On being an artist and a critic
by Paul Edmunds
I often feel like a double agent, so perhaps this is as good a time as any to lay my cards on the table.
A fellow artist once said to me that the most honest opinion you will ever get about your work will come from a non-artist. She justified this saying that an artist's opinion will always be guarded. An artist will never offer a criticism that their own work can't weather. The dedicated critic is not open to such exposure. Mind you, the critic also has an integrity to maintain and will seldom venture an opinion which goes against their own grain. I unfortunately find myself in both positions.
Having said that, I hesitate to label myself a 'critic' but I do freely call myself an artist. I don't feel au fait with the cut-and-thrust of critical discourse, but I do feel that my training and experience as an artist affords me a certain perspective. I have an insight into the processes of art production that many critics don't have. I also have a well-developed formal and visual sensibility, honed as much by my visual as my critical practice.
Perhaps this is not for me to judge, but I also find myself with the ability to express the opinions I hold on the subject. It is too a reality that writing about art often pays bills more effectively than making it (especially writing for foreign publications).
The issue of 'peer review' and loyalty inevitably occurs when the roles of artist and commentator overlap. This, I feel, is as much a function of the relatively small pool of artists, critics and institutions that exist in South Africa as the various positions people like me occupy. It's pretty much impossible to review the work of a complete stranger. At the same time, I've had friends and acquaintances alike thank me for the rigorous going-over that I've given their work on ArtThrob.
As a practicing artist I often feel a lack of critical feedback on my own work. The singular most helpful critical interaction I've had was a single statement from Alan Alborough. If we're really honest here, we must admit that there are few forums for true critical writing in South Africa, and not a lot of publications allow discourse that transcends a rather shallow response to artistic production. Criticism here seldom deviates from whole-hearted support, ill-informed opinion or nasty sniping.
I think the process of reviewing or critiquing other people's production has certain benefits for my own artistic practice. I am exposed to a lot of visual input, and I am often compelled to investigate more deeply work I would normally ignore. I am often surprised where that process of inquiry leads me. I don't often attend exhibition openings - the only time a large number of viewers spend with the work.
I seldom review a show after only one visit and never after only an opening. I can't deny either that I feel a responsibility to a vibrant, happening 'art scene' which sometimes feels in danger of atomising. The role of artist, audience and commentator are necessary to the maintenance of this 'scene', and while it sometimes feels like a bit of a charade, it's one in which I find myself deeply immersed.
