Why I hate art jargon and academic language
When I work with clients I never use art jargon. I never talk about art history. I don’t talk about art movements or techniques, schools of thought, disciplines, none of that.
I actually think it’s detrimental, and I think the usage of academic terminology has kept so many people from enjoying collecting and art. It is snobbish, difficult to relate to, and very often pretentious. Even when the person talking has the best of intentions.
The art world has failed us.
And it’s time to resolve this because art is absolutely essential to our very being.
I happen to hate lingo everywhere. I think it is such a subtle but insidious way to keep people on the outside.
Art has unfortunately been relegated to a pretty academic realm. This is frustrating for me. I think it’s frustrating for most artists. I think it’s frustrating for most people who just want to enjoy art, without feeling like it’s performative or fancy.
Art can be intellectual. It can be studied and theorized about. It is academic.
Art is also deeply human.
It exists without language. It speaks to us not through our intellect but through our experiences, our memories, our emotions. Making art an elite world not only keeps so many people away from it, but it also reduces the potential for what people inside that world can experience.
If you feel pressure to say something super intelligent about a piece instead of responding to it, how limited is that experience.
People feel uncomfortable enough in art spaces without the fear of being asked something pretentious or historical.
It’s just totally unnecessary. Everything I can say using terms I can say in normal language, and much more effectively.
Okay that’s the jargon part.
The other mini rant I have to do is in regards to name & knowledge dropping nonsense. Recently I was meeting with a few gallerists who felt the need to drop every name they could possibly think of, reference movements, talk about the exact number pieces sold for at auctions.
Not only did it have nothing to do with the art they represent, or our conversation, or my interests as a potential buyer, it also really turned me off. It was annoying. It was unnecessary. It felt macho and egoic. It mades me feel this need to prove something, and that is a gross energy. I want no part of that.
All in all, I find this tendency to speak about art in this way a really effective way to exclude people.
I just want to talk about art in an honest way. In a way that lets people see themselves in the piece and the culture. I want to make art relevant to our everyday.
I want to talk about art in a way that balks at pretension. I want to talk about art the way most people talk about books. We’re not doing literary criticism over here. We’re talking about whether or not we liked it, and why. That simple.
Art should be too.
If you haven’t already, check out the guide I wrote on how to collect art. It might help guide you through this confusing market and find your own way to art collecting.
If you’d like to learn how art can be a part of your everyday, and get started as an art collector no matter who you are or what your budget is, sign up for a consultation.