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Julie Fishkin on Joe Fig
We all know how self-obsessed the art world is. The very appellation |
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Julie Fishkin on Joe Fig
We all know how self-obsessed the art world is. The very appellation “art world” implies a self-sufficient niche that operates with its own rules, players, and contingents in a closely circumscribed microcosm. Those who contribute to its system define its tacit codes and values, which are a valid source of intrigue, suspense, and tabloid fodder. Many young artists who have become veritable stars have lives that are more closely scrutinized than their work, thanks to which they are supposedly famous. With this in mind, it’s only logical that artists would make work about this very world to which their work would belong—a self-contained web of self-references and narcissistic inclinations. Much like Andy Warhol’s images of iconic starlets that revealed the tragic reality of complacent consumption in American culture, creating fine art about the pop culture that this art can embody is a tricky reversal of form. In line with this notion, Joe Fig creates intricate sculptures whose aim is not to disclose juicy secrets of an inaccessible world but quite the opposite: to demystify this world that we have elevated to mythic status.
Fig’s sculptures are more than just small replicas of legendary studios; they are glimpses into the obsessive and diligent worlds of artists whose studios are reflections of how they create the pieces that make them legends. Exposure of their essential and most intimate space of action. Fig has made studio sculptures based on the spaces of highly acclaimed contemporary artists such as Ross Bleckner, Inka Essenhigh, Steve Mumford, Eric Fischl, Chuck Close, to name a few. Initially, however, his interest began with ab-ex artists about whom he conducted research through books and videos. Finding this limiting, he decided to simply contact artists in hopes of a positive reply. His project begins with an interview to find out what other career artists do on a daily basis, in a process that “demystifies the myth of the artist.” Fig has met at least fifty artists through the course of this ongoing project. For some, he admits, he didn’t “even care or appreciate the work,” but through the interview process, he learns more about the person behind the work and leaves thinking “they’re the coolest person until I meet. Until I meet the next one.”
Surprisingly enough, Fig says that every artist he has approached to be his subject has been extremely kind and supportive. His ultimate goal in this sculptural work is to show the opposite of celebrity culture—an artist working, which in turn explains why this artist has attained the level of success that is often conflated with celebrity status. Sure, many have claimed that his sculptures are just about famous artists whose lives are tinged with glamour—to which Fig rightfully responds that “they are famous for a reason.”
Fig omits no details from the studios he represents. Every object he sees in the studio, that the artist himself may not even notice, becomes part of the work. Though all the artists tend to use similar materials for executing their paintings, the way each studio is set up is completely unique. “You can tell who the artist is by the painting table, the paint colors, and what’s there” thus making the painting table an indirect portrait of the chosen artist.
Joe Fig’s novel glimpse into the art world from his “behind the scenes” sculptures reveals not so much Warholesque nuances of personal drama that our celebrity-obsessed culture thrives on but rather the reality of artists who work extremely hard, as the scene of their studio suggests. Instead of perpetuating an “art world” myth that surrounds its many glamorous personae, his work gives us a different, insider look into the scenes behind the creations, exposing laborious hours of productivity that translate so perfectly into his own sculptures. This art about the infamous world of its own stars divulges another reality whose deft execution runs parallel to the indefatigable artist creating the work we know, in a setting we now have the privilege to view.
