Ward Shelley Who Invented the Avant Garde and other half truths

[valedictorianmusic]

The new age of Avant Garde is upon us. In our generation we are spoiled by technology to the point that everything that the human mind recieves has to be presented with a visual. No longer the days of using only one human sense! The future Avant Garde period will give birth to not just visual artist but hybrid creators "visual artist/entertainers"!

[pishdad]

It's amazing. I've seen people who don't even consider themselves to be 'serious' artist do better work than these pretentious forms of art!! God these people just so over intellectualize so much that you just see reminants of major art train accidents!! Ha, ha, ha!! This is amazing. So incredibly pretentious! Monstrocity is a great name for this! Yuk.

[valedictorianmusic]

@pishdad Art is much more than visual, its math and science. The very fabrics of life!

[Yamonthese]

lolz@ being evicted

[LStarCooperative]

Great informationist work

[tacitadean]

yes!

[tacitadean]

this is a very rich body of work, on many levels. The graphic potential of the diagramatic aspect of information conveyance is pushed in some really interesting ways here. I especially liked the rhizomatic quality of the feminist art 'map'. There's another artist who works with information in a similar way, but his name escapes me (I think he was one of the few post-institutional critique artists Benjamin Buchloh took under his wing)

[MrWowforever]

..is it Mark Lombardi?

[Yamonthese]

I think the maps are cool but it feels like he did them more as a research project of whatever he found versus an actual...lineage of influences and movements and whatnot

[MrWowforever]

artists movements, or groupings, are often named by those outside the actual groups. The artists usually detest the given names. It's usually an institution or a writer who want to contextualize a group for their own ends (exhibitions and books). I can't help seeing mr. shelleys work as decorative (nicely done!) book illustrations. Informative about 'groupings', but very little about mr. shelley. thanks.

[jameskalm]

"The artists usually detest the given names." That is until time passes and the artists whole reputation is based on their association with a particular movement. Most of this labeling and designating is for the purpose of giving people (99% of whom aren't artists) a shorthand way to identify intellectual and cultural forces.

[MrWowforever]

i know the surrealists liked their group identity, but the minimalists hate that name, abstract expressionists hate that name, neo-geo(ow!)......and so on.......History needs it shorthand, sure, but i just like when art transcends that shorthand point of view:)

[spawndawnacl]

Brainy. And other handicaps. Thanks, thanks, thanks.

[klatkins21]

Great show James! Really interesting guy. Nice to have a strong art historical anchor to the subject of his work. Love it.

[chickengeorge1236]

cool ,

[Mcrankfan]

I love the archive/sleeper peice, very interesting ideas.

Thanks James!

[slaytonj5]

informationalists, hint hint... //j

[RonSchira]

also, ... were the boxes full or empty?

[jameskalm]

They were full of ideas?

[RonSchira]

gotcha

[pishdad]

@RonSchira They were full of empty!

[RonSchira]

This is similar to what you do, especially the timeline piece, good stuff.

[jameskalm]

We've got a mutual admiration society going.

[galleryiguana409]

Love that intro...Zappa time line.probably the only one..different