New ideas

'Hmm,' said my 71 year-old godmother as we stood in a gallery at the Nottingham Contemporary arts centre.
 

I have to admit, I was just as baffled by the art that was on display as she was. A young woman with a quirky haircut handed us some explanatory notes, but they didn't really help to clarify things.

It made me think about how, as an artist, you make the distinction between exploring new ideas that are primarily about your own creative journey, and creating work that you have the intention of sharing with others.

Many times, I've been turned off by opaque artwork or performance that doesn't seem to make any sense, and yet boundaries need to be pushed, or we would never discover anything new.

'Well,' said my godmother, 'They're doing a talk about this artist on Wednesday, so I'll come to that, and then maybe I'll understand it better.'

Thank goodness there are people like her around, who have sparkling and inquisitive minds!

Pearl