Horowitz: Is there something about the special in-betweenness of Tennessee that makes the question of abstraction alive for us?"
Buffington: For my part, as a painter I've always thought of myself as engaged in a conversation. I'm reminded of MAK Halliday, who tells us that "language is a social fact." Painting as a conversation is centuries old (we speak with Giotto), making it timeless. Painting as a conversation also spans the globe (we speak with Hiroshige), making it placeless. At the same time, painting is a conversation that is ongoing, and we are all trying to contribute to this conversation today, to move it forward in some small way. Moreover, there are most assuredly interesting pockets of dialogue in any given region; intense collaborative exchanges, regional quarrels, etc. So although I work hard to maintain ties outside the region within so-called art centers like New York or Chicago, more recently I've begun to seek out vital relationships with artists living and working in the Southeast. And my practice has benefited greatly.
In short, abstraction itself lies "in between."
2 comments:
York: I'm in total agreement with Ron; I feel engaged in a conversation. Having grown up in what might be construed as "the middle of nowhere- Nashville," the conversation after coming back here existed in periodicals and what i could pick up traveling because Nashville traditionally has had little/no institutional support for contemporary art. Open studio periodicals like New American Painting and artist-run initiatives were crucial outlets to see what was happening out there and participating directly. Thanks to the internet and the proliferation of very good painters to the area college, university, and museum faculties and staffs (subsequently figuring into the independent and commercial gallery communities), the conversation is lively, healthy, and spreading. I see this happening allover (not just in Tennessee) and in other disciplines; some that might be seen as throw-backs (why wet lab photography? why object-based pedestal sculpture? why drawing?, etc.).
Yes, Lain. I'd like to concur with you very strongly on this. I saw this on the Melton Prior Institut website..."We are in a Post-Photoshop moment..."
http://meltonpriorinstitut.org/pages/textarchive.php5
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