Why do you show that SHIT?

Running a gallery certainly has its moments. I am blessed with the bluntness of some of the visitors to the gallery.

Sometimes they shock me. As I am sure I shock them with some of the art on display.

Art.

What makes ART good and what makes it shit?

Recently an individual came to the gallery and had some pretty heavy comments. Why do you show that SHIT! These comments are expressed more than once. And they are directed to every artist at some moment in time. Art does that. For whatever reason.

OK. Deep breath. Inner Peace. Let me talk about Shannon Lee's Key Board Art. Not wishing to single her work out. As I have more negative comments about other works in the gallery more than her work.

How do I show her work. What is it about Shannon's Keyboards that inspire me? So much so that I spend my days showing them in my gallery.

As I type this blog. As I sit in front of my computer, as I write emails to friends and family. I reflect. We surf the internet... trying to find something... most of us watch porn, do work, job, look at images, chat to our friends... the keyboard is something we all touch.

The keyboard is more than a keyboard. It is something we all interact with. We are all connected to this device. It is something that we use. Abuse and eventually dispose of. Millions of keyboards are dumped. Old. Not Fresh. They are in every landfill everywhere. We have a real love/hate relationship with our keyboards.

When I first was presented with Shannon's art work. I held back. I was not really jumping over the moon. I did not know what to make of them.

Over the last many months, I have come to understand and appreciate them more each day. Shannon manages to explore this device from so many angles: Humour, Joy, LOVE, Anger, Frustration, Insight, Fun, Rage... She has so much joy and creativity and it is explored when she interacts with these objects. Her creativity continues to be honest, pure, generous, ugly, beautiful, everything all the time. Her work always tickles my fingers when I type....on my keyboard.

with love

Patrick