mMK

在視覺藝術中心聽白雙全/梁展峰的講座,湊遇上白管子的展覽,在聽聞一單藝評生活甚艱酸的消息的同時(這倒當然並非什麼對我陌生的"新"聞,卻跟Batten結業一樣,出現在有心人身上而使人感懷),手執的卻是另一期白本子出版的宣傳單張.馬國明在論述香港評論界時所謂的入局問題,無疑也是我的憂慮.

在一本AICA的出版物讀到Gregory Battcock一段出我意料的心灰說話:

What then makes for an effective, sucessful art critic?
What can an art critic really do? Why are some critics well known and sought out by artists and dealers while others are ignored and shunned, not even invited to openings and never consulted?
The reasons for these conditions are numerous and they are sad. For the successful, popular art critic today is not the one who takes an original or creative approach to his craft. Nor is it the critic who is outspoken and fearless. Nor is integrity to count for much. Instead, the successful art critic must, above all, take art seriously as a valuable commodity that is an object of financial investment as well as a glorified form of merchandise. ...
Thus art criticism is not, in any sense of the word, a form of criticism.
It rarely involves critical principles. Today art criticism is an industry that supports art and artist. It is also a leisure activity that is generally limited to those born to special circumstances, for it is not an activity that can be used to support a person. But, more importantly, it belongs to those who have no need, no wish, no stake in genuinely provoking the established culture.

我記得在ACC頒獎禮上,Grace說藝評這一行真的唔易做,我就說,這麼難,本身就或說明佢根本唔係一行職業,於是Grace大約又同ACC的頒獎人說,這種話就充份顯示藝評人的批判本性,果有社交的急才.看過了Battcock的極端說法,我可以說,搞錯了,這正是我沒當藝評本錢的原因才真.