John Otte's work dominates this latest branch of Eyedrum's expressive arm.
Curated by eggtooth,
It pulls from what is and stretches it out for us to see, emphasizing, while showing a conscious awareness or hand of involvement, but just barely enough. The work is obvious. There is art here.
Into another attempt at honesty. An unrefined brutal realism...or an idea of truth as close to life as possible. Questioning, in a sense, where the experience begins in relation to how to perceive work. And maybe even why. expected to interact with this is the many and the unseen,in their private or unleashed(unzipped) moments...
The path is also to draw attention to the hilarious need for clean and proper presentation of work in Atlanta. Even in work that utilizes important observations that could address social change/ needs, the work is more concerned with safety in terms of art careers,some silly idea of couch aesthetic, resumes and permission,not wanting to hurt feelings. Often this results in an insulting rape of what art could do to take important issues and connect back to life. (and incidentally-invest in an art scene that could one day actually be taken seriously...we "shit in our own mouths and call it a sundae")
The repeat result is ultimately an evening's gesture for art, while the long term is a stamp of inauthenticity, keeping Atlanta's art scene braided with but disconnected with itself. Trying to clambor (with good intentions and often great art) for a piece of a fake perception... so much of this is done with such an obnoxious concern for proper presumed ways to context work,disguised as polite and proper,that for years now the soil has been fertilized with forgotten ineffective walls for etiolating and atrophying anything good that might happen. It grows portfolio minded students ,presuming they need to behave and work the existing system,when in reality...there is no system. more than anything,the environment itself needs to be addressed in the work.Atlanta itself and perceptions of self exposed.
(the use of the bathroom)
The bathroom in a non-profit multi-use art venue. The result of this .The weathering and characterization of a bathroom in the manner one would expect. Scribbled thoughts. Graffiti. Crap tags and weirdo doodles. Thoughtful delicate effects over the top of eroding, and molding perhaps, the utilized truth of basic human use.Taken for granted,maybe. not maintained? (will this show result in change?) this bathroom is sacred in the same sense that krog street tunnel is sacred,only more disgusting. maybe. It is also a beautiful sort of public usage. a sort of neglect and desire to piss on or claim territory.Or to express the self freely or even with rebellion.( the coming insurrection written by The Invisible Committee, is used in the present eyedrum bathroom display as a flavoring)
This bathroom now known for its creative dialogue, political dialogue and trash intellect base humor. It is gross and it is heard men fear it so much as to use the womens in cases of number 2 needs. Mostly scribbles and urine stains in the air. A funkiness that is unshakable.
Positioning art in here seeks to not liven or sprucen, but to operate in conjunction with. To quietly and without pointing,exhalt by blending with this natural almost expected state of existence.
In an effort to echo the sentiment expressed by other organizations supposedly interested in utilizing public-ish space to supposedly create new platforms for where art can intersect with life, the work here makes no bones about that fact that it is congruent with the environment. It is an extension of it, not addressing it. makes no claim otherwise.
In this bathroom case, maybe the result will be an exaggerated awareness of what is in so much a raw "natural" state as to be undeniable. It balances out and absurdly does , as art, a perfect kind of nothing.
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