Q and A
The art of Alasdair Macintyre
INDEX
ART
Current work
Legends of Art
Early work
ARTIST PROFILE
Exhibiting History
Artist Statement
MEDIA RELEASE
The following questions by Lisa Greenaway reproduced from www.theprogram.net.au (08/05)
Why sculpture? What drives you to create, particularly to create in 3
dimensions?
This particular style of sculpture is very much connected
with my childhood and my upbringing. Being an only child, I had plenty of
time where I was left to my own devices, and I also collected action figures
from popular culture (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, etc).
In a general sense, I would create narratives for my own amusement, sometimes featuring the characters that the figures represented, but often times concocting altogether different scenarios, whereupon I also raided the bookshelves and constructed buildings and cities from encyclopedias and Readers Digest volumes. I tend to say these days that I am still doing exactly the same thing I did as a child, but from a “grown up” point of view.
I think I am inspired to create things to put my mind into accord.
With your tableaux works, the "Legends of art" series, and with the Art Park
Project, would you say you are working from a cynical or a whimsical point of
view?
As I think these projects can be - and are - taken both ways. To clarify
what I mean - what would you say to a comment that particularly with the Art
Park, this work might be expressing a perception of an imaginative vacuum in
modern art - that nothing can be genius anymore, that the art of the past is
the brilliance and the present can only be reproduction? And I guess in
particular in relation to Australia - viewing the world from so far away.
On the last point, yes, of course. The whole concept of “The Art Park Project”, was that as a youngish artist (I think I conceived the idea when I was in my late twenties), I had very little experience of seeing major art, and major art locations, first hand. Apart from what I can see in Australian collections, all the art I see is in reproduction. “The Art Park Project” is a proposed theme park (which we have several of in the south east corner of Queensland) catered purely to my own tastes, which encapsulated major art destinations from around the world.
Instead of spending six months traveling to all corners of the world, I could walk into the Art Park and see it all in the space of a day! In one sense, this is whimsical, but having said that, if I had been a billionaire, with an unlimited budget, “The Art Park Project” would probably be nearing actual completion now, somewhere between Dreamworld and Movieworld on the Gold Coast.
I am actually not too concerned with imaginative vacuums in modern art and the like. These matters are for art and sociology writers to discuss. Having studied art history in wider society, I see that all things are cyclical, and all things, including art, change and re-assimilate to suit the society of the time. I do not believe that the art of the past is the brilliance. I think that the high point in art is yet to come, on a scale which at this point in time, cannot even be comprehended. Having said that, I must say, I await the third renaissance with much anticipation.
Look, addressing the take on my work as being cynical, I must say that I am not intending to be cynical in any way. I am not at all cynical of art, and the purity of art is a sacred thing to me. There is nobility in true art which automatically shuts out any sense of cynicism, or sarcasm, on my part. To me, to be a practicing artist, is akin to be practicing within a religious belief system (which I am as well).
I am interested that several observers of my work have described me as “poking fun” or taking “jabs” at the art world. I am using objects in my work (toy figures, statuettes, etc) that I can relate too, and I guess the majority of people can relate too. I made the “Legends of Art” series as a reaction to what I saw as idolatrous figures in toy shops (the glorification of wrestling “heroes”, military soldiers, or disposable pop stars).
It is possible that I am making my current work far too
metaphorical, as I do not believe in being too obvious in my references.
For
instance, my solo Sydney show in April, called “Infiltration” featured
several pieces of masked figures breaking into various different art
galleries and vaults. At the time of making these works, I was closely
following events in Iraq and Afghanistan (unfortunately, I have a latent
interest in global events and current affairs), and incidents such as the
Abu Graib prisoner abuse and Iraq hostage situations
actually
affected me quite deeply.
I was astonished that the majority of people walking
around our city were not as depressed as I was, having seen a person
pleading for their life, savagely murdered, almost on a weekly basis, on
every channel. The “Infiltration” series, though set in art galleries and
the like, are actually all metaphorical. When I set an incident in a
gallery, that doesn’t mean that it literally takes place in that gallery.
My work is a combination of symbolism and metaphors. It is perhaps more a
statement about the viewer, or even society, that my work is taken as
“cynical”. My work may be a mirror to society.
You began studying arts at a young age - was it something you focused on throughout your school life before you went into tertiary education? Was there
a moment when you thought "yes, that's it for me"?
I was always the kid in the class of thirty who could “draw”, so it was a natural progression for me to study art all the way through. I always knew I was different from other kids, in my beliefs, expectations, attitude and outlook. I always knew that I would be in a “creative” field… many people at primary school thought I would be a cartoonist. I actually didn’t think I could be a practicing artist until I was in my mid-twenties… even though I graduated from the Queensland College of Art at twenty. I just did not have the confidence, nor the deep critical self-awareness, knowledge or life experience. My eyes were initially opened to what art had to offer, when I saw the “Pop Art 1955-1970” exhibition at the Queensland Art Gallery in 1985 (my first time in any art gallery), on a school art trip.
1995 was a watershed year for me, where I embarked upon a post-graduate art teaching degree, and experienced several “epiphany” type situations, on various different levels at that time. For one, I discovered the writings of Joseph Campbell, as well as delving deeper into my own Catholic faith. I can pinpoint however, the precise moment that I embraced the notion, and gained the confidence to be an artist. My parents had returned from overseas, and I had asked them to track down several films on VHS for me, one of them being Pasolini’s “The Gospel According to Saint Matthew”. That night I lay on my studio floor and watched that particular film, and it was an extraordinary moment of epiphany, which I cannot adequately describe. My self-awareness circuit was suddenly engaged, and the only other thing I can say is that from that moment forth, my course was set. I guess it was a combination of Joseph Campbell’s concept of “follow your bliss” with my own beliefs and abilities.
And what's been the toughest thing for you, as a young artist, getting to a
point where you can live from your passion? Any choice piece of advice for a
young hopeful?
Being a full time artist is hard work, but that is what I was put on this planet to do, and so I am doing it. But, to be honest, it has not been tough compared with other things I have done earlier in life, such as being a Santa children’s photographer, mixing ink in an ink factory, or selling encyclopedias door to door in regional towns. I was a high school art teacher on and off for several years, which included setting up student art shows, and speaking about other artists work. In that light, it is always a pleasure to set up my own shows, and speak about my own work. I have not encountered any situation in the art world as tough as an eighth grade religious education class, after lunch, on a Friday afternoon… or a parent-teacher session where your students mother has come in to let you have both barrels at point-blank range!
As a young artist, you have to realise that you must be true to yourself as an artist. Do not attempt to make an art out of something that is not within your realm of experience, because it will only be lame and false. No matter how trivial you think your own experiences may be, follow your own instincts… and be as original as you possibly can.
Being professional and dealing with people professionally is a key also, as well as being able to take advice.
You cite American writer Joseph Campbell as an influence on you. What have
you personally taken from Campbell's writings about artists as the "mythmakers
of our times" - how do you think you best express that in your work and in
your life as an artist?
I like Campbell, as well as more offbeat writers like Colin Wilson and Hans
Holzer. Campbell was privy to something that I think many true artists feel
by instinct. He banged on about mythologizing the world you inhabit, which
I fully concur with. He wrote a book called “The Hero With a Thousand Faces”
which describes the heroic act which is that of saving a people or saving an
ideal, and in doing so you save yourself. In many ways, art has saved me
from an alternate reality which I still occasionally glimpse through a
wormhole. I use a recurring figure in my art which is of a young artist,
based on my baseball cap-wearing self, in my twenties, which is heroically
battling with elements both metaphorical and art historical, which relates
to the Campbell “heroic” theme.
What does it mean to you to be part of an award exhibition like the National
Sculpture Prize? Is it important?
It is very important in terms of exposing my work to a wide audience, and may I say how grateful I am to the NGA and Macquarie Bank for making it possible. I am an art purist, but going back to the Medici’s and earlier, many things in the art world would not be possible without patrons, collectors, philanthropy, and sponsorship. I think one can be an artist without compromising your belief systems, which is not the case say for instance, if you join a mainstream political party.
It is also a very sobering experience to be amongst so many great practicing artists in the National Sculpture Prize exhibition. I can sometimes be cocooned in my own little box of an art practice, and seeing many superb works in the show such as “Overground” by Ewen Coates, was like a kick in the head for me, in terms of both concept and technique. In the face of such quality I came away from the exhibition feeling about as big as one of my artwork action figures, which I think for a self-critical artist, is not such a bad thing.
Is art important? If so (or if not), why?
Yes. Art, and the arts in general, is the only thing left that separates human beings from becoming machines… it would suit many individuals on this planet if we all were machines… how much simpler life would be for them. The visual arts are one of the few areas in modern western society where the individual is invited to think. So much of society is served up to us with inbuilt opinions attached. We are told by mass media organisations how to feel about something before we are aware of its content.
One of my artworks may elicit 1000 different opinions from 1000 different people: and each one of those opinions is correct. I like that concept.
The following questions are from Prue Gibson, CCB Art Auction, AGNSW 08/05:
You have chosen a unique and compelling medium for your art. Have you always made these
diorama/installations? What attracted you?
In many ways, it was a natural progression, as I am simply doing the same things that I did as a child, in the fact that from an early age I played with action figures from popular culture of the time (Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Indiana Jones etc). Today, I am doing the same thing, just in a more informed and intellectual way. As a child, I would pull the 20 slim-line encyclopedia volumes from the bookshelf, use them to construct walls and tunnels for the figures, and create a world for a self created narrative story. Today I am doing the very same thing, but with a much broader base.
I
am reminded of the verse from 1 Corinthians 13, 11, “When I was a child, I
talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I
became a man, I put childish ways behind me.” In retrospect, I put the ways
behind me (most of the time), but kept the means!
Many of the artists selected by CCB seem to
be concerned with making sense of our place
in society. Is this something you are interested in?
Yes, yes, yes. One could spend their entire art career (or indeed, a
non-artistic “lifetime”), comprehending the world we live in. Because the
world is constantly changing at an enormous rate, attempting to
comprehensively understand our global environment is fraught with danger, in
so much as our fixed points of reference are constantly changing. What was
not acceptable a decade ago, is now the norm. I think there is a danger in
humanity of a slow acceptance over time of certain ideals which may not be
beneficial to society as a whole in the long run. In any case… I believe
this sort of talk should be manifested by an artist through their work, and
that’s what I attempt to do.
There is humour in the form of puns and satire in your
work. A send-up of the art world and a send-up of yourself? Can you
elaborate on this? Is there a deeper seriousness in your
messages - if so, can you expand briefly?
I am interested in this notion that I am “sending up” the art world, as it has been mentioned in relation to my work in previous exhibitions by curators and so on… I even had someone tell me that they thought my work is a “piss-take” (sic). I do not set out to send up anything, or lampoon anything. I consider my work to be highly serious, and often times, political in nature, but conveyed to the viewer in a form that they can relate to... which is perhaps where the misapprehension occurs. In fact, the great majority of my work is motivated by my political and social beliefs. A piece I made several years ago incorporated a group of stormtroopers (of “Star Wars”) looking at Picasso’s “Geurnica”. Other pieces recently include masked and anonymous figures infiltrating galleries which have particular artworks in them, which many people found amusing. I guess a humorous element is incumbent, but all great drama is a two sided coin… one side is comedy, the other side tragedy, such as the films of Chaplin or Keaton.
The miniature galleries I create, and the artworks within, are metaphors for
certain “situations” of the world around me. All of my work is metaphorical.
Do you think that traditional painting on canvas is dead? Do younger
artists tend to look at contemporary culture and other art disciplines
occurring now or do you look back at art history and tradition?
I
spent many years painting, alongside doing sculpture. In fact painting was
the central axis of my practice, and the small model “still life” dioramas
that I painstakingly painted in the mid nineties basically turned into the
actual artworks, and now painting has dropped away from my work, apart from
the “miniatures” I place in my dioramas. I do not believe painting is dead
however. I look back at art history primarily because it is a beautiful
thing, and truly great art remains constant and relevant through all time. I
guess I am using the rich tradition if art and assimilating it into the
culture of today. I am using a language that people can relate to. Whereupon
a large genre painting in a gold frame from 1755 might be yawn inducing to
some, lost in a salon style barrage of similar paintings within an
established European public gallery, I can take the same picture in
miniature form and re-contextualize it in my work, therefore keeping the
initial integrity in which the painting was created. In this sense,
painting, and art, will never die.