Too on the nose
Too on the nose, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, Nov 2023
“Sometimes it is too on the nose.”
Too on the nose, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, Nov 2023
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What exactly is on the nose？
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1f9LSZlhwJDYGo2W57tpQjqNrgTGzeDythwBYsG_zzO4/edit?usp=sharing
“You won’t want your piece to be too on the nose .”
-- My Professor told me
So, I decided to make a joke.
This project was originally intended to be just a casual bit of fun in academic circles, a playful response to the norms. However, funny things happen in the special context of the academy.
When I showed this work in the MFA group show in the school. Professors were not so impressed, "This is exactly What I Meant: it is TOO on the nose".
In fact, in a way, I agree with them. The overt nature of this piece somewhat diminishes its conceptually sublime charm.
But it was a hit with the student body. Until several months after the show, too on the nose was still a meme among the students, and I was contacted by many students who loved the work.
The aspect of this incident that intrigued me the most is that, as a professional, I fully understand the professors' perspectives, as I can vividly feel the drawbacks they refer to as "too on the nose." The fear of not being understood is a common occurrence in the entire artistic creation process. I became overly fixated on the goal of "making people understand " and this sentiment gradually affected the purity of my exploration of personal concerns, placing a fictional audience above the authentic self. I realized the need to adjust my mindset.
Interestingly, contrasting views from my peers transformed into a kind of palindrome, reigniting discussions on "norms" from their perspectives. I see this as a collective projection, reflecting a shift in collective awareness under individual viewpoints, a collective individualization that embodies the impulse to "break free" in contemporary society.