This "art" Boils My Blood....

[Boxcar Muzzdogg]

He called the exhibit, created by Kounellis especially for the show, "creative and intelligent"

This statement alone proves the artist has neither creativity nor intelligence in my opinion.

Yeah, that quote is worth about as much as quote in a film trailer that supposedly comes from some obscure publication no one has ever heard of. When some "designated authority" has to reafirm your stuff with the most obvious and cliche description possible, with no specific elaboration, your porbably a hack.

 

[qwikimpss]

Most artwork that actually look thrown together are usually very well planned out to balance different tones and shades, lights and darks etc. I don't like to throw stones at paintings (and I'm not saying anyone here is, please understand that) But this "live" or "display" are, sometimes, is just plain retarded. I could have put a knife in a bowl with a few platys and got in a museum (sp.), if so then I'm in the wrong business....and that was probably a bad joke.

 

[plainlazy]

When I saw it I thought it was critisizing people who keep goldfish in small bowls instead of tanks.
Maybe not...
Seems strange that people get so mad over it...are you mad about the fact that the fish is being mistreated? Or is it the knife in the tank? I don't get it...

 

[Fishist]

When I saw it I thought it was critisizing people who keep goldfish in small bowls instead of tanks.
Maybe not...
Seems strange that people get so mad over it...are you mad about the fact that the fish is being mistreated? Or is it the knife in the tank? I don't get it...

Put it this way, if one knows anything about how to keep fish then it's obviously not good for a live goldfish to be "displayed" in this manner.

If we are to be entertained with art that directly breeds cruelty towards a living form then perhaps we have run out of "creative" ideas.

Art has been and will always be up for interpretation by the individual... but surely an "artist" should have a better imagination than this.

Just my opinion.

 

[Synirr]

I wouldn't call it "creative and intelligent", but I'm not going to say it's not art and I certainly don't think it's sick or horrible or cruel, so long as the fish aren't actually living in there long term. The knife only strikes us as being dangerous because we are thinking of it as a sharp, dangerous object, when infact it is dulled and harmless in this case. I'd be no more shocked if a kitten were in a cage with a blunted knife.

I personally am not impressed with it, I have to say. I'm not a big fan of conceptual modern art in most cases, and I can't say this is an exception. It's like when my insane art appreciation professor claims that the most realistic statuary you can possibly find is abstract because its subject isn't really made out of marble or metal... complete BS (and I don't mean brine shrimp!)
The only piece of "modern art" I've ever seen that I liked was an interactive piece... it was a book on a podium where you were supposed to write about what the American flag meant to you, but in order to write in the book you had to step on the flag lying on the ground in front of it

Edit:
http/www.artseensoho.com/Art/ACE/kounellis98/k6.html

Each cage holds a live, wild starling. The metaphor continues to elaborate and illustrate itself, arriving at confinement of the natural in a post-industrial age.

Oh ok, I at least get the point of it now, but still think it was poorly executed. The starling piece is better. I think it would have made more of an impact if a fish less commonly found in the hobby had been used, like a small wild sunfish or something.

 

[CatLover]

Interesting. I can see how it's art (yes, I'm an artist), but it doesn't fall in my personal taste of art. Give me O'Keeffe anyday.

And there is no danger or cruelty with the set up. The only thing remotely bad about it is the little stress the fish would go through being transported from their tank to a bowl for a quick picture. It's like putting a betta in a separate container for a minute to get some really good flare pics. The knife in the bowl is no different than sticking a plant in the temporary betta container. The fish aren't dumb - it's not going to repeatedly ram itself into the knife, which is what it would have to do in order to get hurt. The point of the knife is touching the bottom of the bowl, so there is no chance of the fish snagging a fin or something on the point.

Depending on how you view it, it can have a very profound, deep statement, or just be completely dumb. Both opinions, and everything in between are correct. As long as the fish were not harmed, it doesn't matter.

 

[SuckerLove86]

Fish don't tend to cut themselves on coral or broken bottles so it looks more of a threat than it is

I would hate to see how this guys fish tank is decorated

So basically I can put a broken bottle in my fishtank and everything will be dandy?

 

[chishnfips]

In my opinion in order to be an artist you have to be talented. Thats not talent....... anyone could make that. Sometimes I have an issue with art like that. Especially those paintings were a person has just splattered paint on a canvas.

These days people just say: "yeah, I am being creative man"

and I say: "no, you are making a mess, and trying to be creative"

apart from that it's a gold fish in a tiny wee bowl with no air in the water, it's too shallow and there is no room. shocking.

 

[Mr Miagi]

Hey, If thats art, i should be proud of my kitchen. Thats something to tell the ladies when they come around! Instead of "dishes" they are my "piesta resistaunce" (sp?)

 

[chishnfips]

Hey, If thats art, i should be proud of my kitchen. Thats something to tell the ladies when they come around! Instead of "dishes" they are my "piesta resistaunce" (sp?)

Thats like me with the washing basket. except sometimes the smell might make the .

 

[George Farmer]

The creator has acheived what was intended - publicity.

 

[Barry P]

Never mind the fact that they are using a live fish, they could be using a baby for all i care.The question must be...When did art move from paintings, landscapes and Statues of david to everyday household items with live animals in it.Its not art and no one can ever convince me otherwise.

 

[kat and james]

surely the point of a peice of artwork is to stir some kind of emotion, albeit good or bad, and if this is so then this is good art.. look at how many posts have been writing regarding the peice, and this is just one forum.

so the question isn't whether it is good or bad, the question is whether you like it or not.. in my case i can't stand it, it hardly takes talent to do something like this (in my opinion)..

however i don't think that you could find anyone, beit fish lover (or even animal lover) or not, who actually likes this peice of work for what it is, they like it for the fact that it is controversial!!

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

One of the things that concerns me about this peice of "art" is how it will effect peoples unconcious veiws on fish.

One of the issues many fish face is that many people only view them as decorations, objects, cheap throw away pets, creatures where morality does not apply to them as much as other animals etc etc.
When people see fish like this, the fish often get treated badly because the owner feels justified somhow that he/she is not obliged to spend lots of money making sure the fish leads a full filling and happy life.

Bettas often get sold in jars as "feng shui" items(even though i cannot see how poorly treating a fish will bring good karma into your house), goldfish often get sold in bowls as cheap pets for young children that can be thrown away after a week or so when the child gets bored of its bowl fish.

The artist has used this goldfish as a decoration, an object just like any other item the artist may use in his/her art like a peice of paper or a tube of paint. Thousands of people will view this peice in the gallery for hours or see it on the inet or in books etc. Unconciously, how does this improve peoples views on fish? They are an item, just a decoration of art.
I do not think any animal should be used as an object of art and viewed that way because i believe it de-sensortises(sp?) people towards the animal in question...They will not look at the fish for what it is but only look at it for the image it represents in the art.
Even so after all this, to me its a poor peice and calling it art is an insult to all the other great talented artists who spent their lives creating true masterpeices.

 

[kat and james]

thats a really good point tokis.. it is a worry that this image will only reinforce ppl's opinions that fish aren't actaully living/ feeling creatures.

however i have to disagree.. i do think that this is artwork, as art can be anything. this peice stirs emotion and makes you think which is what a peice of artwork should do.

to say that calling it art is an insult to other artists who spent years creating masterpeices is very narrow minded.. for all we know this artist could have spent the last 5 years creating this! artwork is about opinion.. whether you like it or not.. you may not like the mona lisa, but that doesn' t mean that it isn't art, it's just your opinion. van gogh never sold a painting in his lifetime (in the 1800s van gogh's work was considered to be art, but nobody liked it, they thought he was crazy), and now his paintings are practically priceless! not to say that this will ever be priceless.. but it just shows that it is all about opinion!

btw.. i really am not a fan of this peice.. but i still think that it is art... just not my kind of art