Guerrilla Girl's Complaints Department, 4-9th October 2016: observational sketches and complaint
The following presents the nine sketches drawn at different moments throughout the Guerrilla Girls' residency. These sketches were quick drawings of the happenings throughout the space. They are as detailed as I could draw within the limited time, before the participant or Guerrilla Girl moved on. Instead of taking photographs of these moments, sketching allowed me the flexibility to avoid having to ask permission to take pictures of participants and Guerrilla Girls. However rushed, it enabled me to focus on one happening.
Below is a selection of photographs that I took whilst I was engaged in the process of making a complaint to post at the Guerrilla Girl’s Complaint Department. I made this complaint on Wednesday 7th October.
I used an LEP 'idea currency/note' that Conor and I had made for a Playtime II station in LEP III that invited participants to exchange ideas. On this note, I used the similar layout outlined on GB poundnotes and the LEP currency Lepcoin notes. Playing with clichés, I drew the three problems that, I argue in my research, constitute the crisis of the production of art. In the middle, the sovereign image is what I suggest is the root cause of the crisis in art, "the privilege afforded subjective judgment." The bottom right corner depicts a clichéd image of an artist symbolising the problem of "the authoritative status of the artist." Finally, the left hand side presents the GB pound sign as the problem of "the commodification of the art object."
The first image depicts my first attempt. Without thinking I signed the back of the complaint with my name and PhD research outline. However, I realised that this action went against the idea of the workshop as a space for art that is free of any ownership. Which is also a problem that I am researching how to resist within my own research. Therefore, I discarded this first attempt and started again.
Using different shapes and colours, I tried to create a colourful, clear and concise complaint. Eventually, I posted my second attempt (photographed on the right), on top of a complaint that said, “Artfairs kill art.” I am yet to see if the Guerrilla Girls have resolved my complaint.
