The Artistic Manifesto of Art
by Serenity Brown
What is and should be:
Dislike art and Love art
Embrace (art) disgrace (art) and all of its grace (art)
Do not fear art, but fear art
Make art and Be art
I don’t like your art. I do not like your art. I DO NOT UNDER ANY
CIRCUMSTANCES, NO MATTER WHAT YOU CREATE, NO MATTER HOW YOU
DO IT, NO MATTER WHO MADE YOU OR MADE YOU MAKE IT, I DO NOT
LIKE YOUR ART.
Let us make this a thing one can say without repercussions. It’s an opinion. We are all allowed to not like a piece of art, a collection of art, and even an artist. We cannot be made to like something. Nor can we be made to dislike something.
Like this art. You have to like this art. YOU MUST WITH YOUR ENTIRE SOUL,
EVEN IF IT MAKES YOU SICK, EVEN IF IT MAKES YOU REMEMBER A PAST
YOU WANT TO FORGET, EVEN IF IT MAKES YOU WANT TO DIE, YOU MUST
LIKE THIS ART.
No. No. We do not have to like art. Just like a mother does not have to like her child. It’s sad but true. Should we like art? Maybe. Should that mother like her child? Probably. In both circumstances, can the individual be forced to like what they do not? No. In both circumstances, can the individual love what they do not like? Yes? Yes. We can love art, though we do not like art. Just as a mother can love her child without liking them. We know it’s complex but it’s the truth.
If you don’t like a piece of art, a collection of art, or even an artist…try to love it. Overall, you’ll probably do some good.
FEAR. FEAR! WHAT IS FEAR?
We fear many things. And that is okay. We have reason to. Art can sneak its way into the space in our minds and souls in which our fear has power. Fear is an emotion like any other. It can be made and it can be destroyed. Art does both. Do not fear art itself, fear what it makes you fear.
I made art. I make art. I HAVE PUT SOMETHING OUT INTO THE WORLD,
WHETHER OR NOT SOMEONE SEES IT, WHETHER OR NOT IT IS HIDDEN
AWAY IN A CORNER OF A ROOM OR IN THE STREET GUTTERS, WHETHER
OR NOT IS CORRECT, I MADE ART.
This is what matters. Make art.
I AM
You are art.
Throughout this entire piece, you might have been questioning our words, our statements about loving, liking, and disliking, embracing, disgracing, and gracing, fearing and fearing, and making and being. That is what art is about. Questioning each other and questioning ourselves. Why do we like or dislike a thing? Why do we love a thing? Why do we embrace a thing? Why do we fear a thing? Why do we thing a thing?
Art. What is it? It is this. It is the air we breathe. It is the song we sing. It is the sun we see. And it is the life we live. We are influenced by art in every way, shape, and form. We, ourselves, are art. We love, like, and dislike ourselves. We embrace, disgrace, and grace ourselves. We fear and fear ourselves. We make each other who we are. And we are. Art.