From: STUART INMAN <S.Inman-AT-greenwich.ac.uk> Date: Wed, 12 Jun 1996 13:17:50 GMT Subject: Re: exhibition While writing my last posting I got the most recent one from Frank. I think that what he says overlaps with what I was saying and is quite sensible. I am glad he says that his negative feelings towards being thought an artist are not fair or rational, because I DO regard myself as an artist, at least in as much as it has been at the centre of my life for many years and I have gone to the trouble of 4 years at art school and some hardships - all for art. I hope though that I betray no pretentiousness or snobbishness in my contributions to this forum. Although, having trained as an artist I can lay claim to that title, any sense that I can only appreciate "professional" art or very "fine" art would be anathema. Surrealism has always understood that the value of art lies elsewhere. Not in its "aesthetic" value (at least in the conventional sense of the term) but in its ability to REVEAL THE UNKNOWN. Although trained artists are likely to have a better grasp of visual language than the self-taught, or at very least can accelaerate their growth of understanding, they very definitely do not have any copyright on visual language. I think if Frank sees his work in the very different context of an exhibition he might well understand what William is getting at there. I have been able to approach my own work as if a stranger in such circumstances. You also get a lot of feedback in an exhibition. The question becomes who is exhibiting and why. If we are going to talk about points of agreement, a preliminary platform for later discussions and activities - even maybe that group, then let us do so. I would be in favour of such discussion. Something of the sort is, for me, the point of the discussion group. Could we then try to formulate these basic principles to which we might be expected to subscribe in order to make our use of the word "surrealist" meaningful? I for one am happy to go away and think about it. I also rang Kenneth last night. I did not understand that the purchase of a scanner was imminent, they are very poor just now. But his fellow member Bill Howe has told him that at his work they now have a very good scanner which he should have access to. Stuart
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