I am an artist and writer living and working in London with experience in curating exhibitions, education projects and project events.
Early work and training in sculpture and performance at Glasgow School of Art led to an interest in how art is created and distributed, its manufacture, performativity and markets, and in the possibility of an art that has no material basis. Artists, curators and critics are generally too caught up in an object obsessed conception of art, thinking about what art is rather than what art actually does. Art, for me, is a lived activity separate and independent from any objects which may be produced during its processes. My practice is an ongoing activity, generally involving only undocumented dialogue, which does not produce material objects.
Current interests include David Bohm, Lee Lozano, Suzi Gablik and R.D. Laing. My interest in them is that of an amateur and I do not make work 'about' any of them or their thoughts.
I make art through dialogue. I stopped making objects in 1999 and, although I have no plans to make objects again, I could never rule it out. This lack of material production includes documentation of events I have organised, and I have no 'proof' that any of the projects that happened in my practice - and are described on this site - ever took place. Part of my interest in this practice is the event-ness or live aspect of activity and how it can never be recorded outside of a basic visual depiction, and how this depiction then becomes a canonical object standing in for that event. I believe it is better, for me, in my practice, to speak carefully with one person than speak to a large group. This website functions more as a recollection of the events I have taken part in and organised, and should not be considered as a document of activity, although what you want to do with it is out of my control. To experience one of my pieces that has passed, find someone who went along and ask them what it was like.
I have done some work on Resonance 104.4FM radio and, at the moment, I'm not sure how podcasting and broadcast fits into the rest of my practice; but its enjoyable and interesting. Past projects have included Speakeasy, a monthly artist peer mentoring and discussion group which ran for a little over 2 years, and Show Me The Monet for Resonance 104.4FM. At the Frieze Art Fair in 2006 I co-produced and commissioned sound artworks for For Love and Money, again with Resonance 104.4FM with artist Joanna Callaghan.
Full details on my current and past projects can be found elsewhere in this site.
62 Eastway, London E9 5JH // hello@russellmartin.org.uk