Lucky recipients of one of Mimi Shapiro's collages in this
exchange will also receive a copy of the handbound book she has made -
with images of all her collages in the Demystifying the Museum
series and the text, reproduced here: demystifying the inner workings of the Museum what is between shadow and space anything visual the image can we answer the question what is art? don't you know that art is discussed by people who have no idea what fantastic is and speak of colors only by their definition if the miraculous banged on the wall would it be recognized for what it is or is the religious iconography all we notice at this point in time surely then we are no longer in the sphere of the fantastic many a roving exhibition can astonish the visitor by its variety one can be moved from delirious fantastic by the more stately academic to those that make you laugh out loud and really notice the colors, the shapes and the artist's joy there is no obstacle to fantasy or the mystery of what is no longer possible for animals talk and utensils start walking and we enter into the realm of once-upon-a-time-art the fantastic that matters is the insidious fantastic something that is feasible, but not compatible with thinking - art is just believing we hunger for the break with the natural order of things - for this is art! is there a crack in our comfortable world? do each of us have our own definition of fantastic and disregard all other ideas something to think about do we still live in a time when people believe in hell and witches, or is the fear of ghosts and spirits very very real ... or could the fantastic in art be mysterious? and maybe that is the definition of art... something to think about what if the mirror showed what is behind the door? are you afraid of what you will see? what disturbing details penetrate the unconscious? even if the signs are a timetable or is hell just another open question? the museum walls reverberate with every single answer from all time there are more questions than answers always are excessive beauty and nudity abnormal? is the color too bright? or do we need sun shades for protection from reality? what is it the tension between the people and the art that changes and charges the atmosphere? is the viewing of art a forbidden ceremony? when will you admit that the picture is a message represented by forms instead of words? what makes the picture clear to the artist but not the viewer? the museum curator thinks that no one but (s)he knows the idea in the painters mind and the hidden impulses that made him or her paint and paint and paint what stops ambiguity is the essence of the fantastic and what happened between the Renaissance and the beginning of Romanticism? to change how we feel and understand art it is no longer just color and progress now we know that Picasso did not paint the same picture twice maybe we should admire the artists virtuosity and the art and not delve into the subconscious where even Jung was uncomfortable maybe art is just a simple passion and the creation of an individual world and nothing more in the museum it is impossible to decipher further because there is nothing to be deciphered? dont let the museum become a dream trap you know what you like and each and every person can believe in this interchangeable universe where art is whatever there is. Note ...demystifying the inner working of the Museum hopefully adds one more demention to this exchange. Remember you - the viewer is the real arbitrator of what you like and what you think is art. january 2004 if you want to see more of my work contact me at mimistudio@earthlink.net |
Mimi Shapiro from Lancaster, PA, USA. More of Mimi's art can be seen on her site at www.circlemagazine.com/mimishapiro Also, Mimi has won an Artist Profile award in the HerStory 2004 competition, out of over 150 artists who entered. See that work at www.manhattanarts.com/HERSTORY2004 email Mimi |
6th International Bakers Dozen Collage Exchange Artists have each made 13 collages. The one work from each artist shown here becomes part of the permanent collection of the Museo de Collage in Mexico. Another collage from each artist becomes part of the permanent collection of ArtColle in Sergines, France. One work from each artist is exhibited and offered for sale in New Plymouth, New Zealand. A package of 10 mixed collages is sent back to each participating artist. You can see all collage exchanges here. Copyright of all images remains with the artist. These pageswere originally written by Dale Copeland, Puniho Art. Modified and maintained by the International Museum of Collage, Assemblage and Construction Please email info@collagemuseum.com if something's not working. Thanks. Cecil Touchon, Director Key words: International Museum of Collage, Assemblage and Construction, collage, collage art, collage artist, collage on paper, collages, collage artists, |