We write, right? is a web-based journal with texts by artists.
From January 2015 on, essays are be published online regularly on wewrite.goldextra.com
We Write #1: Double Trouble - The Ambiguous Question
by Brenda Tempelaar, reseased 2015-01-18
Producing texts is part of the daily routine of artists: be it introductions for catalogues, applications for funds or documenting past works. Even though artists are usually esteemed exclusively for creating visual, performative or audible pieces, some artists spend quite a lot of time composing written work. Yet, the potential of artists in this field is underestimated and reduced to administrative functions in many occasions.
Writing, however, does not necessarily need to be a burden but can overlap with artistic output: artists like Daniel Buren or Andrea Fraser are not only valued for their visual pieces of art but compose texts which have been published widely as well.
The relatively new discipline of Artistic Research recently directed more attention to texts by visual artists and musicians. Yet, also in this field, research by artists is often presented as part of exhibitions. Other formats which offer the possibility for publishing texts by artists usually gain less attention. Nevertheless, the academic necessity is not only an imposition but rather inspires a large number of artists to find new forms and formats for enhancing their written output.
We Write, Right? does not claim that all artists have to write and the world of text production should exclusively be shaped by artists. The project simply provides space for texts which would perhaps disappear in scrapbooks, university archives or drawers of funding agencies.
The journal invites artists to publish texts about their research but also asks them to reflect on why and how they write. How does writing influence, help or bring further artistic production? How do artists see their role when writing? What formats do they choose, prefer or introduce when writing texts?
We write, right? arose from desire to discuss a topic we are busy with in our own professional work with a larger group of artists. Why do we write and (how) does our writing differ from texts by other professionals in the field of art?
