Doodles

This posting is about doodles. I have been thinking about doodles, and why people make them for some time. I find it interesting that someone who claims he/she cannot draw will instinctively start doodling on the page in a distracted moment. I think this furthers the thought that drawing is automatic, and part of the human experience.

This thought on doodles has lead me to incorporate a series of doodles into my most recent work. I have been collecting doodles from people for about a year. I have assembled them together in a collage, and this will be applied on top of another image. This collaborative effort reflects my thoughts as well as the thoughts of the people who created the doodles. If you doodle, what do you include?

Trouble in Venice

This weeks post is about a controversy brewing surrounding an Irish artist that is to be represented at the Venice Biennale next year. The full story can be read here.

Essentially, the artist and the Representative selected to curate the Irish contribution to this international exhibition come from the same gallery in New York. The article explained how decisions were made, and elaborates on why this is such an issue.

The major issue is the accepted practice for the juror to be unbiased when selecting artworks for inclusion in a exhibition. This is not the first example contradicting this practice that I have come across. It has been my experience that if the artist knows the juror, and especially if the juror is very familiar with the artwork, then chances are very good that that artist will be admitted.

Major exhibitions should be based on double blind admissions. However, the contemporary art world is pretty small and I'm not sure how one could guarantee anonymity. Perhaps if a show relied on average art enthusiasts instead of established art historians, art critics, and gallery owners as jurors, a true blind submission process could be established.