Art in Walsall?
I photographed a few of the exhibits in the local art gallery on Sunday. I think this exhibit probably has a cultural significance to a minority of people. Is it art? Does it belong in an art gallery? The gallery serves the people of Walsall.
Working people, young people, old people, disabled people and people from many ethic minorities. Should the gallery pander to minorities or be populist?
I quite like this one, but it’s nothing special is it? I suppose it’s all a matter of taste. The main complaint about the gallery is that they don’t show local artists from Walsall, who actually pay for the thing.
The piazza outside is hardly Venetian, despite being on the waterfront. I’m surprised that Costa Coffee didn’t want it to have a more upmarket look. That horrible building is a hotel apparently. I suppose it matches the other horrible buildings around the waterfront.
The building in the foreground has had a for let sign on it for as long as I can remember. I’m not surprised. They seem to like to like grey and brown in Walsall; in West Bromwich they prefer pink…
This was my attempt at art, this week. Would a local gallery commission me to do a print and exhibit it? That seems very unlikely. They only expect local people to pay for their gallery. The architects and artists come up from the South of England and their economic hub of activity; London. No wonder London is rich when our local politicians insist on throwing our money their way at every opportunity.
What do you think? Do you have views on what is art and what isn’t? Do you think art should have some aesthetic appeal? Please share your views in the comments box. You can also follow me on Twitter.
Mike10613's Blog 
Hi Mike, Wow, what a variety today! Of the two art pieces, I like the second one. The first one I do consider art and like it a lot. The message is a powerful one and it delivers that message effectively.
I may be unique, but I generally prefer art subjects to be scenery instead of people. That’s one of the reasons I enjoy your photos so much, you capture scenery so well.
For example, your photo of the dark building on the water shows the contrast between the imposing, dark block building against the light and airy building across the river from it. The composition of that photo with the river bisecting the scene is definitely art to me.
But my favourite this week, Mike, is the last photo. You did a fantastic job of making the photo look like a very old scene, yet you left the car in the background (I know you could have removed it) as a hidden gem for the viewer to discover. Brilliant.
28, January 2014 at 12:28 pm
Hi Carolyn,
I think most pieces have a place in art galleries, as long as people like to look at them. Some are ridiculous though. That last picture is of scrap metal collectors. The vehicles in the background belong to a dealer who does something similar, but he breaks cars and sells the used parts. I think local people would get the connection! I tried to give it a nostalgic look because it symbolises what the Black Country is about. It’s not always pretty, but there is beauty. There is art for people who aren’t too blind to see.
28, January 2014 at 12:45 pm
Pingback: The Review: Subjects for bloggers | Mike10613's Blog
Colorful. Like this.
6, February 2014 at 7:54 pm
Hi,
Be careful leaving very short comments. They are easily mistaken for spam. Once on the spam list, your comments are automatically filtered out!
7, February 2014 at 1:19 pm