Artists Statement

In this course and beyond, the word art shows up a countless number
of times in our lives. Despite a clear definition of the word art in the
dictionary, we cant say what art is and what it isnt with any level of
certainty. As Ive expressed in my manifesto and other works, to me, art is
one of the most important parts of the human existence, with its
unparalleled power to connect us beyond the superficial by bringing insights
of ourselves into the daylight. As we travel through the avant-garde, is this
art? shows up in every discussion of any given work. Thus, with art is, I
aimed to give an example of what art is in my eyes in a visual manner that
could spark discussion about the idea.
On the most basic level, art is is a collage of different works of art. Of
course, these arent your typical Rembrandts and Picassos. Rather, I
selected a variety of pieces that arent considered art by some or others.
Some are parts of daily life while others are of artists that were so markedly
avant-garde that their works artistry was questioned. For example, I have
included Kazimir Malevichs Black Square. The work shows a black painted
square on a white canvas. Malevich was a member of an artistic movement
known as Suprematism, which focused on the supremacy of pure artistic
feeling rather than representation. My ideas about art are almost
completely based on Suprematist works, where the feeling and creative
expression are valued above all else and ambiguity is king. Many struggle to
find art in a geometric shape, but thats what makes the Suprematist work so

intriguing. In the same manner that people fail to see the artistry in
Suprematism, many fail to see video games, code and the design of every
day things as art, especially when they lack traditional beauty. What makes
an Apple product art, but not the plastic grocery bags that say Thank You
repeatedly? What makes the food at a 5-star restaurant art, but not an order
of large fries from the Golden Arches? With my superposition of the phrase
Art is over the college, my argument is fairly clear: art is a lot more than
you think. What I want to communicate is that art is anything that expresses
creativity.
I decided to make and display art is electronically to really drive
home the ideas behind the work. When a computer does most of the heavy
lifting of creating a work of art, its not uncommon for people to question the
artistry. This is especially true for something like what Ive constructed which
is a collage with some text, which doesnt require an enormous amount of
skill. However, since it is a form of creative expression, it is art. Therefore, I
managed to make the medium of my work underscore my argument by
serving as an example of it. art is is meant to be a form of conceptual art
that is grounded on ideas above anything else. As a result, the goal is to
spark discussion rather than be renowned for being beautiful or perfect or
anything of the sort. Some of the pictures may not be the most perfect and
the colors may not work together perfectly, but if it can get someone talking
about what art is, it successfully communicates what I need it to.

My art is an argument about art, just as many works of avant-garde art

have been in the past. As time goes on, art continues to evolve and it
creates the necessity of continuous attention being paid to what art really is.
My works execution may seem unordinary, but the view of art is rather
unique for someone who is actually creating art. Most artists wouldnt want
to undermine their own art by opening up the definition of art so widely.
Therefore, my perspective as an outside observer allows my argument to be
more earnest than artists.