The Artist at Home: Studios, Practices and Identities

Name: The Artist at Home: Studios, Practices and Identities
Author: Imogen Racz & Jill Journeaux

by Imogen Racz & Jill Journeaux

That’s why I chose that book. It’s a more accommodating idea of the studio. The book was written as a result of a university conference, so it’s more of a research volume. Even for the casual reader though, the book is worth giving your attention. It asks fundamental questions: What is the importance of the studio? Why do artists often work from home? What is the distinction? I love the kitchen as a metaphor for the studio. In The Artist at Home , we’re asked to consider what are the aspects of daily life that are either metaphors for artistic practice or that come to embody an artist’s practice so that it isn’t separate from the home. Interestingly, the very idea of home is also the subject matter for so many artists. The Artist at Home is a much more critical dialogue about the process of making art. We can make art in the digital realm, we cannot be afraid of languages, forms, processes or forces outside of any of the traditions. Lozano was revolutionary in not being afraid of rebuking the system, criticizing the system and divorcing herself from the system. In this book we learn that the artist’s studio is not a mythical space, it’s a real environment. Even if what happens when that environment is not always a tangible thing, it’s often a virtual thing. Indeed. Whatever space an artist occupies, their ability to communicate to us a vision that emerges from that space, takes us well beyond their practice and the space in which their art is made. We learn about the issues, political or cultural issues or technological issues of the day through them, through their vision. There’s a kind of fierceness, embracing, challenging that an artist does of everything. A constant questioning. Unlike those who simply follow the rules or listen to the directions, the artist continually questions.

Recommended by

Debbie Hillyerd

"That’s why I chose that book. It’s a more accommodating idea of the studio. The book was written as a result of a university conference, so it’s more of a research volume. Even for the casual reader though, the book is worth giving your attention. It asks fundamental questions: What is the importance of the studio? Why do artists often work from home? What is the distinction? I love the kitchen as a metaphor for the studio. In The Artist at Home , we’re asked to consider what are the aspects of daily life that are either metaphors for artistic practice or that come to embody an artist’s practice so that it isn’t separate from the home. Interestingly, the very idea of home is also the subject matter for so many artists. The Artist at Home is a much more critical dialogue about the process of making art. We can make art in the digital realm, we cannot be afraid of languages, forms, processes or forces outside of any of the traditions. Lozano was revolutionary in not being afraid of rebuking the system, criticizing the system and divorcing herself from the system. In this book we learn that the artist’s studio is not a mythical space, it’s a real environment. Even if what happens when that environment is not always a tangible thing, it’s often a virtual thing. Indeed. Whatever space an artist occupies, their ability to communicate to us a vision that emerges from that space, takes us well beyond their practice and the space in which their art is made. We learn about the issues, political or cultural issues or technological issues of the day through them, through their vision. There’s a kind of fierceness, embracing, challenging that an artist does of everything. A constant questioning. Unlike those who simply follow the rules or listen to the directions, the artist continually questions."

Artist Studios · fivebooks.com