Destroy Art
Medium: Mural Painting
Location: Main Street Penticton
Artists Collaboration: Chad Pratch and Darren Sim
In this work I wanted to challenge the notions of acceptable art and none acceptable art. Curators, Collectors, Committees, Councils, Juries, Programmers, Faculties, and public popularity all assert an authority on the acceptance of an art piece. By being accepted in a mural project done by the city of Penticton, I created a piece that both invites and questions the concept of graffiti as a form of none acceptable art. By working within the realm of acceptability, I wanted to challenge the notions of me being accepted as an artist who is therefore aloud to create permanent mural.
“We started out in a gallery. Then we started thinking about bringing it outside,” Chad comments. “Then we started talking about, ‘what is a good art piece? What is a bad art piece?’ The whole concept behind this street art contest was that [the city] was angry that there were tags and graffiti all over the place. I found it interesting, because they were saying in a sense that what’s on these walls is ‘bad.’ That’s considered ‘bad’ art. And I think it’s interesting that they want to go over top of it with ‘good art’ from established artists to come and put a ‘good’ art piece overtop of ‘bad’ art pieces.”
Chad raises an excellent point. Who can officially judge what is ‘good art’ and what is ‘bad art’? Apparently Penticton can! But as to the public’s general opinion, the most common question they were asked was, “Why destroy art?”
“It constantly came up while we were creating the piece,” Chad comments. “People would walk by, and the first thing they would say is, ‘why destroy? Why the word destroy?’ I think that’s the big question. It didn’t even compute to them. It’s almost an oxymoron – it doesn’t work together, as though destroy can’t belong with art because it’s impossible.”
Chad and Darren are hopeful that someday the City of Kelowna, especially the university campus will open up more towards public art being displayed around the campus. “It seems like everything is all locked in within [the Fine Arts] building here. We’re the most distant building, disconnected from the campus. It’s like ‘them’ and ‘us’, when really it should be ‘us.’
Bibliography
Choo, Amber. "To destroy, or not to destroy," The Phoenix (Student newspaper for University of British Columbia, Okanagan), Kelowna, BC, October 2009, p.12-13.