Friday, August 5, 2011
Visual Arts This Is Us Versus brings the cause to dooGallery
Posted by Krystle Drew on Fri, Aug 5, 2011 at 4:53 PM
- Courtesy Æsthetic Cataclysm
- "Malformography" by Æsthetic Cataclysm
On August 6, This Is Us Versus is having an art show called This Is Us Versus Your Delicate Fucking Sensibilities. We reached out to Æsthetic Cataclysm for a better understanding of what the show and the collective stand for.
The title of the event says a lot in itself. What does it mean to you and what is it expressing?
This Is Us Versus Your Delicate Fucking Sensibilities is an art show that displays what some Atlanta galleries have been closing their eyes to, and what they've deprived patrons of: challenging, visionary, surreal, offensive, sexual, and reactionary art that sits in opposition to the Delicate Fucking Sensibilities of those that would rather close their eyes to it.
The event is about exhibiting alternative forms of artwork. Do you think this problem alternative Atlanta artists face is understated?
The problem is woefully understated. In limiting exposure to the diversity of artists that call Atlanta home, the public is largely unaware that anything exists outside of what hangs at MINT, Beep Beep, Young Blood and the like. A prominent Atlanta gallery manager once told me that "none of us are obligated to show work we don't like." Shows like This Is Us Versus Your Delicate Fucking Sensibilities can cause people to question why they don't see this work anywhere else, and more importantly encourage them to support artists that they've never heard of before.
Some Atlanta artists find it more promising to move to another city where they feel their work will be more represented. How do you feel about this attitude of thinking?
In other cities, there are galleries solely dedicated to showcasing the work that the ones here shun. The reason that artists leave is that they will be empowered by other cities that won't force them to give up because there are no exhibition alternatives. But the solution isn't relocation. The solution is the success of collectives like This Is Us Versus, and every artist that stands behind them.
- Courtesy Æsthetic Cataclysm
- "Homo Labius" by Danny Simanjaya
Frankly, we all are. Our inaction puts us all at fault. For every time we've gone to an exhibition and seen something we didn't like and said nothing, we weren't true to what we wished we could have seen. The state of the arts in Atlanta is only perpetuated by the lack of diversity in the galleries. It's easy to be angry at them for extorting artists for 50 percent commission and gross mismanagement, pettiness and cliquishness, disorganization and lack of professionalism. However, we as patrons are ultimately responsible for not supporting artists.
What do you see as a solution to problem?
I hope that groups like This Is Us Versus continue to draw attention to the issues that alternative Atlanta artists face, and that eventually these issues will become part of a dialogue on how we can improve the arts in Atlanta. I recommend that everybody reading this article find local artists to support. Write them an email, friend them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, commission a piece or buy their work. Share them with your friends. Help them network, shake their hand, give them a hug, or buy them a drink when you see them out busting ass for minimum wage at a dead-end job so they can afford to buy expensive supplies.
This Is Us Versus Your Delicate Fucking Sensibilities opens on Saturday, Aug. 6, at dooGallery at 9 p.m.
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