Frida Kahlo, “Self-Portrait on the Borderline between Mexico and the United States”
(1932), oil on metal (private collection)
Frida Kahlo + Diego Rivera @ The Detroit Institute of Art. Lisa John Rogers article in Hyperallergic.com reveals the philosophical, political and visual discrepancies of their relationship. Rivera was funded by Ford to create artwork in Detroit, so the work exalts the hard work of the masses + ignores exploitation by the rich, the environment destroyed for monetary gain and women being treated as barely second class citizens under the guise of Capitalism; Diego idealized reality. Kahlo’s work in the opposite extreme, reveals hard truths: Her failed abortion, the horrific reality of peoples lives as exhibited in her piece: ‘The Suicide of Dorothy Hale’ (below), as well as the aftermath of corporate greed (above).
What I find so fascinating as well as unfortunate here, is that ART NEEDS TO BE FUNDED TO BE CREATED – THE UGLY TRUTH. It always has. Where is that money coming from? In the Renaissance the rich and religious institutions hired artists. It continues that way hundreds of years later. So….If you are surviving on the dime of some kind of corporate identity, you can’t bite them in the butt by portraying subjects that are antithetical to their ability to make money, or their beliefs. In China, the artists use symbols in their work to speak out against the government. If they clearly portray anti-government sentiment through their work, they are jailed (Ai Wei Wei) or worse. (remember, he was only let out of jail after the art world went up in arms about it).
So….What can an artist do? They can show the world the truth in their work which during their lifetimes more often than not, results in living a very difficult financial existence with generally little or no accolades from the world….they can make very strong deep work that isn’t overtly political, OR…..they can sell out; Make decorative work or create one line conceptual jokes with no substance, soul, or strength.
Concealing your ideas through symbols or play of visual form, is one way to say what you think and still get paid, yet you are still hiding. My dear friend and colleague, sculptor Stella Lackey died from lung cancer. I’m convinced she got it, as she was basically homeless, living in the warehouse that housed our studios in Hoboken 1990. She had no money, so when we were told to stay out of the building for two weeks as they were cleaning out the asbestos, she stayed there. I barely knew her at that time. After discovering her situation, I later helped her figure out how to get a job and subsequently her own apartment; but it was too late. She died at the age of 38. We were driving down the main street of Hoboken in my beat up Ford (ironic) Escort, when I was complaining to her about the ‘Art World’ and that Dealers (Gallerists) only want to show artists that do one thing. For example, just paint dogs and that I do a lot of different things and no one would take me on their gallery roster. She said, “Jenny….take a role of toilet paper and cast it in bronze. Then make 12 bronze variations and put them on plinths. Then….get someone to come to your studio and I guarantee you’ll get a show and become famous. I thought about that for a second and said, “I’m not doing that.” And Stella said, “Then SHUT UP.”.
Crowdfunding. When I started my IndieGoGo campaign, “The Venice Biennale Jenny Krasner Project” I was not completely on board. The idea of asking people to fund a project made me extremely uncomfortable. I didn’t understand why artists were doing this and thought it was somehow wrong. My dear friend and now extraordinary editor on my Indiegogo Team, Jerry Weinstein, sent me an article on two filmmakers who were rejected by Sundance and started an Indiegogo campaign which raised the money to fund their next three films; they are now famous. They couldn’t find funding because their work was controversial and unique. They decided to go the route of crowdfunding, independently raising the money to create their vision, their passion. They stuck to their beliefs and through this new and extraordinary venue, were able to then make their films which, contrary to the establishments initial rejection, became an immense creative as well as financial success. I went to a lecture given by Laurie Anderson who said, “No one is going to help you. If you want to create something, build something, make something happen, you have to do it yourself. Don’t ask art dealers to help you, don’t ask corporations to help you….you have to DO IT YOURSELF.” I loved that. But, I still need help, so, I am embracing this outlet in the hope that I will raise enough money to make this vision of mine, this 42 foot long installation in Venice, the best I can possibly make it, and to do that, I need a little help from my friends. Please get involved in making this work become a reality. I can only be true to myself in my work and in my life, but I still need money to make my ideas concrete. I do believe that art elevates life; it elevates my life and through creating it, I truly hope to inspire and do the same for others. Please visit my IndieGoGo site here to become a part of making this massive artwork become a reality JUST DO IT (Nike) :-)
Get involved yourself on my indiegogo site: http://igg.me/at/JennyKrasner
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS SO FAR TO The Jenny Krasner Venice Biennale Project
You ALL have made the building of this project a reality, I cannot thank you enough!
Ruti Alon
Lise Battaglia
Claudia Blaesi
Rand Carter
John B. Carver
Miriam Carver
Susan + Charles Bisom-Rapp
Lynette Chiang
Marsha R. Dowler
Alex Freeman
Kylie Heidenheimer
Rebecca Haidt
Shannon H Curry Hartmann
J. Walter Hawkes
Amy Hersh
Joanna Krasner
Matthew Rose
Peter Rossbach
Dan Rubock
Mark J. Seski
Nandita Shenoy
Robert L. Thuemmel
Ursula Wall
Anne C. Whitehouse
Matt Wrbican
Wang Xin
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