Artists Interview Artists: A.B. Miner

A.B. Miner, a Washington, D.C. based artist, participates in the Artists Interview Artists Project. Below A.B. responds to another artist's five questions (George Wayne from Alexandria, VA). In order to participate, A.B. had to provide me with five questions for some other artist to answer. The assigning of questions to artists is completely random. If you're an artist and interested in participating, let me know.

going... #1
Oil on Gessobord
8" x 10"
2005

1. In your opinion what is right or wrong with the art world today?

I see the ever-increasing popularity and the resulting globalization of contemporary art as both a positive and a negative force. Contemporary art is hot; it has crossover appeal. Everyone with money is collecting these days and while many of these young/new collectors love art, more of them love the prestigue of a good investment. This trend has welcomed more of a corporate presence into the art market. No longer is Philip Morris the only company to sponsor art but top prizes are funded by Hugo Boss and Beck’s beer. The positive result of art’s time in the limelight is that because everyone wants a piece of it, more audiences can see it. This is evidenced by the over 100 biennales worldwide which reflect the diversity of today’s global art market. Such shows result in more artists getting their work out there and audiences outside of the major art centers such as NY getting to see this work. The flip side is the influence of the market on what art gets seen. There is such a thirst for young artists and new work that we don’t support artists’ growth over a career and with the bottom line looming large in the minds of curators, pushed in every which direction by pressuring dealers, trustees and corporate sponsors, is the work we’re seeing really the best there is? Is short term success healthy for the artists? Too often the answer is no.

2. If you could permanently remove an art movement from the history books, which one would it be, and why?

Of course I wouldn’t remove any part of art history. As someone who follows, studies and writes about the art of our time I realize how much the work we see today is the decendent of a complex history in which every achievement laid an important part of the foundation for movements to come. That said, there is certainly work that appeals to me aesthetically or conceptually and work which does not. I have always found American 19th century portraits particularly creepy. These are the images of children, either a single child clutching a toy or book or posed next to a rocking horse or a group of siblings. In these images the heads are a bit too large proportionally for the shrunken bodies and the faces seem like that of adults: they’re simply scary.

3. Does a degree from an institution of higher learning make an artist's work more credible?

Yes. There is a lot of outsider art, which I adore (who doesn’t love Henry Darger ?) but those artists who are truly outside of mainstream society are a real rarity. For most artists the degree not only lends credibility but makes for better work. I really think the place where the difference is made is at the MFA level. This is the one time in many artists lives where they are solely focused on improving their work and can get feedback/criticism on a regular basis. Not only does an artist’s work mature but the artists themselves learn the invaluable skills of how to verbalize the concept of the work and verbally defend the work. My MFA experience was great; full of harsh criticism, discourse on contemporary art issues, and community building with other artists. I wish I could do it again!

4. As an artist, how do you handle negative criticism?

While it is my immediate reaction to take negative comments too hard and too personally, overall I welcome any critique I can get. I really wish I had more opportunities to hear feedback. The experience of receiving negative criticism (though I hope it is constructive) provides a platform for me to defend my work and conceptual stance. These moments can light a fire in me to prove the critic wrong and can catapult me into a space where I really examine why I work the way I do and why I make work about what I do. From this place I may be able to try a new direction in my work that I wouldn’t have otherwise.

5. Is doing artwork a love or hate relationship?

Both. It’s a love-hate relationship. There are times when I liken art making to a drug habit. It costs money and time, hasn’t gotten me anywhere in terms of fame or fortune, and even though I’m aware of these facts, I still feel driven or compelled to do it anyway. There are times when I hate it, I hate going to the studio because it seems like I can’t work fast enough and I’m not happy with anything I create-nothing seems good enough and all I can see is how much less successful I am than any given artist out there at any given time (or older, I feel a lot of pressure to succeed soon before I’m over 30 and the word “emerging” no longer applies). There are other times when I realize that my work is my first love and I know I couldn’t exist without it. From my earliest memory artist was my primary identity. I have the benefit of feeling like I was put on this planet with a purpose, even when I hate it.

Too Close for Comfort 2
Oil and Enamel on Gessobord
8" x 8"
2005

Previous Interviews:
Juno Doran (questions by James W. Bailey)
Josh Feldman (questions by Joseph Barbaccia)
Lisa Stephenson (questions by Whitney Lynn)
Joseph Barbaccia (questions by Josh Feldman)
James W. Bailey (questions by Matt Hollis)
Matt Hollis (questions by Juno Doran)
Carol Es (questions by James Leonard)
Alexandra Silverthorne (questions by Ami Lahoff)
Christine Buckton Tillman (questions by Carol Es)
Douglas Witmer (questions by Alexandra Silverthorne)
Sky Pape (questions by Douglas Witmer)
Whitney Lynn (questions by Lisa Stephenson)
Heather Levy (questions by Joanne Greenbaum)
Heather Lowe (questions by Samantha Wolov)
Samantha Wolov (questions by Heather Levy)
Timothy McClellan (questions by Heather Lowe)
James Leonard (questions by Sky Pape)
Joanne Greenbaum (questions by Timothy McClellan)
Richard Kooyman (questions by Robert Walton)
Candy Keegan (questions by Warren Craghead)
Robert Walton (questions by Candy Keegan)
John M. Adams (questions by Richard Kooyman)
Prescott Moore Lassman (questions by Mary Addison Hackett)
Mary Addison Hackett (questions by Prescott Moore Lassman)
Andrew Wodzianski (questions by Nathan Manuel & D.Billy)
Nathan Manuel & D.Billy (questions by Andrew Wodzianski)
Michael Janis (questions by Scott Listfield)
Scott Listfield (questions by Michael Janis)
F. Lennox Campello (questions by Sean Hennessy)
Matt Andrade (questions by Adrian Parsons)
Sean Hennessy (questions by F. Lennox Campello)
George Wayne (questions by Michelle McAuliffe)
Eridanus Sellen (questions by Anabela Jevtovic)
Anabela Jevtovic (questions by Eridanus Sellen)
Marianela de la Hoz (questions by A.B. Miner)
Martin Henry (questions by Barbara Johnson-Gresser)

Comments

[George Wayne]

Actually, if J. Pollock copied another artist, it would be Janet Sobel, not L. Krasner.