"I want to be far from polite." | Artist Calvin Marcus | Louisiana Channel

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“I want my voice in art to be far from polite. I want to go inside and mind something out that doesn’t already exist, that isn’t arty content.” Meet Los Angeles-based Calvin Marcus, who wants to be as slippery as possible to maintain his sense of freedom as an artist.
“As an artist, I feel inundated with content all around me. Sometimes I see the things in museums and galleries that are things from ordinary places like the hardware store and found objects that get resurfaced or recontextualized as art objects in an art context. Sometimes I think that all this stuff is already content, already art, and that pushes me personally as an artist. I want to go inside and mind something out that doesn’t already exist, that isn’t arty content because whether it is in a gallery or a store, it already has an object to it; to put it in the gallery is like an art gesture and as interesting as that is, I think my relationship with art has to be more specific to me as my own experience as a maker, and the only way to do it is to take everything around it and combine it with myself and my version of it”, says Marcus.
Calvin Marcus mentions artists like Paul Thek, Philip Guston, and Francis Bacon as his inspirations, but also the inspiration from his close family:
“My father and mother were both graphic designers, so I grew up in this household looking at the way things function on a visual ergonomic level; when you are making a logo or a corporate identity, you are trying to create something authentic to the brand while simultaneously having typography and logo all seen together and I saw that a lot because my father’s office was down the stairs,” Marcus recalls.
“The way that I set out on my artistic path is from the beginning having the opportunity of exhibiting my work, I have gone out of my way to be as slippery as I possibly can so that I can maintain my sense of freedom as an artist because I think that in our current art climate culture, there is a real desire to develop something that has almost an iconic almost like brand status. This desire to know exactly who it is from my other way, that the project is just pursuing that one thing forever, has always been like a trap for me. From an early stage, I made a point to show all things at once, and pursue all of the things I was interested in at once. So, every time I am making a show, I am usually making three or four other shows at the same time and allowing them to cross-influence each other which sometimes split out into four or fifth. I remain very open with the projects and right now the direction is not a singular one, it is going out in many different directions, as an artist, the desire i´s to grab out to more and bring them into what I am doing.”
Calvin Marcus (b 1988, in San Fransisco) has been the subject of solo exhibitions at K11 Musea, Hong Kong (2019); The Power Station, Dallas (2017); Peep-Hole, Milan (2015); and Public Fiction, Los Angeles (2014). He has participated in group exhibitions at the Louisiana Museum of Art, Humlebæk, Denmark, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (2020); Whitney Biennial 2019, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, Aïshti Foundation, Beirut, Lebanon (2017); His work is in the permanent collections of the Astrup Fearnley Museet, Oslo, Norway, Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris; K11 Art Foundation, Hong Kong; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; Museum of Modern Art, New York, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, and Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Marcus lives and works in Los Angeles.
Christian Lund interviewed Calvin Marcus at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in November 2021. Thomas McDonell made the shootings in Los Angeles.
Camera in Denmark: Jarl Kaldan Therkeldsen & Johan von Bülow
Edit: Kasper Bech Dyg
Produced by Christian Lund
Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
Louisiana Channel is supported by Den A.P. Møllerske Støttefond, Ny Carlsbergfondet, C.L. Davids Fond og Samling and Fritz Hansen.
#CalvinMarcus #ArtistInterview #artist
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[@ricksteves1973]

How do I fix my algorithm so it's all this sort of stuff. Really inspiring to know that there are people like this.

[@thelouisianachannel]

Feel free to subscribe to our channel for more videos like this 🤩

[@alex_jermaine]

The secret is to watch a lot of these artist profile videos and subscribe to the channels. My KZbin is entirely an archive of these videos lol

[@ricksteves1973]

@@alex_jermaine that’s a good idea. It just takes so long to go through subscriptions and unsubscribe to all the trash channels

[@augopen]

Right?!

[@jamiecaughley6457]

@@ricksteves1973 Hey also if you click the three dots next to trash videos on your homepage and click "not interested" it helps train the algorithm too. One other strategy is to use multiple accounts so you have different algorithms. I have one account which I only watch videos like this on, and one where I indulge in trashy videos.

[@AMVeil]

i love how he looks like he's almost on the verge of laughing.

[@milostraghalis]

it's incredibly charming

[@AMVeil]

@@milostraghalis I know … crush energy

[@chari---zard]

omg, thank you for appearing in my recommendations! like fresh air, actual content ❤️❤️

[@feather4922]

This guy is great!...laughing!!...he is opening my mind!!

[@FeraligatrCollectorTCG]

Amazing work and mindset

[@dimitrilikissas]

Great to watch another artist and his mindset.

[@found_documents]

Great Artist

[@ricromrec]

Well spoken

[@1day2dayme]

My question is: how did he afford a house and a large studio next door when he first moved to LA? Was he already a well-established artist then? This world doesn’t lack talented people. Just many talents don’t have the capital (money and connections) to be in the right place to be seen.

[@katexfob]

loved it! and his dog is so cute :)

[@dreamsies]

I really enjoyed this.

[@elquissondecastronascimento]

Phantastic

[@alpineflauge909]

very nice

[@Jryonke]

This guy has a very nice voice to listen to

[@anjieskaya]

WoW! How Awesome! all of it, including dream studio:-) I love it and enjoyed it also. tu:-)

[@ashleybrock5228]

💚

[@zigulimiguli]

...works that reminds me of Serbian/Montenegro artist /painter Tadija Janičić ... 🙏🌹❤️

[@olafsager6056]

An artist is anyone who is looking for art. And a museum viewer is someone who is looking to something of somebody who declares that he has seen art. Louisiana can't look to art either, they are looking to someone who has been seen in the contest of art.

[@jasmines2773]

What song is playing at the end?

[@andrewwilson4733]

big big fan! I thought this doc would be a bit funnier to match the absurdity of the work but still great

[@andrewwilson4733]

hes the king of painting grass blades

[@taylorj6177]

For some reason the word "pickle" comes to mind when I look at that picture

[@Earthdepartment]

I like his work

[@charlesbeloved7951]

Why? They look like children’s paintings

[@reubenyebra4002]

He's on the right path

[@grahammcfelin340]

Dear calvin,your green screens blew my mind,. ... "Sublime"... wish i thought of that .Bulbous pallid flesh, distended proboscis on a tufted verge, against milk white zero infinite void . Wish i thought of that, Thanks for a butchers. Arts a trip . Bon voyage

[@maggierobertson4518]

It’s so distracting to interview him in front of that disturbing painting.

[@antonionegrini5252]

yeah

[@ctrla31]

🥰🍂

[@BobPagani]

I like the chicken/face work. I don't care if it has "deep meaning" or no meaning at all. It's just very odd and imaginative and that's enough for me.

[@dynasoar5]

he looks so much older than he is

[@robertabrahamsen9076]

I sniff a fat government grant.

[@BobPagani]

Odd fetish but, hey, no kink shaming here.

[@lunellkruger2981]

I think life amuses you

[@huneremin6333]

Childish it is!

[@KpxUrz5745]

Nice enough guy, but I seriously don't think Art is his field. I won't elaborate because it is clear that no constructive criticism will help.

[@rcronico1]

i'm curious about this comment. I appreciate your take. Can you expand though? What makes him fall short in your eyes?

[@KpxUrz5745]

@@rcronico1 As I stated, it's of little value to elaborate. Consider a person who imagines himself to be an artist, but who cannot draw, paint, or sculpt. And yet, who goes on to produce self-featuring videos to promote himself as an artist. Based on many decades of experience in this field of fine arts, I simply see nothing at all of interest or value here. Could the problem be as basic as already having too much money, therefore no need to develop any real skills? That's all I wish to say about this, too much time already spent on nothing.

[@KpxUrz5745]

@@JorgenVonStrngle Would you be happier if I had said "appears in self-featuring videos" instead of "produce self-featuring videos"? That is pointless semantics. In any case, he agrees to be the featured artist here, and certainly relishes the promotion of himself and his so-called art. Nothing I said makes any sense? So if I said he does not have the skills to draw or paint, obviously you think he DOES have those skills! Just take a look! Without listing my countless credentials in this field, I am quite certain that what I said is fully accurate. All we need is eyes and a brain to know that.

[@KpxUrz5745]

@@JorgenVonStrngle Rage?? Haha, you crack me up. Nothing I said rises to the level of “rage”. And, yes, my pointing out this guy's serious lack of artistic talents is not just intended about him. It is also a comment on the larger sad state of the present Art World, where “everyone gets a trophy”, and where people concoct all sorts of justifications and word-play to pretend that non-artists are actually artists. Why do they do this? Certainly it is to make more room for incompetence since competent artists are too rare to support the larger marketplace they would like. As for this being a “long passed debate”, well, that is patently untrue and amounts to more proof of my point. Untalented people are still, in the end, untalented, and in no way deserve our time or notice. I have works in museums and many important collections, won lots of top awards, and generally have an extensive background and education in actual fine art, so I don't see your justification for assuming otherwise. I suggest we drop this little storm in a teacup, because neither of us is making any headway. I was just fine after making my first innocuous comment, and was willing to leave it at that, but as usual, we often have to hear objections from the Peanut Gallery.

[@mariussrr4890]

@KpxUrz5745 Where is your trophy?

[@augopen]

Almost disgusting... adding intensity... by the way that pink protruding thing looks like it really hurts a lot

[@danthomas6587]

It's a mushroom. Upside down.

[@markfeiritear]

youre a journalist. point your art at revolution. i respect your work youre very direct. youre not your parents though.

[@ZetaReticulian]

His “art” skills, technically speaking are a mature as fuck.

[@biocykle]

A bit like your writing skills. What was that again?

[@KamiBlue]

Far from good...is that impolite?

[@quocduyphilip3617]

Terrible minds. Why ??!!

[@hd-xc2lz]

Meh. More doodle and cartoon fragments blown up to fit ten foot canvasses. This is the academic painting of our day, this is an artist sadly unwilling to challenge the status quo and think for himself.

[@glenncambray626]

Agree. How is it that people think this stuff is interesting?

[@Woozah]

he's scared of style

[@charmagnevasquez3396]

He’s not constrained by others’ opinions, or society’s decision that we artists are supposed to have “a style”. Style is a subjective paradigm.

[@TenTenJ]

Just a pretentious guy obsessed with phallic images and events.

[@charlesbeloved7951]

A white artist gentrifying a Latino neighborhood because he couldn’t quite afford Beverly Hills… 🤢

[@hd-xc2lz]

Latinos own the neighborhood? Should whites also not shop in this Latino neighborhood's stores? Should whites not purchase products produced in this Latino neighborhood?

[@RR-ob8ze]

It’s so bad. Nice home/studio though

[@biocykle]

What's "bad"?

[@RR-ob8ze]

@@biocykle just his skill. I think it’s funny, but it’s generally pretty bad even as sartorial work goes. Jamien Juliano Villano or Paul McCarthy are better comical artists. Hell, even Robert Nava produces better “shitty” art. This guy just has money & the right connections, not much substance but hey.. there’s a market & place for that too! All love here, but we are all entitled to an opinion/critique.

[@dparqui]

That Is too 60' imagen nothing new AND he doesn"t nothing to say. Is too simple when you know historia of art.

[@Noobetron5001]

Imagine actually thinking any of this is good. “yOu JuSt dOnT uNdErStAnD aRt”

[@biocykle]

having an imaginary argument with yourself about some art you don't like?

[@adeaddog42069]

Sadly, All the best art has been made already.

[@mikoe5851]

You clearly don't know what you're talking about.

[@Isaac-wu4sj]

Such a funny thought to have. I’d love to hear you elaborate

[@adeaddog42069]

@@mikoe5851 You can enjoy the painting of the cats asshole if you want

[@adeaddog42069]

@@Isaac-wu4sj no

[@KirillaMihai]

@@Isaac-wu4sj as ignorant and simple minded as Mario Dante’s comment sounds, based on what is popular today, ( this guys art) in comparison of what was done in the past, he is not wrong. referring to, quality, subject mater, technique, a lot of aspects and attributes deteriorated within today’s standards. In my opinion this artist ads nothing towards art development, he is a person with observational skills but not to the extension as being a note worthy artist. It saddens me to see “ meh “ artists put in privileged positions promoting mediocrity, but hurt people whining over it without any valid arguments and other people praising this type of naive painting considering it something worthy of attention.

[@DMTRVK]

When there's lack of real ideas, some west european art tend to search itself in good old freudism... boring/empty as it is. Meanwhile , there are lots of great artists making real stuff, but LC chooses what goes in the stream of rubbish art.

[@rcronico1]

i appreciate this kind of comment, because it's more of a conversation that the million other "wow, amazing art" comment on the LC videos. Can you expand on it more? Is this guy considered Western Euro, and if so, expand on the freudism angle

[@haret0n]

some painters, like francis bacon or david hockney are great to listen to because they have original minds and fabulous chat. some painters just aren't. this guy is beyond boring. cute looking though.

[@biocykle]

Well hey, it's not entertainment. It's a visual artist talking about his work. Which is very often not an easy feat

[@Woozah]

Every artist is a person first of all. You can't reduce complex personalities down to media appearences. for fucks sake why am i even trying to talk to these people. go watch reruns of celebrity trials

[@jaimet1268]

Boring

[@joedavis4150]

... Clearly fellatio...... me, I want to be far from police....... if you want some nice art, look up Ojibwe animal paintings.