It may have something to do with the art that I enjoyed while I was young and vulnerable, but I still tend to favor angry, bitter, and anti-consumer art. Artists of all stripes that have disdain for their audience have always peaked my interest. Then again, how many well-regarded artists purposely set out to create consumer-friendly pieces? Even most of those that write bestsellers for the sole purpose of writing a bestseller, will argue till they bleed that their art was not intended to be as consumer-friendly as perceived, and that they just happened to create something that consumers love. You can’t blame them, no matter how much you disagree, for if they openly stated that their creation was intended to be universally pleasing to consumers, no one would consider them serious artists.
Margaret Roleke "Hanging"
Margaret Roleke "Hanging"
If you are a starving artist, that openly states how much you love fans in your artistic statement –and you’re hoping to have your art in a New York City gallery, and the art currently located there is a decent representation of New Yorkers’ taste in art– you may want to save yourself a lot of heartache and just consider another profession now. You may want to consider trying out for the Denver Broncos instead, because you’re going to have a better chance of making their team than you would having one of your works considered for a New York City art gallery, and that attitude will be more welcome there. You can say that you enjoy receiving input from those that have experienced your piece, but it has to be meticulously worded so as to avoid anyone interpreting your artistic statement as one of appreciation.
The anti-consumer theme has a timeless quality about it that goes to the heart of the artist. Its provocative nature does not yield to pop culture winds. It is anti-pop culture, and thus a “hot ticket” in any era that appreciates artists.
Little, old ladies that are perpetually trying to appear young and hip, will walk up to you and tell you that they think the most disturbing pieces are: “Wonderful”, “Amazing”, and “Isn’t it wonderful and amazing?!”
“You are so not my demographic,” is something a true artist of an anti-consumer piece of art might say if they heard these comments from these little, old ladies. A rejection of such compliments, from such people could enshrine this artist in the word-of-mouth halls of the art world, particularly if the artist put some sort of exclamation point on their rejection, by either spitting or puking on their shoes.
As much as they’d love to reject a compliment from a little, old lady, it’s difficult to conceal the warm glow of being complimented by anyone, for a product that they’ve pined over for weeks, months, and years. Artists of anti-consumer art are always torn over compliments, for their product is intended to be a rejection of everything we hold dear. They're meant to be disturbing, provocative pieces that unsettle you in your conformist world. A little, old lady trying to let others think that she's still young and hip enough to "get" such a piece that is a direct angry, bitter comment on how her generation screwed us all up with toys and war and unattainable gender-specific imagery has to be particularly vexing for the artist that feels a warm glow rising.
Narrowed view
Narrowed view
The best way to handle that might be to puke on her shoes. An enterprising, young, anti-consumer artist may even want to set a situation like that up, in a publicity junket, for she would surely be the talk of the town if she pulled it off.
“Did you hear what happened when some old bag complimented Janice on her anti-50’s piece?” word-of-mouth patrons would say to one another. “She puked on her shoes.” It could become the artist’s folklore.
Criticism of the theme of the piece would be the next-best reaction, for the angst-ridden, bitter, and angry artist, especially if it were to come from someone from the 50’s. This would allow them to say, “Good, it was meant to make you angry. It was meant to have you re-examine all that you’ve done to us.”
If you’re not of the 50’s generation, and you deign to criticize anti-consumer art, you could be deigned part of the problem, a person that needs to get out more, or someone that doesn’t understand the full scope of what the artist is trying to say. The sociopolitical theme of anti-consumerism could then be said to be insulated against criticism by its very nature. If that is the case, why wouldn’t every curator want their gallery lined with anti-consumer pieces? ![]()
