Saturday, September 6, 2008

globobusted?


Jerstin Crosby/Team Lump (2007)


Byron King/Jaxcal (2008)

"I think we all should define what we believe in yearly or quarterly. Especially artists. If you aren’t then it’s really hard for some folks to take your art seriously."
--Globotron, 4 June 2008 at 1:14 p

13 comments:

Ben said...

I would certainly entertain arguments about the artistic merits of Globatron.
I find the idea tired, corny, and even childish, but I don't think it's something he had to copy.
With the hyper-saturation of a deadly and pervasive terrorist threat, is it surprising that he chose the identifier of the terrorist to deliver his more controversial rants? I think it's an obvious idea, especially considering Byron's politics.
I had an art teacher that used to say "if someone else had the same idea, it wasn't that creative to begin with"

However, your posts about Byron seem less interested in his ideas as an artist or even a person, and frankly, more concerned with gleefully pointing out his mistakes. If they're not meant as snarky and passive aggressive then perhaps I'm just reading into them, in which case I'm certainly open to hearing your intentions as I consider this blog some of the best reading Jacksonville has to offer on art.

Byron said...

Madeleine, do you have some personal problem with me?

You go and fine an artist who uses a ski mask in his artwork and call me out implying I'm copying him?

With the prevalence of ski masks on the news and in current events via terrorism I hardly see you finding one artist who uses it his work busting me?

Give me a flipping break.

Nothing is new it's how you approach it. If this artist is using the ski mask as an alter ego character, then it might be more interesting, but the ski mask has been used I'm sure many more times in art than from me or the one artist you just found.

If you really want to have a conversation about art Madeliene, look at my portfolio, www.byronking.com. And then let me see your online portfolio. Let's see your work. Do you have a portfolio or do you just write about art?

Really. I find it sad that you post about me behind my back all the time on your blog and never address your issues with me personally.

Byron said...

On second thought... Sticks and Stone, Madeleine. You continue to amaze me.

I guess you can say whatever you want. If you think I copied this artist that's fine.

I don't see his drawings being an alter ego video blog character or the namesake of contemporary art blog that's done a lot of good for this city even though you seem to think it hasn't.

To me it seems you are holding a grudge against me. Maybe I'm wrong. I hope I am.

I would still like to see more of your work since you are so apt to only criticize my work for some reason. You have only good things to say about everyone else it seems.

If you are serious about being an art critic, I'd try being critical against more than just one artist.

madeleine said...

Ben, thank you for your comments and criticism. You address this post as a slide into snarkiness, and I am not sure that you are wrong. I take umbrage with Byron because of his military-esque, shout-down-the-naysayers, posturing…so when I find links to a fictional character supposedly created in fun…I can’t help but join the fray. After all, its not as if I am attacking his real work.

Byron, you asked: “do I have a problem with you?” The answer is yes, I do. And I believe that we’ve talked about it in person…I recall myself counseling you to be less didactic, and less confrontational. Honestly, my heart goes out to you and your family situation, but as for your “art politics,” we are on two different sides of the fence. And I think I have made that clear.

To your second point, Jerstin is a member of Team Lump, I group I am *sure* you are aware of.

As to the idea that I need to post my work online, that is silly, though I make art, my primary role is that of writer, and as I recall, you have seen my drawing; and in the shapes and symbols that I use, I am aware of the role they play historically as well as in a contemporary milieu. So, do I have a portfolio? Yes. But mostly, I write about art.

And explain to me how posting something on an online, public forum is in any manner doing something “behind your back?”

Byron, you make these calls to arms again and again about works that are derivative, about work that can’t exist outside of its genre, and here, your Globotron pieces borrow heavily: in content and technique, from existing works. And if you think I only criticize you, then you aren’t reading closely.

Mark Creegan said...

truce?

Ok, everything I say here is in my humble-est, deepest, possibly flawed opinion.

There are many things about the tactics of Byron-o-tron that deserve disagreement. But I do not think (especially for the sake of our very small, teeny-tiny , little community)he deserves all-out derision.

My words fail me at this moment, but I wouldn't offer any of these feeble words if I did not wholeheartedly appreciate, respect, and admire the efforts and abilities of you both.

I know that all of the things that you both mention and demonstrate- ego, posturing, hurt-feelings, defensiveness, hypocrisy, talking behind backs, etc, ALL are very human things that I and all of us are guilty of as we lead our flawed human lives.

I guess all I am suggesting to both of you is to give each other some slack, learn from mistakes, make up and all that jazz.

I will get out of you guys' bizness now, and maybe offer something more coheret later on the ol globotron.

As far as that quote from Ben's teacher. I understand where that comes from in the context of teaching (where one is trying to encourage individual approaches and thought in a sea of anime and such) BUT I couldn't disagree more with the basic premise. To me, art is a conversation, so shared methods, ideas, materials etc are apart of that process.

Byron said...

I know of the group Team Lump, yes. Do I follow each artist's work in the group, no? At one point I was trying to curate a show with their work.

The one cat I knew from the group is Josh Rickard who is actually from Jax. I haven't looked at their web site in two or so years.

I suppose I have it coming Madeleine. But if you look further at the globatron character, he has many many layers, and is not just a ski mask. I would think you would be interested in investigating those layers vs. seeing a ski mask and just calling it derivative since you pretend to be so above my approach.

I don't care if you like my work but to say I copied some drawing series from an artist I don't even know in order to make an entire multi-media alter ego character video blog project, which resembles his work only in by being a ski mask is absurd.



Good try though.

Why don't you curate a black ski mask art show. I bet you could find ten artists online through MySpace who are using ski masks in their work. I'd love to see that show.

Ben said...

I tried to leave a comment but I don't see it. In case I screwed up, I was just thanking you for the honest reply and saying that i agreed with Mark's point about my teacher's comment.

Anonymous said...

Fact check:

Josh isn't from Jax. He is from south Florida (Fort Myers area). He went to school at UNF.

and his last name is spelled RickardS.

Byron said...

thank you anonymous. this is what Josh wrote me wrote me in which he told me he was a former Jax resident. so I guess being a former Jax resident is not being from Jax. whatever.

thanks for clarifying. I'm so happy I know where he's from now. I appreciate the fact check?

Byron

Hey, this is Josh Rickards former Jax resident and current Philly resident and former NC resident who is a member of a loose collective called Team Lump www.teamlump.org which is based out of Raleigh. .........

and it goes on.

Byron said...

http://www.crazyskimask.com/

this is where I really got my inspiration from. not really but maybe so. I mean right? another person using a ski mask in an art project, I'm sure I stole his idea.

youtubed it just now. funny video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMijx4-Catw

Anonymous said...

you're welcome.

Mark Creegan said...

oh sure ben. Yeah the topic of influence and derivation is really interesting. Sometimes i find I channel stuff I dont even realize until well after. Like a lot of what Im doing lately has a Christian Marklay feel. This fact just hit me like this week...jeez!

Polkey said...

I'm not user I ever made anything original. And I'm happy with that.

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