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...alone in the desert
“No man is an island,” or so says John Donne. His words are particularly true for
artists. While artists may work in solitude, most crave the input, support and praise of
a larger community. I suppose it was that need that drove me to try and associate
myself with the Stuckists.
The Stuckist Movement emerged in Great Britain as a radical response to Britart, an
“official salon” that was dominated by the advocates for post-modern and conceptual
art. Stuckism was co-founded in 1999 by Charles Thomson and Billy Childish along
with eleven other artists and has since grown into an international art movement with
over eighty groups around the world. At its core, Stuckism both confronts the
spiritually bankrupt; shock for the sake of shocking- culture of instant celebrity that
has come to dominate post-modern/conceptual art scene- and advocates a return to
more traditional values that emphasize an artist’s personal struggles, failures,
discoveries and triumphs.
As an American living in the southwest there is much about the birth of Stuckism that
is foreign and unknowable to me. Stuckism’s founding members are rebelling against
an arts establishment which I will never interact with. It’s unlikely I’ll ever visit the
Tate Gallery in London. I don’t know what the Turner Prize is. The Saatchi Gallery
is irrelevant to me, and I will never cross paths with Sir Nicholas Serota, or anyone
else bearing the title of “Sir” for that matter.
The fact is I would have remained forever ignorant of Stuckism if I didn’t hear an
interview with Charles Thomson regarding the Tate Museum’s recent slide “art”
installation on National Public Radio. Listening to Thomson’s unapologetic criticism
of the Tate’s attempt to elevate playground equipment to the level of fine art was
somewhat reassuring. Like Thomson I don’t consider a great deal of today’s
conceptual art to be art at all. It is theater, and second rate at that.
Smearing your own feces on the floor of an art gallery isn’t art; it’s a talentless and
immature cry for attention. Intrigued by Thomson’s comments I visited the Stuckusts
website at the first available opportunity. It was there that I found the Stuckist
Manifesto, written in 1999 by Billy Childish and Charles Thomson Their twenty
points captured, and re-affirmed many of my own opinions regarding the
contemporary art world and my own creative struggles.
Point 7 - The Stuckist is not mesmerised by the glittering prizes, but is wholeheartedly
engaged in the process of painting. Success to the Stuckist is to get out of bed in the
morning and paint.
Point 1 - Stuckism is the quest for authenticity. By removing the mask of cleverness
and admitting where we are, the Stuckist allows him/herself uncensored expression.
Point 6 - The Stuckist paints pictures because painting pictures is what matters.
7-1-6, three numbers, three points when taken as a whole express so many of my
own feelings regarding what it means to be an artist.
At that moment I let my enthusiasm get the better of me. I saw that by submitting a
request along with an example of your work you could establish your own self-
governing Stuckist chapter. I submitted the requested info and spent several days
fantasizing about establishing a group, or a school, of like minded artists here in the
“valley of the sun.” My enthusiasm for this notion was fueled when I received a
reply from Charles Thomson stating that he would add my newly founded group to
those listed on the Stuckist website.
Yet, the weeks, then a month passed and my group’s information never materialized
on the site. I told myself, “the request probably just got lost in daily shuffle.” Or,
maybe Charles Thomson visited my site and decided my work wasn't sufficiently
“Stuck”. I didn’t take it personally and let the matter slide.
It’s just a small, almost anonymous, link on a website. Yet, my link’s failure to
materialize reminded me of the one great, an inescapable, weakness in my plan to
form an artistic clique. Establishing a group would require that others find value in
your work, personality and plans. And this is where I fail. For all the effort I put into
everything I do - everything about me; my art, writings and personality (with a very
few exceptions) never seem to make a lasting or meaningful impression on anyone.
My Stuckist chapter would most likely consist of me drinking alone at some bar.
Hey, maybe not such a bad fate.
Even though my effort to form a group never got past the theoretical stage, I guess at
some level I’ll always think of myself as a Stuckist. That’s because, success to the
Stuckist is to get out of bed in the morning and paint.
P.S. I did eventually hear from Charles Thompson. My link was added and I was
accepted into the Stuckist fold. I even tried to organize Stuckist group here in
Phoenix, my efforts failed. In the end, John Donne was wrong. Some men are
islands.
artists. While artists may work in solitude, most crave the input, support and praise of
a larger community. I suppose it was that need that drove me to try and associate
myself with the Stuckists.
The Stuckist Movement emerged in Great Britain as a radical response to Britart, an
“official salon” that was dominated by the advocates for post-modern and conceptual
art. Stuckism was co-founded in 1999 by Charles Thomson and Billy Childish along
with eleven other artists and has since grown into an international art movement with
over eighty groups around the world. At its core, Stuckism both confronts the
spiritually bankrupt; shock for the sake of shocking- culture of instant celebrity that
has come to dominate post-modern/conceptual art scene- and advocates a return to
more traditional values that emphasize an artist’s personal struggles, failures,
discoveries and triumphs.
As an American living in the southwest there is much about the birth of Stuckism that
is foreign and unknowable to me. Stuckism’s founding members are rebelling against
an arts establishment which I will never interact with. It’s unlikely I’ll ever visit the
Tate Gallery in London. I don’t know what the Turner Prize is. The Saatchi Gallery
is irrelevant to me, and I will never cross paths with Sir Nicholas Serota, or anyone
else bearing the title of “Sir” for that matter.
The fact is I would have remained forever ignorant of Stuckism if I didn’t hear an
interview with Charles Thomson regarding the Tate Museum’s recent slide “art”
installation on National Public Radio. Listening to Thomson’s unapologetic criticism
of the Tate’s attempt to elevate playground equipment to the level of fine art was
somewhat reassuring. Like Thomson I don’t consider a great deal of today’s
conceptual art to be art at all. It is theater, and second rate at that.
Smearing your own feces on the floor of an art gallery isn’t art; it’s a talentless and
immature cry for attention. Intrigued by Thomson’s comments I visited the Stuckusts
website at the first available opportunity. It was there that I found the Stuckist
Manifesto, written in 1999 by Billy Childish and Charles Thomson Their twenty
points captured, and re-affirmed many of my own opinions regarding the
contemporary art world and my own creative struggles.
Point 7 - The Stuckist is not mesmerised by the glittering prizes, but is wholeheartedly
engaged in the process of painting. Success to the Stuckist is to get out of bed in the
morning and paint.
Point 1 - Stuckism is the quest for authenticity. By removing the mask of cleverness
and admitting where we are, the Stuckist allows him/herself uncensored expression.
Point 6 - The Stuckist paints pictures because painting pictures is what matters.
7-1-6, three numbers, three points when taken as a whole express so many of my
own feelings regarding what it means to be an artist.
At that moment I let my enthusiasm get the better of me. I saw that by submitting a
request along with an example of your work you could establish your own self-
governing Stuckist chapter. I submitted the requested info and spent several days
fantasizing about establishing a group, or a school, of like minded artists here in the
“valley of the sun.” My enthusiasm for this notion was fueled when I received a
reply from Charles Thomson stating that he would add my newly founded group to
those listed on the Stuckist website.
Yet, the weeks, then a month passed and my group’s information never materialized
on the site. I told myself, “the request probably just got lost in daily shuffle.” Or,
maybe Charles Thomson visited my site and decided my work wasn't sufficiently
“Stuck”. I didn’t take it personally and let the matter slide.
It’s just a small, almost anonymous, link on a website. Yet, my link’s failure to
materialize reminded me of the one great, an inescapable, weakness in my plan to
form an artistic clique. Establishing a group would require that others find value in
your work, personality and plans. And this is where I fail. For all the effort I put into
everything I do - everything about me; my art, writings and personality (with a very
few exceptions) never seem to make a lasting or meaningful impression on anyone.
My Stuckist chapter would most likely consist of me drinking alone at some bar.
Hey, maybe not such a bad fate.
Even though my effort to form a group never got past the theoretical stage, I guess at
some level I’ll always think of myself as a Stuckist. That’s because, success to the
Stuckist is to get out of bed in the morning and paint.
P.S. I did eventually hear from Charles Thompson. My link was added and I was
accepted into the Stuckist fold. I even tried to organize Stuckist group here in
Phoenix, my efforts failed. In the end, John Donne was wrong. Some men are
islands.
