One of my friends is teaching a web design class this semester. She gave her students a list of artists’ websites for them to look at. She emailed me a couple of days ago saying: “yours was very popular, especially among the girls. I think every single student used the words playful, unintimidating, and participation”. Well, I am pleased and thank you to all the students that took the time to look at my website!
“Playful, unintimidating, and participation” are important elements of my work but also my life. I remember talking about my old website and work. People always mentioned it was too serious and that I was missing from it. I am glad I listened to their suggestions.
My work is visually simple and that could be interpreted as cold. I added to my website my interests and other elements of my life in order to make it more personal, more human. In my work, I incorporated my interest in dialogue and viewer participation. When people respond to my work, I feel I have communicated with someone – I have done my job as an artist.
I get this cold feeling when visiting some galleries. When entering the gallery, the first impression is of a receptionist that doesn’t make eye contact. Once inside, there are no artists’ names, labels, and it doesn’t help if the work is untitled. As a viewer I ask myself: How am I supposed to understand what this artist was thinking when s/he made the work? It is as if Mr. Roboto made the work!
What moves me about art is not only the work but also learning about who made it, what the artist was thinking when s/he made it, and how it relates to the time it was created.
Here is a hilarious song, Mr. Roboto by Styx. I know…it is bad, but I couldn’t resist and had to use it. Enjoy and laugh!
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