Art's a funny thing. It most certainly has a place in society as a life without art would be devoid of so much creativity, beauty and expression. But it's all so very subjective - and sometimes downright odd. Take the Turner Prize. I went to visit the exhibition a few weeks ago - the first year I have done so - and what some people consider to be art is what others clearly label complete rubbish. Spartacus Chetwynd's 'installation' was a bunch of people dressed as green mandrake roots, faces painted, wearing green leotards adorned with socks stuffed with tissue paper draped across their bodies, hopping and slithering about the space like demented weeds (they had probably been smoking some other type of weed too). I did like reading the pages of Plato stuck the wall as part of the exhibition, but the live show was just downright strange and slightly disturbing (if I'd been one of the kids watching I know I'd have had nightmares afterwards).
A load of hype
But the thing about art is most of it is just hype and about who can create the best publicity. People can pay hundreds of thousands of pounds for what they consider to be a work of art, often just because enough other people also deem it to be worth a lot, especially if it's one of a kind and 'exclusive'. But really, nothing has any real inherent value - nothing at all. Things - all thing - are only 'worth' what we decide they are worth. Money is concept humans made up, and we can place any price we like on objects if they are deemed to be valuable or in demand. Whether people part with their cash for them is another matter, but if you can create enough hype and a following as the 'next big thing' in the art world, people will buy your wares - whether or not they are complete tat - believing them to be an investment. Same goes for houses, cars, clothes. Speaking of the latter, the word 'emperor' sprang to mind when at the aforementioned exhibition...
the funny side
However, there was some technical skill on display. Paul Noble's exhibition called Nobson Newtown was particularly amusing; though he is clearly a very skilled artist, creating the most detailed drawings I'd ever seen, he was really, surely, take the p**s out of the whole art world by filling his odd desert landscapes with what were effectively a load of nobs (Nobs on Newtown - geddit?) and other shapes that looked like, well, shits! A joker if ever there was one and a damn clever, talented one at that for making a reputation - and no doubt some cash - for turning shit and nobs into art. Bravo. (not that I'll be buying any of it).
In the end Elizabeth Price won - my fav out of the four - for her video of the Woolworths fire in 1979 combined with images of churches. It was the only thing where I felt I learnt something and which had hidden messages about the body and sensuality woven throughout the piece. As for whether it was 'worth' anything, well, again that is subjective. I'm sure her work will have skyrocketed now thanks to the win, as her name will be added to the illustrious list of former winners including Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin. Making a name for yourself seems to be the best form of currency these days, so I'm sure she will go far.
real worth
So, speaking of worth, how much do you value yourself and your time? We're all in a market of some sort, for our skills, and what we have to offer. Maybe it's time we all valued ourselves a lot more for our inherant worth, and not for what we produce on the outside. Because nothing on the outside lasts and has any real 'worth'; all is subject to change. The real jewels are to be found on the inside, where the soul and spirit reside.
What Katy Louise Did...
- Katy Louise
- Katy Louise writes about health, wealth, happiness and relationships, and the spiritual insights she gains along her path. She is currently editor of Top Sante magazine (www.topsante.co.uk). Prior to that she was editor of Bodyfit magazine (now Your Fitness www.yourfitnesstoday.com) and the launch editor of Soul&Spirit magazine (www.soulandspiritmagazine.com). Katy is also a certified Fitsteps and STOTT Pilates instructor. She is the go-to girl for all matters relating to health, wellbeing and spirituality.
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