A Man Walks into An Art Gallery…

Press/Media: Research

Description

“It’s a bit like a sketch of someone trying to ask for something in a plumber’s merchant but they don’t know the name of it, and the plumber’s merchant is gently ridiculing them for not having the right language.” Mick Peter is speaking over the phone from his home in Dennistoun, the muffled hoots of children audible in the background. I’ve suggested that his practice expresses an unusual degree of solidarity with that sense of confusion, even mild scorn, which a large portion of the public feels on encountering contemporary art. The analogy he chooses to describe his own work suggests he’s more interested in narrating the encounter than taking sides, but the stolidly non-artistic reference point tells its own story. Threaded throughout Peter’s practice is a desire to remove the aura of difficulty or rarefication that pervades the gallery space; the aim is not to denigrate contemporary art but to pose questions about its function, its relationship to society and economics, in a way that feel open and democratic.

Period22 Feb 2021

Media coverage

1

Media coverage

  • TitleA Man Walks into An Art Gallery…
    Media name/outletScottish Art News
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date22/02/21
    Description“It’s a bit like a sketch of someone trying to ask for something in a plumber’s merchant but they don’t know the name of it, and the plumber’s merchant is gently ridiculing them for not having the right language.” Mick Peter is speaking over the phone from his home in Dennistoun, the muffled hoots of children audible in the background. I’ve suggested that his practice expresses an unusual degree of solidarity with that sense of confusion, even mild scorn, which a large portion of the public feels on encountering contemporary art. The analogy he chooses to describe his own work suggests he’s more interested in narrating the encounter than taking sides, but the stolidly non-artistic reference point tells its own story. Threaded throughout Peter’s practice is a desire to remove the aura of difficulty or rarefication that pervades the gallery space; the aim is not to denigrate contemporary art but to pose questions about its function, its relationship to society and economics, in a way that feel open and democratic.
    Producer/AuthorGreg Thomas
    URLhttps://www.flemingcollection.com/scottish_art_news/news-press/a-man-walks-into-an-art-gallery
    PersonsMichael Peter