The Luckman Fine Arts Complex is a beautiful, historic, art gallery in downtown San Diego that features work by local artists.
That is, until you come to the corner of the gallery where you get a full view of the “filling station” that sits on the second floor, complete with a large sign that reads, “We sell drinks only.” The sign clearly states that the artist selling the work is a fake, which makes the whole thing a little more dubious.
That’s not just a little dubious. That’s exactly what it is. That’s what the sign is. That’s what the artist is. A fake. Not the real deal.
The fact is that the San Diego artist selling the work is a very real human being who is doing work on an actual building. The gallery does not actually have a building by that name. It is a building in the exact same location, but it is a real building in a different part of town. The artist can easily be viewed as a prop in the gallery’s new advertisement for the gallery. He is nothing more than a prop to sell a $300 piece of art.
I feel the same way about the sign, the artist. It is an image of a real person holding an actual piece of art in their hands.
The gallery is a real place, but it is not a building. It is a place where the artist can show their work, but it is not a building. That is where the artist can be viewed as a prop, as their work is not actually in a building. An advertisement for the artist’s work is not the same as the actual work. It is a prop, not an actual piece of art.
I used to be a bit of an art aficionado. I still am, but I feel like with the explosion of digital art, I’m learning more about the process that is the actual art. So I’m learning a lot more about art, and I’m loving the experience of being a part of it.
