Lee Tribe is a British artist Born London 1945. In 1961 began working steel in the Docks. In 1971 he was accepted as a student at St. Martin’s School of Art, graduating with first class Honors. He then got a Masters Degree at Birmingham Art School. In 1977 he moved to New York. Tribe has exhibited widely achieving many fellowships and awards.
Art, whatever it takes – RomeArtProgram has made interviews with people involved in art, living in Italy, the USA and the UK, to know their feelings during the emergency.
–> Lee Tribe interview:
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RomeArtProgram: What is your definition of “Art” today?
-> Lee Tribe: Art today covers a wider spectrum than ever before. As a result, it has a broader definition. It is essentially a means of communication between the artist and the audience.
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RAP: Art is dynamic and regenerates itself… how does it change, and how did it change us?
-> Lee: Art is indeed dynamic and in current times the emphasis is on change and the new. Bad can now be good, both in behavior and product. At the best of times, it opens doors and offers ways of seeing and thinking. Trends and fashions are dominant. We change with our gains but often at a price.
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RAP: When (and how) did you understand that art was becoming very important in your life?
-> Lee: As a wee child I drew for hours at a time. The desire to create has always been my companion. This took on greater significance when my teachers and peers took my work seriously.
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RAP: What role does art play today? What are the “great figures” who have recently changed it? Do you feel close to any of these figures?
-> Lee: I believe the “great figures” are those who have withstood the test of time. Even that offers questions. The great figures of today, the BIG names could fade away, even become obscure in the near future. My mother used to say, “The cream always rises.” Time is an important factor!
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RAP: Are there still traditional figures such as collectors, muses, mecenate and patrons, in today’s art and society interaction model?
-> Lee: Yes, there are still collectors, etc. today and most artists need them in one way or another. They can help or hinder but remain an integral part of the art world.
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RAP: How have the new technologies and media culture changed art today, improving or worsening it…? What do you feel are your biggest challenges?
-> Lee: New technologies and media are tools in the hands of artists. They are changing art to a greater or lesser extent. Artists might explore directions that others do not go in and in doing so may break new ground. My biggest challenges are much the same as they have always been to do my best and get better. If technology can help in that then I use it.
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RAP: Art as a mirror of man, in this moment of emergency seems to be shattered …what do these fragments reflect now?… Shadow or light of the moment?
-> Lee: Our lifestyles and our interpretation of our experiences do find their way into the things we make even in denial of that fact. Optimism and hope prevail; pessimism has a place at the table too. Art as a mirror of humans is inexorably integral.
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RAP: Understanding, interpreting, and then possibly judging the work of art; which is the right path when we are in front of a piece of art?
-> Lee: Employing knowledge and honesty along with an open mind, to the best of our ability, allows the work to show us a “right path.” Preference and belief have a role in this too.
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RAP: Which is the real role of Academies and Art schools today? What can artists learn from these institutions today?
-> Lee: Learning is the optimum requirement. Art schools bring together people who are of like minds, desires, and passions. From each other they learn. Teachers, people who have experience and have acquired knowledge, find fodder amongst their colleagues and contemporaries, passing this along to those who wish to learn. Knowledge is gained and translated in different styles which relate to each other. Art schools can give a student body an identity. Movements can develop with the sharing of ideas. These schools at best are incubators. They are valid and valuable in today’s tech environment. Some teachers like disciples; others like to open doors.
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RAP: Art too has undergone a complex process of globalization; can having an authentic and genuine style be an advantage or a drag for an artist?
-> Lee: That depends on the artist.
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RAP: How do Art Galleries and Museums position themselves today, and, in your opinion, how should they?
-> Lee: The diversity of one’s visual experiences has been established through going to art galleries and museums. I see this as an essential part of my job and as a consequence my evolution. There is a lot of different stuff out there, in New York City. These institutions and commercial enterprises, down to the current pop-up storefronts , have a place and a role to play. I have little inclination to tell them how they should position themselves. (I do however encourage them to show my work!)
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RAP: “Figuration” vs “Abstraction”: which of the two is better descriptive of the period we live in? Which one will have a better future?
-> Lee: Both abound and I’m glad of it. I find each of them capable of intense fulfillment. Who knows what tomorrow may bring?
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RAP: Today we often speak of “emerging artists”; what advice based on your experience do you feel you can give to young artists?
-> Lee: I do not like the term “emerging artists,” old fart that I am. One piece of advice I am frequently offering to young people, to quote Joseph Campbell, is, “Follow your bliss.” The other is that in art there is no such thing as a mistake. Mistakes are gifts and in following them, you can stop doing and start learning. The third is, rules are a vehicle. They get you to a destination and once you arrive they have fulfilled their purpose, so break them lest they hold you back!
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RAP: Art as a lens for reading the present, can it modify the space and time we pass through? …will art save us?
-> Lee: I am not sure! Humans have, through their lust for power and through greed, pushed our world close to the edge leading to the question, what can save us? Art may help.
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@leetribenyc
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