Exhibitions
The International Art Show for the End of World Hunger (Barbican, till 2 October) New Realists (Berkeley Square Gallery, till 3 September)
Cause for dissent
Giles Auty
Solutions to the problems of world hunger are no less various than its causes. Inefficiency, under-capitalisation, poor distiibution and over-rigid political regim- es number among the latter no less surely than war, drought, greed or basic in- humanity. Consider then the title of Walter Dahn's contribution to The International Art Show for the End of World Hunger bOW on view at the Barbican: 'Man Crying because Capitalism is the most Barbaric of All Religions, It Creates and Tolerates World Hunger'.
I must confess I do not like the art world when it wears a moral hat. As a community it is no more ethical in its operations or less hypocritical in its assumptions than scores of comparable human associations — nor should one expect it to be. All right- thinking people are opposed to the suffer- ing caused anywhere by lack of adequate nutrition. Most of us do less than we might to alleviate matters or to help fund the good offices of those charities or national or international agencies already in the field. On occasion individuals are moved by justified impatience to try to short- circuit the inconvenient slowness and com- plexity of human operations in this imper- fect world. Bob Geldof, I am sure, would have wise reflections to offer on this subject. Few who take the initiative are likely to have a complete grasp of the problems to which they address them- selves, but are no less welcome or neces- sary for that. In the course of an essay which forms part orthe exhibition's lavish catalogue, Peter Schjeldahl writes: `One art element of The International Art Show for the End of World Hunger is as real as we know the hunger to be. By this means, again, an awful absence is effectively, poetically bracketed. Not "poor art for poor people" — as the painter Ashile Gorky characte- rised a typical, sort of socially motivated exhibition — this show opts for splendid art to match the intensity of the world's most crying want.'
Would that the latter qualitative claim were true, or that the catalogue could afford to omit its list of some 600 group and individual benefactors. Viewed solely as an exhibition, its artistic worth leaves much to be desired, however modish many of the contributors have been held to be within the hierarchy of recent art: Beuys, Chia, Clemente, Golub, Immendorff, Penck, Richter, Rothenburg & co. Fortunately only some of these artists contribute verbal statements as well as visual, since words are not necessarily their medium either. The notion of linking too directly certain much-feted artists, over the true worth of whom question marks continue to hover, with a genuinely worthy cause strikes me as a dubious one. Does the cause add credi- bility to the artists' questionable standing? Or does lack of consensus about this affect the credibility of the cause itself? A num- ber of the artists in this exhibition are among those from whom I would least like advice about the conduct of my own life or that of others. I do not suggest we should choose causes by the tact and sensitiveness of their presentation but I must admit my sympathy and support would have been the greater if I could have escaped actually seeing this particular show.
At a time of year when worthwhile exhibitions are traditionally thin on the Art wearing a moral hat: Antonio Segui's 'Comida para Todos' ('Food for Everybody') ground, it is a pleasure to recommend New Realists at Berkeley Square Gallery (23A Bruton Street, W1). For those unlucky enough to have stayed in England during this damp tail-end of summer, there is satisfaction to be found in the dedicated professionalism and solid virtues of Tony Bream, whose paintings might be appreci- ated by almost anyone's grandchildren. I imagine many London galleries would be glad to show accomplished young artists such as Andrew Hemingway, Paul Riley and Fred Yocum, the last of whom sent in an excellent entry to last year's Spectator/ Adam & Co. Art Prize. This year's com- petition was announced in last week's issue and one hopes that young artists such as those mentioned already will enter. Gal- lery owners and other readers can help, too, by pointing youngish (under 40) pain- ters they admire in our direction. Here is a genuinely open competition which aims to restore credibility to the art prize. Aspiring artists should write for entry forms to: Art Prize, The Spectator, 56 Doughty Street, London WC1N 2LL.
Previous page
