Art Lies, Volume 49, Winter 2006 Page: 47
132 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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,....1Michael Blum, A Tribute to Safiye Behar, 2005
Multimedia installation
Courtesy the artistSo, why is it that disillusionment arises over whether
the subject of a work of art is based on a "true story" or, sim-
ilarly, over the factual description of one's own work? Is this
a symptom of a growing paranoia in the art world about
quality control or false advertising-a sign that we, as an
audience, are becoming apprehensive of the ambiguous-
ness of the ingredients that make up a work of art? The sin-
cerity of artistic statement should be more than enough to
validate a work of art. There should be no need for filmlike
credits, tags or authoritative endorsements to label artistic
intent as "sincere." An artist cannot be labeled dishonest
for avoiding categorization or for leaving their work, as in
Blum's case, as open to interpretation as recorded history.It is interesting to note that visitors who responded to
both works in a negative way-those that queried their
status as "real"-appeared to feel somehow cheated, as if
they were told a secret that was later negated, stolen or
shared too easily with everyone else. Perhaps the need to
ask whether art is "real" is simply a reflection of a child-
ish desire to cling to the belief that a museum should hold
authority over its audience. In their particular form of inti-
macy, museums supposedly insure that some kind of new
"truth" will be discovered. In both Blum and Rabah's works,
it is the personal process of discovery that forms and struc-
tures the works' literal existence. The question, therefore,
of whether "it is real" is also a symptom of the confusion and
apprehension that results when confronted by a museum
that lacks the institutional stamp of responsibility. Whom
can the audience turn to, in this case, to get the ultimate,
factual and uncontested answer-the one they will not feel
the urge to question? They can only turn to themselves.ARTL!ES Winter 2006 47
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Bryant, John & Gupta, Anjali. Art Lies, Volume 49, Winter 2006, periodical, 2006; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth228014/m1/49/: accessed May 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .