temporary exhibition of paintings of faceless figures by Kirsten Benson. It reminds me that I still have to write an entry about Melbourne’s art bars and bars with art exhibitions. Michael, who writes My Aching Head, reviews cafes, restaurants and drinks, had organized the event.

I was pleased to meet Brian Ward, who writes Fitzroyalty and several mash-ups about Melbourne suburbs (see the end of this entry for a complete list). I have exchanged emails with Brian Ward but this was the first time that I had actually met him. It is a strange experience meeting people who you have only emailed for the first time but Brian was more even more friendly in person than his emails.

There were a few other bloggers at the meeting including the beautiful sisters who write I Found You In Melbourne, the guy who writes Electrorash, illustrator Ben Zen  and a few other people. It was simply a chance to know people and exchange a few ideas. I was told about other blogs of an even more diverse cultural aspects like Op Shopping ( I Op Therefore I Am ) and one of the oldest blogs in existence Kottke.

The impact of blogs is growing. Contrary to the mainstream media blogs are not simply source of gossip and unsubstantiated claims. Many blogs contain first hand reports from educated and informed correspondents. Many blogs appears to be the very essence of traditional journalism. In the golden age of print journalism there would be writer at every play, exhibition and concert. Now, in the dying days of print journalism unless a blogger reviews it, it is unlikely to be reviewed.

I would encourage anyone with an interest or interesting experiences to write a blog about it. The most difficult part is the writing; technically writing a blog is only a little bit more involved than using email or shopping online. I have even managed to get my mother to start two blogs about her local history interests: Victorian Chinese History and Bendigo Heritage Cemeteries.

There are many artists with blogs. I have just been exchanging emails with the artist Peter Tyndall who has incorporated blogging into his art practice. He also mentioned a local friend and artist’s blog, workmanjones’s Garden of Self Defence that features a great video of body art meeting street art.

I am glad that other blogs reviewing or commenting on Melbourne’s visual arts and that sometimes now we even review the same exhibitions. There are more art and culture blogs in my blogroll this year – the more critical voices the better. I have just found Melbarts, reviews films, books, exhibitions and theatre, and I am considering adding it to my blogroll.

Brian Ward’s mash-ups are syndicate and aggregate posts from over 100 local bloggers blogs. They are:

Fitzroy and North Fitzroy 

Brunswick and East Brunswick 

Carlton and North Carlton 

Collingwood and Abbotsford 

The inner north (Clifton Hill, Northcote, Thornbury, Fairfield and Alphington) 

Central Melbourne (CBD, Docklands, Southbank, North, East, South and West Melbourne)

More Arts Blogs!

Melbourne needs more art critics, especially given the number of exhibitions in Melbourne. (I am still exhausted by home renovations and a head cold, so I don’t know when I will be getting out to see any exhibitions.) More critical voices need to be heard and a greater variety of critical voices need to be heard. Where is the aboriginal online art critic? I hope that bloggers can help to solve this crisis because they are easy, accessible and fun.

If you visit art galleries then why not write a blog about your thoughts? There is still plenty room for more online art critics as so many exhibitions remain unreviewed. I want to write something to empower people to be art critics, to talk and write about art beyond simple subjectivist expression of preferences. “Think hard” was the advice that John McKenzie gave in his course Introduction to Aesthetics at Monash. It may sound obvious but actually doing it is hard; maybe I don’t do it enough.

Art criticism doesn’t have to be serious or academic; there is not much variety in art criticism in mainstream publications but that doesn’t mean that is the only way to write about art. For example, there are enough art exhibition openings every week to write a blog of Melbourne’s art world gossip. And there is probably enough poor/unethical journalism in art publications for an arts media watch.

“A critic, especially when he is writing of contemporary work, should be regarded as a guide, rather than a teacher.” Wrote James Gleeson.

Some stupid people believe that you must be an artist in order to be an art critic. Some art critics like James Gleeson have also been artists, others, like Clement Greenberg or Felix Feneon, were not artists; it is not important. I had no insider knowledge of Melbourne’s street art scene when I started this blog but I have learnt as I looked more. I hope that they have provided a different perspective on Melbourne’s street art than a participant/observer.

If you have been thinking about writing a blog about art exhibitions consider this. It is hard work, you will need to think hard, read a lot, check your facts and visit many galleries. There are few rewards to writing a blog about art, aside from glasses of cheap wine at gallery openings. But I’m having fun. And if I can be of assistance to anyone wanting to write an arts blogs please contact me.

Moving the Blog

This blog is a new version of my old blog: Culture Critic @ Melbourne http://markcritic.artsblogs.com/blog/blog.asp?blogId=8551 I have moved for various reasons, mostly the superior functionality of WordPress blogs. Sorry for the inconvenience to everyone who has to change their RSS feeds or update bookmarks.

I have been writing Culture Critic @ Melbourne for almost two years now. I have really enjoyed it; it has been a good motivation to see more exhibitions and to think more about art. I want to thank everyone for reading, especially those people who have left comments; it has been great meeting people through the blog. I don’t know if I have made any difference in writing the blog, a critic cannot expect to change anything. I have modest ambitions, a few artists, exhibitions and galleries that would have not been reviewed have been written about online.

As this entry has become an advertisement for myself I will note my academic qualifications, my many contacts and my experience in seeing art galleries and museum in Europe, South East Asia and Australia. I have been writing about the visual arts, on and off, for about ten years now. I started reviewing visual arts webpages for LookSmart, during the dot.com boom, but that work is no longer online. After that I wrote for the Paper, some of that is still online, and other magazines, almost all of which are no longer being published. This whole blog has been an advertisement for myself as an art critic or art consultant. I would welcome more work as either.