Week 11 - Bill Riley

How has Bill Riley's art shifted from themes of the commercial to community?

Riley's work has shifted in emphasis but has demonstrated many continuous themes throughout his career. An aspect of his work which I admire is the way he considers painting as a process and works almost sculpturally, considering physical and conceptual themes, with a strong emphasis on the materials he uses and the method in which he works. He rejects imagery in his work, considering it an invitation for a viewer to read paintings fundamentally as what the images are, concentrating instead on a minimalist style which reflects his values.

Although Riley enjoys the process of painting, he is frustrated with the idea that a viewer judges a painting by the skill of the artist and does not necessarily look deeper. He comments that painting has an 'identity as the be all & end all of art' & presents the question; what is a painting? He dislikes the politics surrounding the medium - what it represents, how it is displayed in galleries, long traditions of social and historical connotations, etc. It has become so commodified, and he experiments of pushing the structure of a traditional painting to test where the boundaries are.

It has been commented that Riley's earlier works on aluminium display an 'avoidance of signifiers for manuality.' This reflects his distain of judgement of paintings by skill of the painter, working in other ways to convey conceptual meanings. His earlier works utilise materials such as glass & aluminium, but throughout his practice, his use of materiality has naturally shifted along with his leading concepts. I am drawn to both his early works experimenting with painting as a medium and a commodity, as well as his more recent works which consider environmental issues. I like the concept of layering paint up to 1cm onto perspex, yet light still passing through and bouncing back, differing to the traditional painting which light bounces off, and this idea of a work appearing normal from one angle, yet standing out from another. It was around this time, however, when he had made several works along similar lines of experimentation with such concepts, that he became more so frustrated with the careers available for contemporary painters, such as the way in which they are build in commercial galleries. I interpreted his view as thus; creating art for commercial identities removes that special, soulful element which differentiates each artist, creating art to fit into a mould, almost violating a painter for his skill as opposed to embracing his creativity. Art, as a career, will almost always inevitably evolve from a deep love of the process, so I can understand his frustration that at the creative rights being interrupted. He states a commissioned artwork for a hotel foyer as an example - buyers want artwork to suit their requirements, not necessarily the work demonstrating a true essence of an artist, which brings us neatly back to this question Riley is preoccupied with - what is art? Riley's work rebels against traditional ideas of painting, and this rebellions grows & evolves throughout his career.

'I had constantly, and still do, question its value and validity as a contempory art practice. What could one do with it any more? Would it forever founder in its own easily consumerable nature?' - Bill Riley

From this point, Riley became more rebellious in his making. For example, the stencils used in one of his works cost only $1.00, yet he cannot afford his own paintings. It is an 'up yours' to this 'art world' which dictates his creations. He has allowed this, yet charged highly, as he is able to. He also created works which delved deeper into this formal redress, avoiding conventional methods, for example by laying paint skins over the top of each other, removing the brush stroke entirely, pulling apart this concept of a 'painting', also removing the structure, whether it be the gallery or the frame, and questioning the painting's value after the removal of this. Displaying a painting in a gallery automatically invites a decorative theme - he rejects this.

'..my problematic relationship with it - as an artist who feels art should be a social or political conduit - has always centered around the paradox of its easy consumability and thus the ease at which it appears to be identified as product or desirable object. However, its longevity, its ability to reassert itself and constantly evolve has kept me persuing its many variations and kept me trying to pinpoint its 'truth' as a medium.' - Riley

Circa this time, Riley was inspired by Kasimir Malevich, and his work Red Square is a direct homage to this artist. There are obvious parallels in the simplicity, rejection of imagery and emphasis on the concept. Malevich 'was able to paint in the peasant style', falling in line with this rejection of a painter being judged by skill. He has commented that 'art can advance and develop for art's sake alone, regardless of its pleasure.' Riley advanced concepts of what a painting is, regardless of the fact that he may have been driven (at this time) by frustration.

Black Square, Kasimir Malevich, 1915

I was also interested in Riley's reference to films made about Picasso and Pollock in which he perceived them to be represented as 'performing monkeys' at the whim of the commissioner, their independence removed, prompting him to create some works on mirrors - by end end of the painting, the artist has removed his own image.

Riley then stopped working for about two years. This need for a break reminded me of the shift which occurred in Steve Lovett's work when he became too angsty about the subjects of his earlier practice and decided to change direction. Perhaps inspired by his love of surfing and his child being born, when Riley returned to art, it was driven by a different passion - that of the environment. Rather than considering politics of art, he concentrates on the politics of the environmental issues of the oceans, demonstrating styles developed through his earlier career to rebel against a different 'evil'. Materiality has always been intrinsic in his reflection of concept, thus he moved towards using recycled materials. He states the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as a passionate cause. It is an organization which I also support strongly!

Sea Shepherd's Mission Statement

"Established in 1977, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organization. Our mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world's oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species.

Sea Shepherd uses innovative direct-action tactics to investigate, document, and take action when necessary to expose and confront illegal activities on the high seas. By safeguarding the biodiversity of our delicately-balanced ocean ecosystems, Sea Shepherd works to ensure their survival for future generations."

Riley's work began to work directly with these concerns, collecting materials from sources such as packaging companies which would otherwise be discarded, and utilizing these to create his art. The paint industry is one of the most toxic, & Riley gives this paint which would otherwise be dumped a new purpose, whilst ensuring to involve the communities who donate such materials with his exhibitions, thus conveying his message to the relevant audience. In a way, this work reminded me of Frances Hansen's; she works on a smaller, more personal scale, but in particular her project of collecting her rubbish every day for a week & drawing attention to our destructive consumer culture. I love the way Riley reaches out to the world in attempt to change it, & see this as an important element of art; art movements throughout history have often been pioneers in social/political change. Although it seems to me that the world is caught in this consumer culture & pushing for change is hopeless, I value the importance of any impact it may have, particularly as he is working with people of the industries.

References:

Bill Riley, Lecture at MSVA, 11th October 2010
http://www.artbash.co.nz/article.asp?id=1108#com5882
http://www.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/projects/images/469218
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazimir_Malevich
http://www.artnews.co.nz/previous/29-2/29-2-feature-article.html
http://www.seashepherd.org/