Billboards    
Conny Blom  
All Artists Hate Common People
The statement is bold and maybe not 100 percent truthful, but by striking out in two directions it pinpoints a problematic issue. "Common people" (whomever this refers to) are the target for hatred and artists as a group are full of contempt, it claims. It is an aggression in both directions. It is common among artists to think that they are more open-minded and tolerant than other people and that they thereby are licensed to “save” others. It is the artists’ task to point out and try to eliminate discrimination and injustice. But at the same time there is a lot of disapproval for common taste and preferences amongst artists. It is common to smirk at people who follow trends, people who are not aware of trends, people who don’t understand art, people who claim to understand art, people who try to be interested in art, people who don’t try to be interested in art, people who like shopping malls, people who like sports, people who are listening to the wrong music, people who are politically aware (but misguided), people who are not politically aware, people who are not interested in trying foreign food, people who are too passionate about something, people who are not enough passionate, people who are not aware of that something much more important is happening somewhere else right now, etc. Many artists think (or secretly whish) that the uninitiated should restrain from trying to comment upon art and give opinion on what is good art and not. At the same time we see artists acting amateur sociologists, architects, city planners, etc. Many a social art project unintentionally oozes of contempt, as young middle class artists do works in immigrant suburbs, and economically challenged areas. Art that rarely communicate in any real sense with the people it is addressing. The only real result and function of these projects is often to make the artists eligible for grants and biennales.
 
 
Conny Blom  
It is maybe difficult not to be elitist as an artist. Perhaps because it is part of the artistic quest to challenge borders and look for uncharted grounds, as well as finding the ultimate expressions for doing so. With the gaze aimed far away it is easy to step on somebody’s toes.

Due to the "hatred clause" the text had to be changed when the piece was exhibited in Russia. The word "hate" was replaced with the words "do not like".

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Conny Blom