art delivery : 02.22.24
Well, here we are… exactly 15 years ago today, I hit “publish” on my first post under the pen name, ‘The Jealous Curator’. One of the artists I wrote about, was American artist (who’s now based in Portugal!), Mando Marie. The final image above was the painting I featured. Why did I think I could only post one picture at a time? Not sure. Anywho, Mando and I have both come a long way in the last decade and a half… although I still love those elephants! Since 2009, I’ve written about Mando countless times, had her on my podcast, and featured her in one of my books. She paints murals, travels the world, and generally sells out every show she has. Yep, she’s a badass. You can find some of Mando’s most recent work through Paradigm Gallery in Philadelphia, and she’s on Instagram at @seeyouthroughit.
This question just came in… and it’s a doozy:
Dear Arty, Do you ever worry about making work that rubs some people the wrong way? For example, making art about controversial topics like politics, feminism, war, etc? There are opinions I want to express through my art, but I am nervous about getting “canceled”. Thank you ~ M.K.
Well, I certainly have thoughts on this, but I’m handing it over to all of you! Please leave your thoughts, advice, etc in the comments… just click on the comment bubble at the top or bottom of this email to get redirected to the site. Thank you, and have a great day ~ Danielle
Fear of being cancelled is a sad state to live in. The world is made of people with opposing ideas. We are not all the same. We don’t always agree, and that is okay, this is where new ideas are formed- leading to creativity and growth. Who better to be those canaries in the cave than artists?
My work often addresses feminist issues and I also run a gallery for voices that don’t get heard- women, nonbinary and queer folk. I want to make the best use of the space using art that says something bold and unapologetic or puts ideas out to gently plant seeds and cultivate more understanding between opposing sides.
Make the art that needs to be made.
I relate to this. I have yet to really push any boundaries. But my mind wanders to so many others in art that were controversial when they first started. Those are the ones we end up remembering.
Whatever you choose, know that anything we create is going to put off someone and draw someone else near. I can only hope that we collectively become more able to listen to one another without judgement and try to learn.