The representatives of artists have a moral obligation to build a sustainable market where artistic freedoms can be fostered and safeguarded. Selling art could only be considered a noble deed when artistic integrity remains the main priority.
1The art market is there to safeguard the autonomy of the artist
2Artistic progress is always one new work away
Artwork is hard work. They call it an artistic practice for a good reason. Practice breeds singularity and evolution. A large variety of developed artistic perspectives creates a fertile breeding for art-historical evolutions to come.
3A work of art should be an end in itself
Art can address any given subject but only by aestheticising that subject first. The socio-political or commercial impact of a work of art could never single handedly define its artistic merit. It’s never either or in art, it is always a sum of all its connections.
4Form is a primary concern in art and that should never be forgotten
A work of art could be deliberately skilled or de-skilled in terms of craftsmanship, critical or light-hearted in terms of content, reduced or abundant in terms of composition. The most important criteria for a successful artwork remains the use of an effective and convincing form.
5Art exists beyond good and evil
Works of art exist in a realm beyond good and evil where despicable things can become beautiful. In art there is such a thing as good taste within the realm of bad taste. Everything is permitted. The letter of the law is subjective.
6 Art can lie the truth
Art can arrive at a deeper truth via fiction, metaphor and illusion. That which is made up can address fundamental truths about the human experience that normally remain invisible or immaterial.
7Art should derive from insatiable fascination
The starting point of an art practice is a deep fascination for any given subject.This fascination will inevitably bring forth an intrinsic drive to produce work and challenge assumptions.
8A work of art should grasp the complexity of its time
Every period in human history has its own unique problems, dilemmas and contradictions. Art is uniquely suitable for reflecting on these complexities because it enables us to look at something from more than one perspective.
9 A work of art should retain a surplus of vitality
A work of art becomes timeless by virtue of it being able to retain energy over vast periods of time. It should generate new meaning when it is situated in new spaces, time periods and reproductive forms.