Re: [-empyre-] race, net-art, strategy

[damali ayo <damali@damaliayo.com>]

keith-

well put. to take it a step further, because racism is disturbing (at 
best) i'd hope that anyone at all who sees work about racism finds it 
disturbing. what i love about holding up a mirror to our society, is 
how easy it is to show us how truly unattractive we can be. i find 
this artist-created self-awareness to be the a disturbing tool 
because it is society and the individual regurgitated. ingested 
through the artist and spit back in the face of the viewer/audience 
who generated it in the first place.

and damn. it's fun to do.

i agree that all art is political. any art that represents people 
makes a comment on race and gender and other issues contained in 
identity/ identity politics. it's inevitable. nothing is neutral, and 
i wish we would wake up as a world and realize that. what is 
fascinating is when we see the commentary engaged in any work of art, 
whether it be a figure drawing or a painted still life, or one that 
engages the net as medium.

art isn't meant to make us feel any one particular emotion, or make 
us think any one particular thing, but i do believe that art is made 
to make us think and feel. if it doesn't get rid of it.

damali