Izat Arif
2024
Enamel Paint on engraved acrylic
40 x 40 x 5 cm
2024
In 2022, Gary Neville, a small-time football club footballer turned entrepreneur/pundit, was ridiculed when he mentioned on a podcast that he would often take “mini-retirements” on weekends throughout the year in order to take time off his busy and gruelling work commitments. According to Neville, these “mini retirements” have helped him recover from fatigue and kept his mental health in check. This acts asa disturbing reminder of the amount of work we must put ourselves through to achieve our goals and success in life.
As artists, we are faced with many obstacles within our practice. Some are life-and-death situations but others are smaller hiccups that, when accumulated, can present as stumbling blocks. I call these hiccups, “mini deaths.”
Death by Wall Plug: When one attempts to insert a wall plug into a hole drilled using a bit that is one size too big the plug may fit but the hanging artwork may also drop and break. Death.
Death by Rejection Email: After putting a lot of effort into writing proposals for prestigious residencies and funding bodies, a rejection email can serve as a reality check––or, a mini death. Your work is not good enough. Death.
Death by Submission Deadline: You never miss a deadline. But, you always start late. Death.
Death by Bubble Wrap: We are taught from a very young age not to put plastic in our mouths. Do not swallow bubble wrap. It can lead to suffocation. Death.
Death by 10% Discount: A discount on your work can affect whether you will be able to survive that week, month, year, decade or even millennia. Death.
Death by Press Release: To make your exhibition interesting, a 200-word statement must be written. Depending on the tone of your statement, you might disappoint people. Death.
Death by Private View: If you do not have any experience in public speaking or do not feel comfortable socialising with certain members of the audience, you will feel a certain discomfort. Alcohol can facilitate this. But, without it? Death.
Death by Natural Disaster: “Oh sorry, I can’t make it tonight. There is a typhoon going on outside my window and a huge tree has just crushed my car. I’ll catch you another time.” This is the best option. But still, Death.
This device serves as a wheel of misfortune, as a way to communicate the many “mini deaths” an artist may face during the course of their artistic practice. Spin the arrow and choose how an artist can die.
Exhibited in Level 13A, A+ Works of Art at Hotel Art Fair Bangkok, InterContinental Bangkok Sukhumvit, 6-8 Sept 2024