Some are saying things, some are just doing stuff because they can. I’m not convinced it’s any less sane than, say, working in finance. It’s definitely less harmful.
The thing about art is that it’s whatever you can get away with. Sometimes that leaves room for powerful critiques of the system, sometimes it’s just random stuff. In order to survive in capitalism, artists have to keep producing art. This means that they’re incentiveized to produce things that are meaningless… Which is what most people in society do most of the time.
So these folks take some drugs and externalize the absurdity rather than fume in an office for decades before snapping and shooting a bunch of people or just offing themselves. Is it crazier to throw the absurdity of society back in it’s face, or pretend that any of this is OK?
Edit: How many people reading this are pretending to work? You could be outside touching grass. You could be inside by a fire. Every minute you spend pretending to work is a waste of your life. Imagine if you threw your computer against the wall, walked out of the office, covered yourself in paint, and started flopping against a canvas like a fish. Would you experience more joy than you are experiencing right now, trapped at work pretending to do something meaningful? Yeah, I’m gonna go back to work but I’m also not gonna judge.
But that still doesn’t make it good art. Sure, we aren’t doing anything productive as well, but at least the only ones that we lie about how productive we are, are our bosses.
I think it’s less committing suicide, and more at the behest of corruption, unrestricted power, and a persistent lack of empathy.
But words are cheap, I will now perform eighty hours of silence and fasting. You must experience this with me to fulfill my my art. Only by the end of the period will you realize I was not participating, but instead exhibiting the role of the corrupted ruling class.
Also, I’m going to paint my weiner and slap it around on some paper.
After watching this i think modern artists are just mentally ill people acting out
We live in a society that’s committing suicide. Who’s “sane” here?
No one. But these people are just whacked if you ask me.
Some are saying things, some are just doing stuff because they can. I’m not convinced it’s any less sane than, say, working in finance. It’s definitely less harmful.
The thing about art is that it’s whatever you can get away with. Sometimes that leaves room for powerful critiques of the system, sometimes it’s just random stuff. In order to survive in capitalism, artists have to keep producing art. This means that they’re incentiveized to produce things that are meaningless… Which is what most people in society do most of the time.
So these folks take some drugs and externalize the absurdity rather than fume in an office for decades before snapping and shooting a bunch of people or just offing themselves. Is it crazier to throw the absurdity of society back in it’s face, or pretend that any of this is OK?
Edit: How many people reading this are pretending to work? You could be outside touching grass. You could be inside by a fire. Every minute you spend pretending to work is a waste of your life. Imagine if you threw your computer against the wall, walked out of the office, covered yourself in paint, and started flopping against a canvas like a fish. Would you experience more joy than you are experiencing right now, trapped at work pretending to do something meaningful? Yeah, I’m gonna go back to work but I’m also not gonna judge.
I agree, you do have a point there.
But that still doesn’t make it good art. Sure, we aren’t doing anything productive as well, but at least the only ones that we lie about how productive we are, are our bosses.
I think it’s less committing suicide, and more at the behest of corruption, unrestricted power, and a persistent lack of empathy.
But words are cheap, I will now perform eighty hours of silence and fasting. You must experience this with me to fulfill my my art. Only by the end of the period will you realize I was not participating, but instead exhibiting the role of the corrupted ruling class.
Also, I’m going to paint my weiner and slap it around on some paper.
Naaah, you think 🤔 😒?