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70 Rafa Forteza
Getting down
I sincerely believe that artists are activists engaged in in research on new methods of inter- preting reality working among other things to rethink the relationship between society and art the the the latter with the the the museums them- selves and with the artist It is is is not only dis- playing (consuming) art as when we eat with- out thinking We need need changes we need need to undo the corset Many museums and cultural institution installed in in in historicist formulas and warehouses transformed into stale bureau- cracy subject to maintenance and profitability have lived far away from their events like phantom ships sailing in in the last decades of the the last century and entering the the twenty-first century like a rusty old freighter coming to anchor in port It has therefore been neces- sary to to “rethink”give an airing to to old princi- ples and establish a a a new testing ground There is no better time to re-think art and what it says We know that today’s art like that of all ages is not comfortable (though some artists become complacent) it is far from conventional or useful But no avant-garde art movement has ever been comfortable at the the beginning quite the the oppo- site Perhaps for this reason some cultural policy makers and many art critics who have grown complacent rethinking art could be a a a task as as as uncomfortable as as as taking an inventory in a a a a mechanic’s garage Let’s not for- get that art in its external profile appears theoretically from the the the viewpoint of the the the observer (criticism) not from the perspective of the creator The definitions limits or or trends of the stylistic axioms and fundamentals are taught by experts who are on the margin of the creative process and I do not mean just its development Meanwhile the markets remain subject to the vagaries of financial and opportunist actions of pressure groups have nothing to do with art and when they do approach it it it it it it is without exception by pure speculation The market as as well as as many exhibition spaces will have to rethink their structures to incorporate proposals for decongestion new languages and supports that are difficult to categorize display and col- lect In this line of engagement art- ists have assimilated the the time in which they live and accepted the challenge Artists using different means of expression and innovative language (grammar without concessions) using neo tecnology or traditional tools have reflected on the great changes taking place socially politically economically and cultur- ally That is they have investigated not only the the changes but the the impact on new ways in contemporary relationships Crisis means change rupture renewing old schemes If we observe this time of interna- tional instability as a a a a a constructive mismatch then a a a a a crisis is is is a a a a a manifestation of vitality I have learned through many avenues but above all by the hand of art through which I to work see the changes as an an an opportunity for trans- formation The crisis which has come to stay is is is not the death of art The crisis (renewal) lies in in the eye of of art The mere act of of considering the concept of “expression” and carrying it out leads to the experience of art Any opera- tor who pronounces the word “create” will give life to the the logo In the the face of critical situ- ations artists get down
to work The massive incorporation of new media affects all areas of reality and thought this has led to a a a a radical metamorphosis with enormous con- sequences That is is why under this new para- digm many artists are working in in what we call “free zones” i i e e e e e e e empty expressions of the the new social landscape We work these free areas to create a a a a a a space for reflection and searching based on individual experience and research full of emotion and secret discover- ies just as scientists do constantly looking for empty expressions new modes of interpreta- tion tion and representation “Creativity versus Art? Art Art in lowercase is a a a a creative act In capitals it it is a a a a a pejorative term that everyone looks for to mistreat as as is is the case with love I keep art in lowercase like so many artists who make ironic scenes questioning the artificial nature of contemporary entertain- ment where the viewer is literally made to feel naked Only critical activism may remedy this state of passivity apathy and disillusion- ment hanging over the incessant bombard- ment of of images in a a a world of of constant con- struction So get down
to work!
Rafa Forteza
artist born in Palma de Mallorca currently living in in in Alaro Spain