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murmurART

art advisory - looking for something specific or help in finding work by early career artists. contact info@murmurart.com
Review Oct 27 2008 « | »
www.julianopieshop.com "Making just one postage stamp or flip book would seem silly. Museums and galleries are recent inventions and are......

James Honey

"Making just one postage stamp or flip book would seem silly. Museums and galleries are recent inventions and are great places to show art, but CD covers are also good, as are mantelpieces and books and invite cards and banners and city streets. It has been a frustration to see so much effort go into some of these projects, particularly exhibition catalogues and then find that they rapidly become unavailable except for a few in cardboard boxes in the basement." (Julian Opie)

Julian Opie is one of the most well known and popular contemporary artists working in Britain today. His style of work has been influential to the art scene, not only due to its method of creation but also because of its accessibility to the general public and its shameless attempt to splinter the rickety pedestal that 'high' art sits so plumply upon.

With the opening of his new online shop, never before has Julian been so nakedly exposed to ridicule or indeed capital gain. They often go hand in hand when it comes to creativity in any form, especially in art. It is difficult, however, for one to question an artist's pedigree when they have work held in many major museum collections across the world including The Tate and MoMA. Question they will though, that is a certainty.

In a world of mass production why shouldn't art be seen in any form? After all who doesn't see the Mona Lisa on a T-shirt or a mug before they get the chance to see the real thing? If indeed they are fortunate enough to get the chance to see the real thing at all. So is this surely not a better way of flooding the world around us with more exciting and inspiring objects? This is an age old debate within the art world. Ever since photography, or even printmaking, reared its wide eyed head the questions have been re-iterating at a matching pace.

In an interesting excerpt from Julian Opie's Tate gallery publication in 2004, he states that he is interested in the 'balance of the generic and the specific' hence his reduction to lines and repeated movements. This is his personal desire to step outside of the 'specific' gallery environment and its often stagnant pond of simplicity and to embrace different mediums and less obvious platforms.

Whatever your stance on this situation and the credibility of the artist's articulate explanations, I am plenty sure the online shop will be of interest to you. Especially if you are after a baby bib, fridge magnet or a desirable wall sticker! Visit the site here.

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