2009 MFA Artist: Jason Gallegos
Jason Gallegos's Artist Statement
My motivation is not to change the world of art (not to say that it isn’t an intriguing idea), but rather to change the world at large, with my art or otherwise. My interests are in human agency, representation for the underrepresented, social justice, progressive politics, equality, the cultural significance of a diverse populous, revolutionary thought, direct action, respect for the natural world, peace, creative expression, experimentation, community building, youth, music, collaboration, spontaneity, and improvisation.
I hang on to a conversation I once had with a professional artist who told me that I should be trying to contribute to the ongoing conversation of artists past and present. But if I’ve learned anything in art school it’s that an art with rules is not an art that I am interested in. I am for an art that is free. I am for an art that is fun. I am much more interested in broader conversations, in the democratization of fine art. I am for an art that speaks to the gallery curator as much as it does to the gallery custodian.
The goal is to navigate culture, to straddle class, to try to speak to the masses but hear the individual. To this end I am for an art informed by social science and critical theory. I am for interdisciplinary practice, for an art that is inquisitive, informative, and above all engaging.
I want to learn from Duchamp, Cage, and Kaprow, as much as I want to learn from Marx, Mills, and Bourdieu. Even in subjective works, I strive for objective perspectives. I am for an art based in empiricism.
