If you would rather read the article instead of watching the video (hello Satan), here's the transcript of the entire talk. I hope you enjoy!
Ever since I was a child, I’ve been interested in art and craft. I took right to markers and crayons, just like a mother does to her new-born. Little did I know back then, that this box of crayons would be a constant companion in my 18 years of life. I’m someone who has spent a lot of time creating art and wanting to be an artist. Yet, I always have this ongoing beef with the art world
And second, is because art as a concept, is somewhat held on a higher pedestal by those who usually produce it. People in the art world often deem themselves as elite or superior to others. You will come across articles of critics dissecting a painting, discussing its brilliance or meaning and "capturing the essence" of an art piece, hours on end! But, when you place yourself outside of these conversations, suddenly you become hyper-aware of how pretentious, pointless, empty and maybe even stupid they are.
So, a question that had unabatingly plagued me over the years was—“Is art stupid?” And to be honest, the more I thought about it, the more I was convinced! Art is stupid.
I once watched this YouTube video by ClickForTaz, in which she faked an art gallery exhibition. She called a few of her YouTuber friends to create their own “child-like masterpieces,” made a personal banner for the event, and placed cameras to record everyone’s reactions. The whole idea was to test if people fell for fake art. And the result was surprising. Not only did people believe it, but also bought a few of the paintings! One guy even quoted 1300 US dollars for one painting! All the proceeds from the event were donated to a cancer hospital. But this just seemed too hard to believe! Even though it was for a good cause, it ended up being fatal for my self-esteem. I began to doubt my understanding of art altogether.
And so, I decided that I had to test it out for myself! I wanted to see if people really fell prey to these so-called “art pieces”. I sent this image to my friend from my camera roll.
She is also an aspiring design student, and I wanted to see if I could fool her. I edited the image to make it look believable and I texted her, “Hey I came across this painting recently, found it really interesting. Can you tell me what hidden message you interpret from this?” And the answer that followed left me shocked. Her reply—“I think the red colour signifies anger or resentment. The black probably reflects the darkness about the piece. The golden streaks show fire, as though they’re trying to light the swastika symbol in the centre on fire. Maybe it’s a negative critique on Nazism or something, I don’t know." And when I read that, I was in tears.
Now that was just a prank, but surely not all modern art is just for laughs right? Thus, I set out on a mission to find actual good art. I wanted to be proved wrong. I needed to be proved wrong. So I probed the internet for some of the greatest painters in art history, and some of my lost confidence was regained. There are truly talented people out there who create wonderful drawings, music, so on. The work of Vincent Van Gogh, Johannes Vermeer and the like, is simply awe-inspiring.
Except, during my research, I stumbled upon this.
Now with that in perspective, my quest to deem art as something important seemed futile. While there were good art pieces out there, there were also not-so-great artworks earning millions at auctions. And I, wondered, why? Why do affluent people shell out millions to buy and collect seemingly dull and boring paintings?
Well, to understand this, we need to understand the psychology behind the hobby of collecting. We all have something we’ve collected as kids. For example, Beyblades, Silly Bandz, Pokémon or Cricket Attax cards. Countless things! The phrase “Collect ’Em All!” is well-known for a reason.
But you see, the world has always been ridden with problems. Yet, visuals and music date back almost 40,000 years! Newer excavations keep bringing to light ancient cave paintings and sculptures. History and culture without art, is close to nothing! This is because, art is an essential ingredient to empowering the hearts of people. When activists show children suffering from poverty and malnutrition, this is the art that pulls at the heartstrings of society and thus, drives change. Art creates and moulds dialogue. Artists are the first to criticise everything, from war to consumerism. And hence, catches the attention of the masses. This is art, making a difference in society, driving hearts to reach out for those who need help.
The thing about art is that it’s so diverse that there are as many ways to understand it as there are people in the world. What may look brilliant to you, may be trash for another. And anything can be art—be it a Nyan Cat meme, or Marcel Duchamp’s urinal art installation.
Creativity and innovation are some of the sole reasons why you and I are sitting here today. A well-written story can reach anyone in the world today. It’s a way to introduce new ideas. When the going gets tough, people always turn to art for help. Songs inspire people to make it through the tough times. Literature is used to not just record problems and find their solutions, but also to distract from the difficult circumstances. Art has the power to take cultural practices from where they originate and integrate them into different parts of the world without losing its core integrity. It invokes inspiration and imagination in all our minds.
Now, even though art forms a big part of our culture, why do we hear about the destruction of art? Why do we hear of books and paintings being burnt, sculptures being demolished? Hitler, in his time, believed that “it is a mistake to think that national revolution is only political and economic. It is above all, cultural.” The arts were a key component and political tool of the Nazi propaganda machine. Jewish, Communists and those whose style did not suit the Nazi’s tastes, were prohibited and punished. Terms like “degenerate art, barbarous, Jewish trash, total madness, tool of Marxist Propaganda” were used to discourage anyone who critiqued Nazi propaganda. Perhaps, my used palette painting would’ve been censored or burnt in that age!
The contestation of art was ultimately about power and control. So the question I’d like to ask you, if art really is so stupid, why did idols of leadership like Hitler spend effort and resources on it? Isn’t it just pointless?
But you see, they found something in art, that I was still struggling to see—The power of art. Art scares people, art is strong, art is important and above all, art can change the hearts and minds of people all the way across the world. People like me keep going back to art, because art isn’t silly. Frankly, a world without art is just dull and boring.
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