1.If you weren’t an artist, what else would you be?
I always wanted to be an artist from a very young age. I do and always did have some real fascination for Neurology, Psychology, Science, Sociology, Music and injustice.
In a way I feel it all has it’s place in my work. Being an artist is not just creating an image it’s a way of living you must have real obsessions and have to bite into your creation as a Pit bull and don’t let go till the piece is done.
You can teach anyone the techniques, how to create a technically perfect photo for example but that by it self still doesn’t make you an artist. So personally it’s very hard me to imagine doing anything else. I have to create no matter what.
2.Can you tell us more about your work and what are the main ideas you would like to express?
“Now we will make life!!” shouted the artist, then they whispered amongst themselves “now we make god”, with the godlike power of giving and taking away, they touched upon one of humanities greatest concerns. The vacuous finality that is all life became ‘Vanitas’ images of skulls cluttered with possessions and knowledge and fruit and meat, and all until now. Here today in these works we have this examination fully actualised, drawings of skulls so real you could almost touch them, images of death made pretty so as to soften the sharp blade of life’s dark passing, just as opiates and objects now take the edge off our having to live.
LG White: A slight of hand to make us forget, the commercial for Mr Militaristic himself Captain America situated both post Bush and post end of empire, juxtaposing the flames of hell and more banal concerns and who will save us now, images of delicate pottery with seductive offerings. Vanitas grows horns and replicates this dilemma’ by drawing us towards what is hidden, asking us to look further, fractured lenses are repeating and imperfect, all of this executed with mathematical precision because after all, we need to believe in something. While placing beauty as product engraved into plates and reproduced as objects she this time objectifies life itself from its most subjective viewpoint and giving us a new superlatives with which to express it…
Tell me? what is it when we think we see something but we don’t? ok ‘don’t’ is a maybe a too strong ‘definer’, rather than that we could say, we do see something, but its not what we feel, Roland Barthes in his ‘Chambre Claire’ points out that ‘images’ are meta-poten- tials and that photographic images are the absolute paradigm of this meta-potentiality. When we gaze upon the sister of Napoleon we see eyes that have seen the emperor and suddenly we are joined with him cast back trough time, sent reeling towards ourselves with a new cause, it is the same when we see the image of JFK being blown away in Dallas we have the references to many things and they are not interpretations but recordings, we see not only the subject but all the reality which surrounds and gives sense to, but most certainly does not depend on, the subject. This is not the rendering of a scene through the eyes of some corrupted subjec- tive filter but more precisely the actual scene intact, captured for all eternity in a neutral sense, the grass does not bother about the person and the sun does not shine for the crime…..
Hegel stated that ART is the humanization of form, what does this mean? Well it means that an artist mentally attaches a form or a space to a time and place and a choice. So we do not just deal with common metal processes, rather we deal with an ego or a desire and this is a humanistic machine, so I wonder what if we took a photo of a chair and signed it then it may in time through the crea- tive act become recognized as art, but what would it be if our sub- ject was photography itself, if our work was to take photo- graphs of photographs, would this still be seen a viable art form? And further still what if we took photographs of images, which as we know are not the same, they would not have the same resonance as simple photographs as would be in some way humanistic.
What if then we were to follow this process to its antithesis, what if one day through a flash of inspiration we were to simply return the lens/objective in a retro sense, what would this be? Would it be like the tragic case of Mike Teevee from Willie Wonkas ‘Choco- late TV’ where we just take one thing, in this case, a chocolate bar and a young boy and using technology transport it in atoms through the air until it materializes elsewhere would it be the same but different…?
But LG White is certainly not as passive, she does not resort to simple trickery, the use of smoke, dust and scientific hocus pocus, no, as she each time needs to take this one step further, L G White takes images of images, as ‘subject’ and makes them dance for us, re-attaching them to the all inherent art historical processes. There is now no doubt these are to be seen as works of art, because in essence they contain and are pre- sented as such, but she combines this base and still there is some strong notion of the Duchampien ‘Anxious object’, as are these truly meta-images made ‘of ’ and ‘from’ their time? We in a digital world, are formatted to look at our historicity through digital eyes, we see the ‘all connected’, the ‘all opens paths’ and often choose sensual occlusion as the easy option. Images are everywhere and wonderment or a primitive magic is gone.
LG constructs deeply into this art shamanism and we as children rest in front of her work asking two essential questions, the first is about the nature of the images placed before us. Are these photos really what they seem or maybe other things. When the label below the piece says ‘Pencil drawing on paper’ and we equate this to us, as a former self. Once again we child, pencil in hand, drawing a cat or mother or tree, then further on we attach it to other drawings we have seen. We like artists or understand their importance and see that in its fine execution, the work before us captivates and before long we ask more questions about reality, about images and ultimately about subject.
A text written by Anthony Cook which perfectly projects my way of thinking what’s inside my mind.
3. How do you start the process of making work?
The process of making art in my world it all starts with a tune. Things like youtube inspires me a lot watching old video’s, films and documentaries for example youtu.be/VGEWQRL2sJk which is going to be the inspiration of a new series which I will start working on after the Whisper show. Like a real obsession for the song the state of mind which will be growing and growing in time till where images and knowledge/ concept it all comes together in a clear picture in my head. The lyrics the sadness the emotion of how the song is performed. Also watching the news reading book social networking it all arrives together at the same place same time. Like the wind is blowing the new upcoming into my ears and I will be listening to this song till the creating is born.
4. Do you consider the viewer, when making your work?
What I find important is that the viewer can judge the image by the image. If you have the knowledge of what I am trying to express the whole concept would be great but not necessary . I would like people who haven’t got the knowledge to be able to enjoy the image or not of course but it all doesn’t affect what I am doing the way I create. Of course we as human beings are always growing till the day we die we learn new things based on experience so I don’t know how I feel about this in the future I do not like to get stuck in a box so my answer in this isn’t I can’t say it’s definite.
5. Name 3 artists that have inspired your work?
I find this a very difficult question as the human mind is always inspired by the culture we are living in the things we see and experiences we have of life. I don’t start an art piece with another artist work as a base. During the years of course you have your favorites but that’s also an infite learning process. I think every artist has something interesting you might love it you might hate it I think we can all learn from each other. what is good and what is bad? who Am I to judge ? is an image interesting because the way it’s done or love or dislike maybe you like a piece because of the concept there’s something to say for and against everything So and I think this will answer your other question as well Life it’s self and the experiences are more important and I find every artist interesting sometimes it’s the place in time in history which make certain things more outstanding and brave but I don’t like to name favorites nor dislike “those who step into the same rivers, different and again different waters flow” I think I am very eclectic I guess.
6. What defines something as a work of art?
I am more interested in what you think is art ? 🙂
8. In times of austerity, do you think art has a moral obligation to respond topically?
Interesting question. In a way yes we are all children of our time sure inspirational the way
My pieces are all slightly political and having a message. How far I want to push the message depends. But yes I think my answer is yes.
9. Anytime, any place – which artist’s body would you most like to inhabit?
haha how naughty uhm let me think about this!
10. What is your favourite ‘ism’?
ALLism haha is there such word?
11. What was the most intelligent thing that someone said or wrote about your work?
I love Antony Cooks writings because it feels he can read my mind and to be understood can be a beautiful thing!
12. And the dumbest?
Nothing is dumbest. by answering this question that would make me feel dum 🙂
13.Do you care what your art costs? State your reasons!
I do care how much material cost these days 😉
14. If Moma and the Tate and the Pompidou wanted to acquire one of your works each, which would you want them to have?
The new
16. What’s next for you?
Lot’s of new art work that’s for sure
You can see LG White who has a solo show MUSE at Whisper Gallery from
March 16th – April 14th 2012 www.whisperfineart.co.uk/
