What possibilities for political transformation can be opened up through imagination, fantasy, and art? Can the left create instrumental change or is the game rigged? This week artist and writer Jacob Wren considers these questions, as well as ideas about the artist as political activist and the balance between egoism and conciliation in collaborative projects.
“Sometimes I think that the secret ingredient in art is art. Another thing that has come to the forefront of my mind over the years is how little room for art there is in art; how much of the structural and institutional ways of thinking in and around art keep out what I think of as art. For me art has to be something where you don’t know everything about it when you start. What I’m trying to do when I make work […] is discover something that I’m not entirely able to articulate.” – Jacob Wren
Wren, Jacob, Polyamorous Love Song, Toronto: Book Thug, 2014.
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What possibilities for political transformation can be opened up through imagination, fantasy, and art? Can the left create instrumental change or is the game rigged? This week artist and writer Jacob Wren considers these questions, as well as ideas about the artist as political activist and the balance between egoism and conciliation in collaborative projects.
“Sometimes I think that the secret ingredient in art is art. Another thing that has come to the forefront of my mind over the years is how little room for art there is in art; how much of the structural and institutional ways of thinking in and around art keep out what I think of as art. For me art has to be something where you don’t know everything about it when you start. What I’m trying to do when I make work […] is discover something that I’m not entirely able to articulate.” – Jacob Wren
Wren, Jacob, Polyamorous Love Song, Toronto: Book Thug, 2014.
Pablo Helguera: Art in Dialogue (The Secret Ingredient - 24/06/15)
The Secret Ingredient
58 minutes 37 seconds
10 years ago
Pablo Helguera: Art in Dialogue (The Secret Ingredient - 24/06/15)
Artist, writer, and educator Pablo Helguera discusses the integration of art and life and the dialogue that occurs between an artwork and the outside world. He considers the beginning point of artistic investigation and describes his latest project: a book about aphorisms for artists. Join us as we reflect on the human desire for continual learning and the possibilities of artistic collaboration.
The secret ingredient in art: “I thought about my mom when you asked me that, mainly because my mom is a great cook. She learned cooking like a lot of people do – through experience. And it’s almost impossible to get her to tell you how she cooks this or that. It’s almost like a magician where you don’t know how she managed to do it. I think this is the trick with asking for a formula for making an artwork or a project. There’s no secret ingredient. […] What I would say is it’s all about bits of intuition and a massive dose of experience. Knowing what to do with what you have.” – Pablo Helguera
Helguera, Pablo, Education for Socially Engaged Art: A Materials and Techniques Handbook, New York: Jorge Pinto Books, 2011.
The Secret Ingredient
What possibilities for political transformation can be opened up through imagination, fantasy, and art? Can the left create instrumental change or is the game rigged? This week artist and writer Jacob Wren considers these questions, as well as ideas about the artist as political activist and the balance between egoism and conciliation in collaborative projects.
“Sometimes I think that the secret ingredient in art is art. Another thing that has come to the forefront of my mind over the years is how little room for art there is in art; how much of the structural and institutional ways of thinking in and around art keep out what I think of as art. For me art has to be something where you don’t know everything about it when you start. What I’m trying to do when I make work […] is discover something that I’m not entirely able to articulate.” – Jacob Wren
Wren, Jacob, Polyamorous Love Song, Toronto: Book Thug, 2014.