The Trapped Artist Paradox

They say an artist’s mind can hold heavens but what if these ‘heavens’ are just a compendium of contradictions? The paradox that plagues them and embeds itself like ancient runes. The paradox of many artists is the Trapped Artist Paradox, where their own work becomes their noose. These paradoxes entrap an artist, spirals them to their downfall and claim its victims such as punk artist, Kurt Cobain from Nirvana and street artist, Banksy. “Cobain seemed to give wearied voice to the despondency of the generation that had come after history, where every move was anticipated, tracked and sold before it even happened.” Quoted Mark Fisher, from Capitalist Realism. Kurt Cobain flourished as a punk artist yet decayed in his own personal life, in his own obsessive art. Cobain’s detested MTV which was an example of this paradox. The more he professed his angst, be it on his own commodification, the more worth was bestowed upon the commodity. This trap slithered its way up till Cobain’s death and churned it like venom. The claws of this paradox raked through Banksy as well. Albeit, his rage was not as haphazard as Cobain’s. Banksy not only targeted the art market with themes as old as 1914, authoritarianism, greed and poverty. This is expressed- by art critic Robert Hughes- with the sentiment that art has not become a “property to humankind” but rather the “property of those who can afford it.” The art market puts value on art pieces

The Trapped Artist Paradox

that they become “rare commodities.” This can be like the sides of a coin, a right investment to some and a dejection to others. For if we truly see it, art is now viewed not through the eyes of beauty but rather through the lenses of the wealth it makes for its creator. This imposes a grave hindrance on our appreciation of art and we are unable to dissociate between the price tag estimated by the elite and the value of the art by the artist. Art is bought to resell, as an investment, as a corporate object but that is not really art is it? Art encompasses universes and kingdoms, histories, stories, poetry, humankind and humankind cannot be bought as an investment, bad or good, expensive or cheap. We have a wonderful example of Banksy’s experiment where he anonymously sold his art as regular pieces without his name attached to the artwork. While the artwork drew interest some were bought while others walked by without a purchase. Had Banksy advertised his name, his art would have been sold to hundreds, because the brand Banksy would have overshadowed his art. The paradox lies in the fact that neither the art market nor MTV cares as much for the art or its creator but the monetary value it stands for. This is what fuels Banksy’s protest against the art market as does Kurt Cobain’s lyrics. Yet it is this very rebellion that funnels more money into the coffers of those the artists detest. For nothing sells more on the market than commodities against the market. And thus, it continues the fight for the love of art like an endless Greek tragedy.