Wac Blog

My first impression Shirago Kazuo's untitled piece in the walker was that he was either really lazy or just didn't care what the final product looked like. I usually dont care for complete abstraction. I don't feel a message speaking to me, and so I usually walk away after first glance. When the creative process was explained to me I grew a little more appreciation for the piece.
He painted the piece with his feet, by globbing the oils with his toes and draging them around the piece by swinging from a rope.
The artist Jiro Yoshihara said that Kazuo Shiraga was "nobody if he didn't paint with his feet". It raieses the question, if the creative process wasn't there, would we see the piece differently? Because this art is for art's sake, I can't find an objective in the creation. I think the creation is a reflection on the creator inevitably. That is the only meaining I can see behind someone swinging on a rope smearing blogs around with his feet. When it comes to action painting I think it can get a little boring. I wouldn't pay money to watch someone paint with his feet.


The Piece
http://collections.walkerart.org/item/enlarge_fs.html?type=object&id=8482&image_num=1

An article on Kazuo
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kazuo-shiraga-avantgarde-artist-who-painted-barefoot-and-hanging-from-a-rope-815381.html

Secret Life of Objects

"i was born in tulsa oklahoma in 1943. when i was 16 i started shooting amphetamine. i shot everyday with my friends for 3 years and then left town but i've gone back through the years. once the needle goes in it never comes out."

-L.C.

Larry Clark's brief intro to his book "Tulsa" explains how he was able to get the photo series that was in the Midway Contemporary Gallery. This man is otherwise difficult to find info on.