I was kicked out of artschool for practicing the schools own system of democratic checks, and balances on power, power abused. The art school sent our class complaint to oblivion and kicked the messengers arse, mine to the curb. I wasn't able to walk around that as if it didn't happen. "Pretending the last 100 years of art haven't happened"

 

I need to say that the last 5 years I've spent in Ōtepoti Dunedin, I've felt overtly ignored by Dunedin City Gallery. Which is an enormous cliche yes but it hides for me unfortunately a reality that needs to be articulated, as much as I understand why it is not believed, whose wide generalness could articulate some common consiousness at the heart of art and art making, Yes this also exists... however if I may examine in detail one aspect of the experience for a moment, while you squirm or not...

I have fused my art practice with my identity as a Democratic Socialist on Welfare Artist. Between these four and others I bounce around trying out my own versions of what I understand. But it is not unfair to criticize that I have anchored my subjective gestures with an issue that can not be ignored. This is heavy going, preaching fascistic like, it could look like emotional black mail. Particularly true of those that practice such, emotional black mail, on a daily basis of normal existence. That I'm just some Kitch crowd pleaser fondling himself in public. Trying to be capitaliscious famous. I mean it makes sense since the Director at my first Dunedin City gallery opening, where I alone, introduce myself to the Director, "oh, you'll be here to make a name for yourself then" and walks off.

This with a series of disappointing scenes in other venues, art, socially and musically, has culminated in impacting on an exile already articulated in various interviews I've given lately. As an artist post 'Beneficiary's Office', before, the office of poor dirty bludgers exposing hard core capitalist oppression; I was invited to show in mainstream galleries, Adam Art Gallery, Enjoy Art Gallery, Wellington, Artspace and City Gallery Auckland, Govett Brewster in New Plymouth, now I am not.

Hasn't slown me down. But has sent me into a 'different' cycles of thoughts, that I am very happy to inhabit. My sense of being rejected was complete, it combined with several other catastrophes that were also being orchestrated through that time line, my lack of healthy mental health training was truly catching up with me, despite my best intentions, and studious efforts to avoid.

But GOd Damn the below is good, good stuff, of the right stuff, what I want to see, want to hear happening. As painful as all of that turned into being. It's still the truth and it was the culmination of 17 years of practice, where I consciously used the principles of Democratic practice in an examination of what is and what is not. I was kicked out of artschool for practicing the schools own system of democratic checks, and balances on power, power abused. The art school sent our class complaint to oblivion and kicked the messengers arse, mine to the curb.

I wasn't able to walk around that as if it didn't happen.

"Pretending the last 100 years of art haven't happened"

Chris Kraus and Tao Wells In Conversation from Wells Group on Vimeo.

Wells Tao

I am so excited about my new work coming out I can hardly stand it.

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Wells Tao

Cheers Jody

Dibid Babid

A living piece of art is you

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Wells Tao

Dibid Babid ha yes, trying to act out what we all is, all know already are doing...

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Erica Duthie

Just listened again to this - powerful. Enjoy the way you describe how the structure of society was revealed to you in the way you have traversed it with this lived experience and this led to you make the embodied protest of your welfare work. Brave. Didn't realise you had a rocky art school exit, mine wasn't pretty either. Think they wanted to get rid of me too.

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Wells Tao

Thanks Erica, I remember seeing you, the way you were working, how it wasn't in just one genre. I felt you must have had the grades cause they seemed to listen to you, give you room. I think I was envious of you, I certainly started to work the way I wanted to, across multiple genre's. Though I didn't have the FINT year grades. Team subconscious marked for annihilation.

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Erica Duthie

Yeah well that is really nice to hear - thanks Tao. Actually in third year they chucked out my entire years work, and were so causal about it I got angry and demanded the pay me$ in compensation. Then in final year I negotiated to display my work in the Sculpture dept and was informed, after the work was installed that I couldn't have the space 3 days before the marking. So refused to install any in my little printmaking workspace.. as you can imagine.. this turned out brilliantly for me. Got a passing grade just enough to get me gone - I wavered with challenging them again - but instead drew a line though all this and let it go by taking up skydiving and leaving the country. I didn't go to capping and have had a push pull with fine arts ever since. Still angry, if it wasn't for support from visiting artists who validated what i was trying to do I don't think I would have stuck to my guns at art school. And now after 25 years of advocating for a different kind of inclusive art and refusing to make precious products - I am transitioning again as I admit a desire to make some art that might need an educated audience instead of all and sundry cause my ideas and the qualities I enjoy are fine arty.... the rub

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Wells Tao

Erica Duthie ha! yes the rub. yeah I should have found support. All I remember is the feeling of free fall (sky diving lol!) The shock of being abused by ones senior superiors for participating in their own court rigmaroles. Ideally there was probably a students association that I was suppose to contact and notify what was happening, but yeah, I was so shocked at the reaction, the petty egotistical violence of it. That they could act that way with such clear impunity, without any fear, disproportionately I represented a threat way beyond the realm of our little class complaint. A theme no doubt you too triggered.

Wells Tao

It was like by existing, democratically, equally, the message I was carrying, threatened, by the terms of the response, the very core authority of the Schools allowance to exist. Which appeared to be by divine right of their own rules and the unquestionable way in which they implemented.

Wells Tao

duh!

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Kristelle Plimmer

Being kicked out of art school is, or should be, a badge of honor, like being kicked out of Catholic school.

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Wells Tao

Ha yes I have certainly used the notoriety to fuel my own practice, but the cliche hides the detail of what was operating and most likely, the culture of what is still going on. I'm not a reformist, anymore, but I do enjoy pointing out the obvious masters of my competition.

Kristelle Plimmer

Wells Tao the culture persists - some are selected as the chosen ones and the rest are left floundering.

Wells Tao

I'd like to see the natural environment of that flounder be defended, uplifted and celebrated

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