Jerry Saltz spoke to a sold out crowd at the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood last Saturday evening.
The Senior Art Critic for New York Magazine, is a three time Pulitzer finalist, author and most recently a Judge on the Bravo reality television show “Work of Art”. He was the third speaker in the much anticipated “Hot Topics” series of lectures by leading figures in the contemporary visual arts.
Speaking in the main gallery of the Arts and Culture Center where the exhibition “Artist Unknown / The free world” is currently on view, Saltz gave a nod to the exhibition’s artists John D. Monteith & Oliver Wasow. Their presentation of over 800 prints and thousands of video stills was created from random images culled from the internet, cataloged and presented in this exhibition and it’s accompanying book. Saltz contributed text to the exhibition’s book alongside text by photographic curator and writer Marvin Heiferman and Art and Culture Center gallery curator Jane Hart.
Just one week after the hurly-burly of Art Basel Miami Beach, Saltz spoke in his quick-witted and entertaining manner on the state of contemporary art today, it’s artists, art fairs and collectors, having fun with local collectors Debra and Dennis Scholl as he caught them slipping in late. He likened his role as art critic, to a receiver interpreting the art objects being transmitted by artists. On his role as a judge on the Bravo series “work of art” he said he does this out of a desire to be more connected to the outside world and to make art more accessible to the public.
Saltz is well known for his populist support of the struggling artist giving them a platform for dialog through his highly trafficked Facebook page which is read daily by serious-minded artists, curators, gallerists and a quirky lot of art world dwellers. He closed the evening by speaking directly to the artists in the room.
Empathizing with their struggles and bowing to their dedication, Saltz donned the cape of “Artist’s Prophet” challenging the many artists present to stretch their imaginations, work harder, “get out of your own way” and make more art, make bad art and make more bad art until it is good. Quoting Beckett, Saltz said “Ever tried. Ever Failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” It was an inspirational sermon and left many in the room eager to get back to their studios and make better art. Now lets see if it works.
