Daniel Martinez Artist Talk

Daniel's discussion on art is unique from any other discussion I have been exposed to. He merges life, teaching, and art into one entity. He begins his lecture by addressing the new technological generation and the affects it has on artists in the 21st century; he asks specifically what it means to be an artist in the 21st century. In general, he says that artists have yet to take advantage of these new technological tools. I've jotted down a few quotes that racked my brain:

"Instead of being afraid of what you don't understand, what happens if you were to embrace it?"
"What is it that we think we're doing and what it is that we're really doing?"
"Is there a need for art, and why are YOU (individually) making art?"
"The problem with modernity is loss of experience...we are at the point where we are losing the memory of having ethics, morals, the things that made us human beings. If humanity gets to the point where we don't remember that first step, then we will be disconnected to our original experience."

He speaks to the fact that the new technological devices of the 21st century don't have souls, and that is the difference between this century and the last.

He also speaks to the problem that there is a loss of empathy, compassion, and humanity in our society today.

He asks what people are going to do in the time between birth and death; "what are you willing to risk to achieve your gola in life?...what are you willing to give up?"

He says: "There's always something wrong; I feel helpless; the only avenue that I have to do what I do, whatever that is, is to make art, because I believe that art ultimately is the last line of defense for the consciousness of this planet, for the consciousness of our species, we artists are the last line."

This is one of the most important subjects that Martinez touches on. What are we going to do in the time that we are alive? Are we going to do something that matters to the world? Are we going to do something that matters to ourselves? Are we going to do nothing at all? And what does that make us? What happens if we do nothing at all? Will we all turn into robots? Is that where we're headed anyways? It's a very interesting topic to ponder. I've heard the phrase "Oh, what I do now doesn't matter, I'm not gonna be alive to see the difference anyways" and it flabbergasts me. How boring of a life to live if you aren't going to do anything just because you in particular aren't going to see the result. How selfish of a life.

Martinez also brings up Nietzsche, and his idea that we need to kill all of the idols and all of the gods that we worship in order for humanity to evolve; and the first idol that needs to be destroyed is the ego inside. We need to ignore ourselves and focus on the meaning of our existence in terms of the world as a whole. Otherwise we will get nowhere. Humanity will get nowhere. Humanity will cease to exist.

Martinez brings up the risks and the limits that surround being an artist. This is when he completely disturbs me and brings up Carravaggio. Apparently, this artist being known for flesh and skin tone in his paintings, visits morgues at night to sample skin from bodies to then grind up and add to his paints. This fact freaked me out. But here is an artist who addresses both risks and limits. What are the limits?

Martinez makes you think. And his art is incredibly interesting. I was amazed to hear that none of his photographs are photoshopped. That means he actually builds his pictures, so to say. He doesn't digitally alter them after they are taken, he uses his mechanical and real life hand skills to create these objects that he simply photographs. It's incredible.

One of the last things he discusses is the merging of human and machine; an idea that we are all familiar with, through sci-fi films and books, and apocalypse movies and stories. He talks about how humans are basically machines that are meant to fulfill their duties. Unlike a toaster, which will always toast for as long as it has a way to toast, humans are meant to destroy themselves. He talks about the time that humans will be immortal. A theory called GNR (genetics, nano tech, robotic) by Ray Curtzwell, says that by 2045 the computer will be able to compute as fast as the human brain. It will not have emotions or sympathy or any of those human characteristics, but it will be able to actually compute as fast as the human brain; it will be very close to being human itself.

Finally, a subject that moved me was his discussion on human on human destruction. He says that humans are animals, that's why we can do horrific things to each other like 911, and any genocide that has happened or happens.
"We say that we're sophisticated and in control of our intellect, but that's not true". He says that if you turn off all the electricity, take away something that society is so used to, there would be chaos and anarchy; "civilized" people would turn into vicious animals and take anything from someone else for their own survival. He talks about how killing makes a lot of money; many of the 48,000 companies who have contracts with the DoD want to keep the country in a constant state of war; in order to make money. Money, money, money. Human civilization isn't important; human life isn't important; human advancement isn't important; it's money. It's depressing.

I gained a lot from Daniel Martinez' artist talk. Like I said, it was different than any artist talk I've experienced. I enjoy seeing other artists' works, but I'd much rather hear what they have to say about humanity, about the world. Martinez is concerned with the world, his works show that, his research shows that, his inspiring discussions show that.