Over Time Too

Over Time Too

• Friday, September 12, 2014

Dress: Romwe (via Catsuit-Latex)   Hat: c/o Oasap   Wedges: Just Fab   Belt & Bag: thrifted

 

What does one wear to an art exhibit? Why, their new, slit-sleeved dress from Romwe of course! I'm quite pleased to say that unlike that Oasap bee print dress, this one is flowy, comfortable, and had me twirling about in happiness. Paired with some brown accents (who in the world said black and brown don't go together?) and leopard wedges, I felt pretty classy for a low key exhibit.

Ross Coates' show, entitled "Over Time Too" was an absorbing collection of mixed media pieces, with my favorite being the neon lit chairs. His collages had me peering closely at the wooden boards, pondering what he was trying to communicate through the brusque brush strokes, dismembered dolls, and taped on photos of flowers.

Kirsten looked them up and down, and with a wrinkled brow declared, "I think he is a very confused man."

I had to laugh at that. Isn't that what most art causes? If the message on the canvas doesn't practically spell out it's meaning, it is confusion and nonsense to the viewer.
Perhaps that's what I like about the varying forms of art. There are the basic, pretty paintings that are beautiful snapshots of life. There are dreamy abstract pieces that make you reconsider perspective and color. Then there are the morbid, doll-dismembering collages that have you tilting your head and wondering what the artist is trying to communicate.

I love it. In my opinion, art doesn't have to be beautiful or pretty to be considered art. Sometimes, the best art is discovered in the ugliness. It's easy to snapshot the aesthetically pleasing things in life, frame them, and call it art.

You could compare it to the way we frame only the best attributes in our life and hang them to display on our social media walls. We present such a narrow, enclosed representation of ourselves to the world in order to maintain a "pretty" appearance. However, some artists come slashing through that flimsy sheet to reveal the dirt and grit that's been swept under the rug.

Our culture is obsessed with appearances, with a standard, and with maintaining those.
However, as humans, we are inherently flawed.

While Mr. Coates' style isn't mine, and a lot of his pieces had me scratching my head, I could still appreciate it.

What's your opinion on art? Does it need to be pretty to be considered worthwhile?

So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Matthew 23:28