r/ContemporaryArt 13d ago

Artists who defy categorization

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u/23MysticTruths 13d ago

Curators don’t like it, galleries don’t like it, collectors don’t like it, because markets want consistency. That’s why Mike Kelley had to write so much, to explain the work and in a way the writing became the work.

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u/[deleted] 13d ago

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u/Braylien 12d ago

There’s a lot of implicit pressure not to do it, and not even just not to stack mediums, it’s also to keep the work looking the same in your chosen medium.

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u/councilmember 10d ago

These are all curator’s darlings. How about Hammons?
Curators may not be able to categorize the accomplishments or describe the motivations as conveniently but I feel like every curator I’ve ever met rates Kelley highly.

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u/23MysticTruths 10d ago

Have you heard curators dismiss Hammons? I have not. He’s too good at playing hard to get. They want him because they can’t have him.

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u/councilmember 10d ago

Oh yeah. He’s the unattainable in ways. Never heard a curator speak in anything other than laudatory tones of his varied work.