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developed about artists; artists were not concerned with the material world - artists were concerned with aesthetics. Artists were willing to starve for their art. In a world that was becoming oppressively regulated the artist came to be seen as someone who actually walked the non- It caused a problem for everyone else though. Eventually a place was reached where the evolution from novel to familiar couldn't proceed. This is because, in art, one must pay attention to the novel to become familiar with it. If people don't go into the galleries, or don't take exciting work home to live with it then they just won't be familiar with it. conformist walk. Artists also were linked to the spiritualism of our prehistoric forefathers - that is, artists were linked to the idea of the trickster and the jester - sources of unconventional wisdom. Vjeko Sager walks a knife's edge with his new show. He's betting that people in 2003 are interested enough about the state of art, and We see an emerging pattern here. First, art is disconnected from skill the idea is more important than the appearance. Then art is disconnected from reason by identification with the trickster. So, going into the 20th century art was disconnected from its roots. It was no longer serving the function of making the glory of God and Kings palpable. It was less and less interested in aesthetics and beauty, and then, by embracing irrationality art was left with nothing but the whim of the artist. knowledgeable enough, to pack the little Seymour Art Gallery for the show and performances. With minimalist resources, his challenge is to send that crowd home satisfied. Can he do it? You'll have to see for yourself. 1912 - 2012 Years of Absence r u n s O c t o b e r 29 t o N o v e m b e r 27. O p e n i n g r e c e p t i o n a n d p e r f o r m a n c e : Tuesday, N o v e m b e r 4 t h , f r o m 7 p m t o 9 p m . Virtual Dream p e r f o r m a n c e is o n t h e c l o s i n g nigj^t, N o v e m b e r V Society noticed and was displeased. Complaints about awful art have been endemic for generations. The art world didn't notice. Why? We can perhaps identify a couple of reasons. On the one hand, many people are upset by novelty, but then they get used to the new thing, and then they like it. Many of the movements in art in the 19th and 20th centuries were decried as ugly and anti-art when they first appeared, but later came to be scene as conservative beauty. Expressionism and Impressionism and Cubism, for instance, all underwent such an evolution. And more, because critics and scholars liked the new developments, their approval served to insulate artists from the rest of society. We now have criticism as an art form in itself - an art form that is dependent on the meaninglessness of visual art. The critics found that the meaninglessness of art allowed them to develop any thesis they wanted - they no longer had to talk about the art itself. Art became a sort of black hole from which nothing escaped. Within the hole, the curators, critics and a minority of artists were very happy with their mutually reinforcing dance. 27 @ 3 p m . N o v e m b e r | D e c e m b e r 7