THE ART OF CARTRAIN
Cartrain is not only known for his heavy weight art world enemies but also his friends; Gilbert and George are known to be supporters of his work as well as Banksy, who has presented the artist with his own signed artwork. Gilbert and George have famously used a piece of Cartrain’s work in their exhibition at the White Cube in 2014.
Cartrain is also known for placing his artworks in museum and galleries until those are removed as fakes. His works have been on the walls of Tate Modern, National Gallery and British Museum.
Fast establishing himself as a favourite among critics and collectors alike, Cartrain is a driving force behind the thriving street art scene in London today.
POST STREET
A Postmortem analysis of art on the streets.
In its archetypal origin ‘street art’ is a powerful apparatus of anonymous communication derived internally from the neurotic unconscious. Originally purposed to perpetuate unconventional aesthetics usually encompassing dadaist proclamations abstract philosophies and social, political propositions. It could be considered that pioneers of this movement are driven by injustices that the preponderance of society is oblivious to and whose purpose is to protest cultural terrorism from vandalizing the delicate fabric of society, at the same time making an impulsive decision to provoke the dormant subconscious of their viewer into questioning their ethics, values and beliefs.
Nonetheless, present-day contemporary ‘street art’ may be considered to be somewhat of a bastardized Frankenstein lacking the intellectual integrity to refrain itself from selling out to an onslaught of shameless corporatization. Incomprehensible avant-garde slogans painted illegally under the cover of darkness by local psychiatric patients have been replaced by pre-approved meaningless typographic murals audaciously proclaiming words such as “COOL” to be subversive masterpieces of modern art. Underground anti-corporate artworks have been rendered redundant by once respected artists who accept gargantuan paychecks to peddle multinational corporate cultural terrorist propaganda. Cancerous charlatans harboring ulterior motives have oozed themselves overnight into the workspaces of innovative painters corrupting the thought process that made the artist successful, consciously conditioning the artist into following a false doctrine motivated by their own financial greed. Perplexing conceptual notions that once captivated the imagination of society have been abandoned to accommodate mundane commercial interests. Street artists have been corrupted to become complicit in the gentrification of low income neighborhoods dishing out banal balderdash for backstabbing estate agents who exploit the wall decorations to influence affluent adolescents into purchasing ancient broom closets that become masqueraded and repurposed as “luxury studio apartments”.
Moving forward.
It’s imperative that the creative procedure is a solemn endeavor, untainted from external intervention. Compulsive impulses are predominant and fundamental to the sincerity of the eventual commodity created. Predetermined compositions are regressive, detrimental and sacrifice spur of the moment accomplishments. The creative experience should develop in exterior environment exempt from psychological restraints and restrictions. Visual aesthetics should never prioritize psycho neurotic impulses as statements of truths are integral to the conscience of the artist. Publicity is narcissistic in nature and PR advisories are corrupt Machiavellian spin doctors whose subsistence derives from brainwashing the vulnerable and ill-informed. Success is a spiritual endeavor not a financial remuneration.
- Cartrain
