Garth Evans is central to the narrative of British sculpture. He relocated to the U.S.A. in 1979.
Over one hundred one-person exhibitions of Evans’s work have been held. His work included in major public collections, including M.O.M.A and the Tate Gallery. Publications on Evans’s work include Garth Evans, Sculpture, Beneath the Skin, edited by Ann Compton. Evans has significant reputation as a teacher and was one of the primary architects of the now legendary “A” course, St. Martin’s School of Art, London, 1969 – 1973.
Art, whatever it takes – Since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, RomeArtProgram has been conducting the interview series “Art, Whatever It Takes”: Artists, Art Critics & Art Historians living in Italy, the US & the UK share their insights during these powerful times.
-> Garth Evans interview:
RomeArtProgram: What is your definition of “art” today?
-> Garth Evans: For myself, Art is the embodiment of experience.
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RAP: Art is dynamic and regenerates itself… How does it change and how did it change us?
-> Garth: Art contributes to the structuring of our senses and the understanding of what it is to be human.
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RAP: What role does art play today?
-> Garth: I think it is helpful to distinguish between the way art functions in the commercial realm and the way it operates in the realm of ideas and values. In the commercial realm it reinforces the status quo but it is more useful to regard it as an arena in which our ideas about who we are and what we value are negotiated.
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RAP: What would you recommend to an ’emerging artist’ today?
-> Garth: Learn to be honest in your work and be courageous.
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RAP: How have new technologies & media culture changed art today?.. improving or worsening it…? …challenges?
-> Garth: New technologies and new media offer great opportunities while they also have the potential to separate us from ourselves, from our feelings, from our humanity and from the physical world on which we depend.
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RAP: Understanding, interpreting, and then possibly judging the ‘work of art’; what is the right path when confronted with a work of art?
-> Garth: Take time, first experience the work, listen, and allow the work to speak to you. “Judgement’ comes later.
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RAP: What is the real role of Academies and Art schools today? What can artists learn from these institutions today?
-> Garth: They are keepers of tradition and can be conservative gate keepers. At their best they are communities of support.
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RAP: How do Art Galleries and Museums position themselves today, and, in your opinion, how should they?
-> Garth: There used to be a clear distinction between the role of a museum and that of a commercial gallery, unfortunately this distinction is increasingly blurred!
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RAP: Can Art save us?
-> Garth: Yes! Art can save us – one at a time.
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garthevans.com
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@gevans34
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Art-as-Power
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