Subject:
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Re: Art? (was Re: LEGO as Art)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Thu, 30 Sep 1999 07:48:34 GMT
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Viewed:
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287 times
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Hello John;
I certainly don't want to get into a huge debate with you... :-) But
I would be happy to participate in a civilized discussion.
I am not one who normally goes to art exhibitions or one who has a
passion for art; both viewing and collecting it. There is a great
deal of art I would not want to view or buy. And I definitely
question the significance of much modern art. I'll take the
impressionists and sculpture over that stuff any day.
But artists have the freedom to create what they want using what ever
medium they choose, if it expresses some message in their heart and
mind. Whether you or I understand that message is not often clear.
I am a firm believer in the freedom of speech, thought and expression.
This exhibit has nothing to do with LEGO as we know and use it. It
simply represents the innocence of childhood, and the marketing of
products to our children.
I have to ask if you read the complete article? In it, the artist is
quoted saying:
"I created this work to inspire discussion..."
"I remember when I was 9 years old and my class went on the obligatory
trip to Auschwitz and we had to look at all those photographs," he
said. "Somehow, because of our history, Poles are expected to speak
about the Holocaust and what happened here. So I am speaking about it,
but maybe not in the way some people would expect."
Of course there are many people and critics who feel differently. I
respect their rights to voice those concerns and thoughts as you have
done.
The very fact that you and I are discussing this tells me the artist
accomplished exactly what he set out to do; generate discussion of
the holocaust so that it will not be forgotten.
If the Jewish Museum in New York City is considering buying the pieces
for their own museum, it tells me they recognize the worth of what he
has created and the statements he's trying to make about modern
society, marketing, and how easily we could forget.
One art critic sums this up very well:
"How long will it take our culture to create a child's desire for a
concentration camp in miniature plastic form?" Poland-based art critic
Nigel Warwick wrote in the magazine Flash Art after viewing the
pieces. "Which cultural forces will erode the legitimacy and impact of
such historical events on our contemporary mentality?"
I hope I have expressed the reasons why I do think the use of LEGO was
appropriate as art.
<ICS>
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Art? (was Re: LEGO as Art)
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| (...) I got into a big debate in RTL a while back regarding the piece of "art" entitled "LEGODEATH" and what constituted Art and I'm not particularily interested in starting another, but I will say that I *seriously* question the use of LEGO as the (...) (25 years ago, 30-Sep-99, to lugnet.general)
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