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Artist Statement


As an artist, which I am, I have to write things from time to time. These things come out in the form of words that I use in an effort to explain to people what I am doing. Below are some words I have composed in order to avoid "legal issues" with "the man." They also function as a very brief introduction into the nature of my artistic endeavors over the past few months here at Saint Mary's College.

March 8, 2004
R. Donahue
40 Cedar Knoll Rd.
Cockeysville, MD. 21030To Whom It May Concern:
I, the undersigned, do acknowledge in my own hand that Saint Mary’s College of Maryland, the state of Maryland, and all employees of the state of Maryland are in no way responsible for my actions or assignments regarding my Saint Mary’s Project. I have undertaken these activities (specifically the exploration and construction of underground spaces) of my own will at my own risk. I have informed all other parties engaged in my activities that my project is of my own volition, as is their aid. I, and all participants are operating under their own personal discretion, not at the request by any member of S.M.C. Faculty or Staff.
Robert N. Donahue


To elucidate on the physical nature of my work, close your eyes and imagine (only close your eyes and imagine after you read what I got to write, other wise you will not be imagining my stuff, you eye closing person you) a Cadillac buried out in the woods which can be entered through a secret tunnel that goes into the trunk. In the Cadillac is the normal interior, which is there to be sat in while discussing art with me or others. I also explored the drain system under Saint Mary's College with anybody who was willing and talked with them extensively about the nature of art and artistic enterprise. Both activities were arduous, at times life threatening, and ultimately rewarding. I documented my work by a variety of means, ranging from videography to digital photographs to found object.


As for the conceptual nature of my undertakings, they are less able to be summed up in a succinct manner. To quote the only extensive source available on the underpinnings of my work, I quote myself, and the abstract that I constructed in order to explain my activities to the gallery going audience.

Begin Quote:
I have focused on the most basic and direct means of interaction that I can find. This is a process that involves the spoken, written, and performed word, to the ends of eliminating room for error in interpretation. Breaking the audience out of a passive stance and incorporating the viewer into the work is my primary concern, which I have pursued by a number of means. My motivation stems from conflicts in the role of art in my own life and society, and a desire to invigorate art with a sense of camaraderie or fellowship between artist and audience.


The interaction between artist and audience is an unpredictable one. The role of artists in Western society has long been one of social leader and commentator charged with shaping the ever-evolving identity of modern life. This has led both art and artist to be placed on a pedestal (literally and figuratively). This raising of art has led to a point at which many non artists feel incapable of overcoming a certain elitism in art, and therefore are unable to embrace it as part of their own culture. This schism is present on all levels, from within this academic institution to a global distancing from “high” art in general. This generates ambivalence present on all fronts. Artwork presented in traditional means only reaches those who are already willing to participate in a gallery environment, whereas those who may have a more enriching experience with art deny it to themselves.


The content of my work is present in these issues that I am struggling with. In essence, my artistic concerns stem from the deeply held belief that artists have a moral obligation to the society they live in and comment on. This obligation manifests itself in the need for artists to generate work that in some way positively benefits said society, directly or indirectly. The issue that is most evident in my artistic practice concerns validating the long scoffed notion of the universality of art; thus my heavy interaction with my audience in non-traditional, non-gallery undertakings that are fun, engaging, and rewarding. I have worked hard at not placing myself in any way above those that are willing to participate in my undertakings in such a way that the pleasure of generating art will hopefully manifest itself in all participants equally. My performative work involves the creation and exploration of abnormal, confining environments that may be used as a venue for the discussion and experimentation with my concerns in art.


The gallery, however, is not a space to be abandoned. It is a useful tool that, while not capable of reaching all audiences at present, serves the function of being a place for those who are artistically literate to come and investigate new undertakings. It is in this setting that I take satisfaction presenting aesthetically pleasing documentation of the multiple facets of my work. Digital printing, video, found object, and written description are all media that are used in my art that will be on display. This documentation is a way to bridge the gap between self-selected, gallery-going audience, and those whom I select that are not normally gallery-going people. Making work for the gallery setting is a way to refine, explore, and make permanent the otherwise nebulous and ephemeral concepts and activities I am exploring, and then present them to an informed and critical audience.

End Quote.


As for the journey that I had to walk in order to get to where I am today, and what I am doing I started off my freshman year working in traditional media in a traditional fashion, on a small scale. My first break from that was a concern with social and cultural values of art. I found the small size to force a certain intimacy between the audience and my work. I did a series of oil paintings on dollar bills to question what it is that creates value in and commodifies art in a fashion that pushes large audiences away from art as a viable means of cultural expression. My work and theoretical backing has undergone allot of change in the past few years, while retaining a small trace of its starting point.
My first major influences were Edward Hopper, Euan Uglow, Manet, and other academic painters. A large portion of my concerns were composition, color relationships, and illusionistic space as a function of engaging perspectives. More at hand were artists I worked with directly; examples being Jeff Carr and Sue Johnson- Sue having more of a continued impact with my interest in scientific, traditionally "objective" means of revealing information.


I went on a study abroad to Scotland for the duration of my junior year for both personal reasons and an interest in learning at a purely art focused institution. This had a profound effect on me; I studied Printmaking, continued painting, and continued working on a small scale. I was frustrated with the program, despite the good time I was having. I became focused on finding a more direct means of expressing myself. A combination of text and image. Dark humor became another recurring theme. The work I made often featured an interplay between text and image, or text and text as related in the image and title of the print or painting.


I looked at a number of artists while abroad- Robert Rauschenberg's work in particular for its use of text in the work of art, and its ability to reach a large audience as well as a specific one. I took in allot of art films The Brothers Quay, among many. Fascinating Imagery, twisted plot lines, a lack of language, and ability to make the fantastic seem feasible were all qualities that I took away with me.


Cy Twombly's simple, raw self-expression, whether it be contrived or not, his use of line, and bold yet sparse images all impacted my own artistic practice. David Shrigley's ability to comment directly on his thoughts as an artist, his humor, small scale, and thought provoking simplicity all left their mark. More so was his ability to take that humor and suddenly turn it into a moment of deep, unabashed introspection, and catch the audience off guard-vulnerable. Really it is the approachable nature of his work. It expresses the artist's emotions while making the audience question their own. These are the qualities that I struggle to emulate, despite the fact that my work has wandered significantly in terms of the visual product.


I played with trying to reach my audience on a more personal, human, level, while becoming heavily absorbed in internal conflicts about the value and credibility of artistic self-expression while abroad. I have questions as to its role in society and its corresponding value as an undertaking. I felt encumbered by an overwhelming sense of alienation from society and other artists- none of these issues have really abated fully.


I came home, and started looking for answers. Jenny Holzer fascinated me with text on public display- audiences not knowing at first if they are encountering art; the completely pared down work to pure text as self-expression, juxtaposed with the commercial means by which it is displayed. The care with which she uses language is crucial. Komar and Melamid- Soviet artists. have an unorthodox method of reaching an audience; they used a telephone surveying company to address the question of what are the most and least desired paintings of the American public. It involves a quirky sense of humor, but with solid underpinnings of crossing or eliminating problematic boundaries in art. I sympathize with the restrictive way that they feel about traditional artist-audience relationships; that there is some gap between the artist and society that needs to be bridged, in a forward and open manner.
I struggled for a while after coming home and managed to squeeze out some work first semester that I felt happy with. The main themes were a sense of depression, alienation, and ennui. Formalistically my concerns revolved around the juxtaposition of text and image; paring both of them down to the point that the viewer's focus shifts more onto the relationship between the two modes of expression- in the work and in the audiences' minds. In retrospect, I find this work to be heavy and bleak; qualities that have an ability to push one's audience away instead of opening a dialog, besides having no positive or constructive cultural value.


About that time I was working with my buddy Alec Muller in my studio, and he made this awesome painting. "Slugs of Creative Desperation Dying in the Salts of Misery. I thought it was a pretty astute painting so I framed it for him. It was working with him that night that my current tangent became more focused, and I began to develop my ideas of simply talking with my audience and making them an equal part of the artistic process. I began to consider more performance/ video/ installation art as a viable means of self expression based on my prior experience with the medium. I made a series of films documenting two different projects. The exploration of the drain system under Saint Mary's, and the burial of a 1984 Cadillac Eldorado.
These projects are both equally venues that allow me to interact directly with my audience and incorporate them into the work of art. I feel that I have been highly successful in my efforts to both express myself to this audience, and to build a sense of fellowship with them. This is manifest in the time and effort that others have put into discussing, creating, and using my (our) art; this ranges from impromptu explorations of the drain system to people engaging in conversation concerning the nature of art inside the buried Cadillac.


In terms of content outside the question of viewer interaction there are several elements. Confined, dark, and surreal spaces that allow for the audience to find new modes of personal interaction or to be pushed outside of their normal social boundaries by said abnormal environments. A disparity between what is expected to be real and what is expected to be fiction; in that despite all odds, I have made truthful, open, and honest work that under certain situations may be mistaken for fiction or fantasy. The recurring theme of text and image is still present in my found object series, which will be shown shortly, and in the spoken word that comes with my video documentation.


To contrast my work with that of other artists, there is Chris Burden; his work, which was done in the same manner as mine- the documentation of performance/ installation events in a number of media with a focus on viewer interaction, is at heart the antithesis of what I am attempting to create. Burden disturbs and alienates the art audience and in a broader view the rest of culture from art by making violent, masochistic, and disturbing works that are intended to shock and appall his audience. Events like the self-electrocution, crucifying himself to a Volkswagen, and getting shot. These works, while visually compelling, only erode the ability for artists to function as cultural leaders and commentators. The distancing that the shock value of these works produce only adds to the gulf between artist and audience which has opened up by the means of art being overly commodified or fetishised.


Sal Marino is another artist with whom I am at odds. His work and corresponding art movement, known as "Funism," rejects the progress and context of art history simply to focus making enjoyable or "fun" images. While I agree with him that artist and audience are in some way at odds, and that there is a pervasive sense inaccessibility about contemporary "high" art, I do not feel that turning one's back on the social responsibility of the artist to convey pertinent and aware content is the correct answer.
Hans Hacke on the other hand is an artist that I identify with both in aesthetics and issues of content. His juxtaposition of text and image has influenced my own sensibility as well as his own personal development from a studio painter into a social commentator via text and image. This work deals with the funding of public arts venues by private persons whose agendas may run counter to that of society at large. In this instance a slumlord that sat on the board of trustees of a prominent art gallery.
I try to keep my parings as witty and engaging as I can while also making it factual and illuminating to the larger processes involved in my work. Of the parings I have made with text and image, image being actual found objects that I collected in the course of my performance undertakings, I find the most successful to be those which have as mundane an object as possible followed by succinct, dry text.


Further art objects came in the shape of actual documents that were necessary to my process, such as the waiver at the beginning of this paper, as well as the registration and bill of sale for the Cadillac that I buried. I find that these have an ability to both legitimize and validate my art in the mind of the viewer; in this legalistic society, incorporating legal documents has the effect of letting people know that what I am doing is "for real," and not a fiction.


After I had gone back looking at my sources when I had finished burying and exploring my work I realized that in some ways I and Nam June Paik have done some similar things, like placing man-made objects into natural settings in order to change the way we perceive both, and to disrupt the mind of the viewer in a productive fashion. It is my intent to try to break my audience out of a passive stance in order to give them the opportunity to consider life from a different perspective; I want to allow people the opportunity to self- critique in a constructive, positive fashion. The final component of my art has been the Gallery installation of my work. In this setting, I have attempted to narrow the gap between artist and general audience by offering Gallery goers the chance to both talk with me and sign up for missions to go in either the drains or to the Cadillac. This does not alleviate all confusion, but, I think I got allot of people to understand what I am doing in the gallery environment.


In terms of where I wish to go with my art in the future, or see happen in the art world overall would be a shift toward the proactive, non-commodified, easily and widely accessible art that functions as a pertinent and valuable part of the continuing evolution of Western and World culture. I believe that artists have a responsibility to help guide the culture that they live in, and allow it the opportunity to see itself more clearly. In our society, I feel that this has become of the utmost necessity considering our world power and cultural imperialism, not to mention that the power-vacuum of meaningful and valued social concern is being filled by commercial corporate entities acting in their own self interest. It is the place of the artist to do their best to impact the world in a positive, visible manner, and this is my intention in my present work, albeit on a very small and indirect manner, and in the work I am intending to make in the future.

 

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