Monday, March 01, 2010

The Path and the Fork.



When you select “Art” as a career path you put yourself in a position that most people do not have the strength to complete. Most people, start off when they are young and ignorant, filled with the pure guts to take it on. Along the way you become infused with many different perspectives form others and their experiences. All the positive and negative reinforcements start to seep into your skin and affect your current and future choices. Most people don’t make it through higher education. They either get burnt out, discouraged, reject it, cant afford it, are told they can’t afford it, or stray from the direct path of “ Traditional Artist” and take on a more tangible approach to the subject. Museum studies, curating, art administration, exhibition installers and the list goes on and on. In fact you could say that artist employ more people, that together make more money than the artist themselves will ever make as a whole. All of these positions are necessary for the whole system to work. This system is the glorious parallel dimension interconnected to real life titled, The Art World.


The gallery assistants entering all the address’s of potential art buyers so that a kiss ass post card for the opening can be sent to their office. (This is good for the artist, the gallery and the patrons)The chief comes in late and leaves early to get ready, leave unanswered phone calls and specific directions to be decoded and understood by the ill informed staff that is underpaid and in fact working for free to “better themselves” with experience. The wine must be served and the plexiglass spotless. Everyone get ready for the social event of the next 3 hours. Remember names and the faces that come with them. The big event happens, connections are made and deals are done. Pick up the little crystal cups, chill the white wines, turn of the lights and head home in a cheap chardonnay haze. Now don't get me wrong this is all fine and dandy and in fact a bit mandatory. This whole world revolves around The Artist, and if doing the right actions at the right moments, The Artist has control over the whole world.


As a young artist graduating from art school during the worst economical times since the great depression there are two main paths to take. The first one, embedded in your brain by your family and the news is to find a real job, something that pays well and can keep up above the ever rising water level. or, you can pursue your dreams, and what the fuck does that mean anymore?


As a fresh artist do you participate in the systematic art world? or not? Many think that in order to survive in the art world you need to have a full understanding of how it works. inside and out, and this is smart. Know who galleries are and how they work. Understand really what an “Art Fair” is. Know the big names and the freshest faces. Read the theory and buy the magazines. To participate in a system you need to understand it. It’s like driving a motorcycle from Alaska to the tip of South America without knowing what a spark plug is.


Once you become filled with all this knowledge you start to see a divide in the paths of the artist themselves. There is the Mathew Barney, Jeff Koons, Damien Hurst, and Takashi Murakami direction or there is the James Lee Byars, Chris burden, Joseph Beuys and Ray Johnson direction, Not to mention the Bob Ross and Thomas Kinkade way of life but I’ll touch on that soon. The first group which I will call group A was a product of the time. Big money and fast cars, with huge empty walls in large poorly constructed mansions. Big walls, big art. So its 2006 and I am studying studio art at Columbia College Chicago. I read the latest issues of Art Fourm and Freize and see the battle between Koons and Hurst. “Koons sells a big heart for 27 million dollars become the most expensive single piece of art ever sold. Then Hurst combats that with his international auction at Sotheby’s by bypassing the galleries, museums and curators and going directly to the top. Selling his artwork right to the collectors for a grand total of somewhere around 300 million dollars. Now, flash back to the student in art school, eating this up because, well you have to. Its like a baseball player reading the headlines of the sportscasters. SO, make millions, that's what you have to do.\, make lots of money. and the art, well is just art, but its about how much you persuade people, its what it’s worth. Worth. What its worth?


To be continued.......


World Warning.


Everything should consist of a nice suit
covered in Xmas lights.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

I like this.




Play this.


Eat this.


And this.


Use this.


Cook with this.


Support this


Stick with this.


Listen to this.


And this


Drink this.

Onion Town.


The time.


This man.


Fly kicks.


Look at this.


And this.

Philadelphia


For me.

Sky Devic.


Air to Power.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Year of the Tiger Collaborations






To celebrate the year of the Tiger I contacted artist that I had a brief connection with in one way or another. I sent individual images that made me think of the person, or something I thought they would enjoy. Below is the email I sent and the responses I have received. The original images I sent fall on the left side and the artist's responses are on the right.

Dear (insert artist name)


I hope the year of the tiger is bringing your greatest wishes to a tangible reality. I am reaching out to you because I feel that in the past we have had a connection in a way. Selecting you was not random nor a mistake. For a moment, in between brief conversations our brains connected, creatively. I admire your magical talents and I wish to ask for your hand in collaboration.


Attached to this Electronic Letter is an image specifically selected by myself, for you. I ask you, please, to take the time and work this image in anyway you see fit, then return to me via an Electronic Letter. Some paths you may take in your alteration may be, to print it out, burn it, scan the ashes, and send it back to me. You may also put the image into photoshop and write the ingredients to the meal you last consumed. You have limitless possibilities and I encourage you let your mind go wild. Thank you and I look forward to receiving your response. Once a collection of images has been gathered they will be available for digital viewing in the internet.


Sincerely,


Vincent Alexander Finazzo












Amas Mesu
Chernobyl Cake
Free hand xerox collage
Manically









Anna Pamasa

Like the telephone game with an image through the computer and internet. january 8, 2010 flour sugar salami.jpeg downloaded and opened in microsoft paint, resized 50% smaller, resized 200% larger, saved (except jan24 when it was resized 25% smaller and 200% larger accidentally) e-mailed to myself, then re-downloaded. repeated once every day until now, jan29 because i was feeling iffy about a deadline even though there is no deadline, then flour sugar salami.jpeg e-mailed back to you but i'd like to keep this going for a bit.










Alyssa Hodes

The Brief History of Time















Hannah Weber














Annie Hobbs










David Jones

I think i should have used goggles
my work has taken a sharp left or perhaps a right i can't tell. I just hope i don't crash into a tree.








Maria Belan


I carried it around with me and noted important events, one of which was the day I put this image in my back pocket. I tried to keep it as close to my self as possible. This has been one of the most life-changing years I have known. The subsequent dates written above the image are life-changing dates and hold special significance for me. I will continue to add dates.


Feb 21st



Poster- Vincent Finazzo

Feb 6th



Poster- Vincent Finazzo

Monday, January 04, 2010

Anything but her herbalist





anything but her herbalist, “hawaii”
there was no jump into action
not us, no greasy bolt until your
swoop of those knit slipper shoes
in your 1956 olympics hoodie}-{Stockholm
questioned geometric shapes, packaging
it tried to fuck everything up
with its inside-out clothing, like mine, yours
in which everyone is on the screen
nothing shakes it can’t squeeze, it goes on
like sprawl, flat with fattening clean
and white, a squeeze cat which behaves
and my bitch hangover, hair of the dog
can’t wait, behaves badly, is motionless
one pound, a half kilo
old and wise and cream
as the amber light rained down, we thought
time and oranges


A collaboration between Joe Bly and Vincent Finazzo

Year of the Metal Tiger




2010 is the year of the Tiger according to the Chinese Zodiac’s 12 year cycle.
The year of the Tiger is traditionally associated with massive changes and social upheaval.
Tigers who thrive on chance and unpredictability are best suited to navigating the many upheavals predicted in the year ahead.

Being born in the year of the tiger, 1986, I look forward to 2010 with a high degree of positivity.
I wish everyone I meet delightful thoughts.
I hope to present myself as a peaceful person and continue forward.
May many storms of creativity be released into my world.
2010, i am ready for you.

Vincent Alexander Finazzo