Page 14 - FISART2017

Dilemma 3: Does artists’ work change depending on the location and the expected impact?

CN: It is interesting to see how street artists work, how they understand space. The artist’s approach is
through an understanding with the building as it is. They work intuitively, and react to the building. Most of them
are educated in art or architecture, so these factors influence how they express themselves. You simply have to make
that building unique.

LH: A work of art should be interpreted from the point of view of who it wants to address, not just from the
point of view of its intrinsic value. In that sense, like with most goods we consume, a transaction of sorts does take
place. Sometimes, this is in exchange for money, when one hopes to sell a piece of art to the highest bidder; but more
often perhaps the work of artists is in exchange for the reputation built either within the artistic community, or the
society that they inhabit. And public art is about the social message that it has the power to convey, a statement that
will intrigue or that will bring us all together. So, while art differentiates itself from many goods through its novelty
character, it also relates to shared human experiences, which allow the onlooker to engage with a piece of work, to
admire or reject what is on display.

If beyond the creator we cannot relate to a work of art whatsoever, it might be that in fact nothing has been
said and no value has been created for a given place and context. Here is why the artists cannot be disjoint from the
culture within which they operate, and in which they might also wish to shape their locational impact. To sum up,
new forms of art also need to be accepted and integrated in their social environment, either in a form where they are
meant to disturb and intrigue, or purely, to provide the experience of joy. Novelty for the sake of novelty in a
dislocated way - across time and space- is not making lots of sense, however intriguing and full of potential novelty
might be.
12