莫阿塔兹·阿瑟访谈
发起人:piupiupiu  回复数:6   浏览数:2149   最后更新:2011/09/27 22:16:43 by guest
[楼主] piupiupiu 2009-02-25 13:37:39
Cairo Art Index: What is the best work you believe you have done so far and why?

Moataz Nasr: It's always the last thing I've done, since it represents an evolution from the previous work. Everything I do belongs to a certain time, with all the feelings and ideas I have at that time. I'm usually satisfied with the work I do because it represents a very specific state of mind. My opinion about a work can change if I see it after a couple of years, but at the time I make it I usually feel that it succeeds in reflecting a moment.

CAI: Do you consider yourself to be specialized in one medium as opposed to another?

MN: The idea of an artist specialized in only one medium is very outdated. An artist is an artist. He expresses himself through any means possible. If we were to arrange these chairs a certain way, then that would be a form of expression. As for me, I've been doing sculpture, pottery, and painting for a long time. I've done fewer installations because they tend to be more expensive, and the idea of sponsoring artworks is a rarely understood one here in Egypt. If I had the means, I could do more installations.

CAI: Can you identify a linear conceptual development in your work?

MN: Yes. Though the work I'm doing now is not what I'll be doing forever, most of my work does go back to a central idea.

CAI: How do you feel about being an artist in Egypt?

MN: The title of artist is problematic in Egypt. It is almost impossible for an artist to survive exclusively by making art. Here, the artist has to do everything, from art to marketing to press releases. He usually even has to photograph his own work. The artist here has to be either an entire institution unto himself or part of another one in which he eventually loses himself.

CAI: What do you mean by institution? Do you mean the Ministry of Culture?

MN: I mean any institution, whether the Ministry of Culture or a private gallery. If an artist doesn't have the support of an institution, he has the responsibility of doing everything himself. This is of course very difficult, and it can be too much for many talented people. On the other hand, being an artist in Egypt has many advantages. On every street corner there is something to see and be inspired by. There is so much wealth in this country that has not been touched.

CAI: There a great controversy concerning what art is Egyptian and what is not. The installation has been disclaimed as a western art form. By creating installations could your art be considered to be non-Egyptian?

MN: Of course not. Installation has nothing to do with Egyptian or non-Egyptian. If it is about who did it first, it could be argued that Pharoahs created installations. The Karnak Temple, for example, is an installation.

CAI: That might be true, but the Ancient Egyptians weren't the ones to include installation in the arena of art discourse.

MN: The installation offers a very practical solution to the structure of contemporary society. The contemporary viewer is a lazy one, and hasn't the time to stand in front of a painting or sculpture and meditate upon the effort and message that lie behind them. It is no longer possible for a viewer to engage a painting for half an hour to glean meaning from it. The act of looking at paintings has become a very fast one, if it happens at all. The viewer usually just walks quickly by paintings. The installation, on the other hand, forces the viewer into a state of mind designed by the artist. It supplies the viewer with an intense dose of a message that immediately stimulates. I believe that installations are very practical solutions to problems posed by an age that is very practical in its mindset. However, I haven't stopped painting because it's what I love. Drawing and painting are both great pleasures for me, and I can never imagine quitting them.

CAI: Do you exercise any sort of self-censorship in your work? Would you ever edit your work for the consideration of your audience?

MN: I never think of that, because with time people accept everything. People understand contemporary art because it pertains to everyday life. It is their problems that we are discussing, after all.

CAI: Where do you think art and popular culture meet?

MN: Well, this is a heavy subject. They are of course separated, and they aren't reconciled simply by moving art into the street. First, people need to understand art and be aware of it. This has to begin from childhood. For example, very few Egyptian mothers take their children to museums. Children should receive a proper art education, whether they are from an elite or from a more modest background. It is actually the everyday man that needs art the most, since the wealthy just buy art as objects that signify status and pleasure. The project of making art a meaningful resource for society really should begin with schools.

CAI: Do popular media like television serve as a source of inspiration for an artist?

MN: Of course not. I feel retarded when I watch television.

CAI: Did you graduate from fine arts school?

MN: No, I couldn't get into the fine arts faculty because of my grades. I studied economics at the commerce school in Alexandria and tried to enroll part-time in few art classes, but after trying it I decided that it wouldn't work and that I'd be better off without them.

CAI: Why?

MN: Because of the structure of teaching there. The teachers do not distinguish between being artists and being professors. By this I mean that the professors tried to form their own schools where all of their students became extensions of their work, in effect obscuring the students' creativity. It is a very difficult method of teaching. At my last show a professor told me that installations are in fashion now. That's the frame of mind we are dealing with.

CAI: How can art be more popular?

MN: We don't have anyone taking art to the regular viewer. There is a huge gap between art and society, and no one works to bridge that gap. There are no real art critics, no art dealers, there aren't even any curators. For instance, we were all so happy when they said they would devote a page to fine arts at Al-Ahram every Sunday, but what do they do? They'll discuss the flower paintings of so-and-so. What about things happening in contemporary art? Time and again, I've invited them to my exhibitions but they never show up, not to mention write about it.

CAI: What do you think of the state of Egyptian art now?

MN: Like all socialist countries, art was dedicated to the service of the state for a long time. We're still recovering from that. We're in a transitional state, gradually moving from public to private art sponsorship. It should not happen too quickly. The most important thing is for the government to understand the necessity of privatizing art. On March 15th you will see a perfect example, where we will have the Biennale, a government event, and Nitaq, the art festival organized by the downtown galleries. These two equally important events will occur at the same time.

[沙发:1楼] guest 2011-08-28 23:46:19
TYVM you've soveld all my problems
[板凳:2楼] guest 2011-08-29 05:34:29
I thank you humbly for sihanrg your wisdom JJWY
[地板:3楼] guest 2011-08-29 22:49:03
That's raelly shrewd! Good to see the logic set out so well.
[4楼] guest 2011-08-29 23:39:52
I was really confused, and this answered all my qusetnois.
[5楼] guest 2011-09-27 22:16:43
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