Returning thought…

Something that came up in class today that has stayed with me:

It’s very tempting for artists to try to explain themselves. Especially after the experience of art school, where one is always asked for clarifications and reasons for things. But the temptation can be to explain through the work itself, to include pieces or statements in shows that serve to guide the viewer to certain conclusions about your work. The problem is that explanation can easily slide into justification, and justification can easily turn to apology.. We need to ask ourselves this question: am I providing access to the work, or trying to justify it?
The urge to explain is strong. No one wants to be thought obscure. But someone else’s explanation can take me out of my own experience of the work.
As a viewer, I don’t mind working. I don’t mind having to return to a work of art to find something else in it. And as an artist, I’d like to think that I could attract viewers that were up to that challenge. Works of art at their best provide their own justification, not by spelling everything out, but by providing us with the opportunity for joyous experience. Artists – don’t explain, practice making those experiences.