Borders and Border Crossing Between Art Worlds Successful Attempts and Epic Failures to Enter New Domains in Recent British Art
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Venezia Arti [online] ISSN 2385-2720 Vol. 25 – Dicembre 2016 [print] ISSN 0394-4298 Borders and Border Crossing between Art Worlds Successful Attempts and Epic Failures to Enter New Domains in Recent British Art Diego Mantoan (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia) Abstract This paper attempts to answer whether it is possible for successful artists in one specific sector to access the domain of another artistic field at their free will. In doing so, this contribution analyses the possible existence of borders and gatekeepers between different art worlds. The aim is not just finding or defining boundaries between art fields, but rather understanding whether bounda- ries can be pierced through, as well as the conditions that might hinder acceptance. Moving from an art theoretical and philosophi- cal perspective, the present paper will discuss the thesis of Pierre Bourdieu and Howard Becker on boundary conditions in the arts. Subsequently, their views will be tested against three recent cases of British artist celebrities, who tried to enter new artistic domains, although with alternate success. They are the episodes of Damian Hirst painfully failing as a filmmaker, of Steve McQueen slowly work- ing his way up to the Oscars, of Douglas Gordon intentionally and irreverently challenging contemporary theatre. Summary 1 Aims and Scope of a Border Crossing Attitude. – 2 Borders of the Art Field or Borderless Art Worlds. – 3 Boundaries and Border Control in the Arts. – 4 Champions in their own Domain Seeking Consensus Elsewhere. – 5 Damien Hirst or the Shooting Star of Video Making. – 6 Steve McQueen or the Slow-Burner at the Oscars. – 7 Douglas Gordon or the Convict Iconoclast in Theatre. – 8 Any Golden Rules for Border Crossing? Keywords Border crossing. Art worlds. Art field. Gatekeepers. Pierre Bourdieu. Howard Becker. Damien Hirst. Steve McQueen. Douglas Gordon. 1 Aims and Scope of a Border However, there appears to be a preliminary ques- Crossing Attitude tion that needs to be answered: are there any bor- ders at all between different art worlds? And if so, Reaching unquestionable success in the visu- how can they be successfully broken or pierced? al arts is a hard task to accomplish, as is the Is it then possible to transfer creativity and reputa- case of any artistic discipline. Of the many art tion to a different art form or do gatekeepers exist school graduates around the world only a small that might hinder its acceptance? percentage make a living out of their elected Moving from an art theoretical perspective – en- profession and even less rise to real stardom. compassing sociology and philosophy – the However, several of the latter get to a point in present paper seeks to understand if there are their career, when they want to expand their boundaries between different artistic disciplines domain outside their acquainted realm and spill and how these would react at an attempt of break- their aura over different art forms. Indeed, art ing in from a different field. In order to do so, history is rich with cases of great authors who it will be necessary to touch upon two scholars have expanded their creativity in various direc- that particularly reflected on the existence/ab- tions, successfully entering different disciplines sence of borders between the arts. The thesis of from their original ones. Playwrights who write Pierre Bourdieu and Howard Becker will be ex- screenplays, movie actors who appear on stage, tensively discussed, as they appear to be of par- musicians who direct theatre plays or visual art- ticular interest to define the realm of an artistic ists who become moviemakers are just a few discipline and the interactions of people involved feasible examples. in it. Furthermore, the two scholars interestingly Thus the question arises, whether it is a straight- show contrary opinions on the mentioned issue: forward affair for successful artists to access the while Bourdieu (cf. 1993) pledges for the specific- domain of another artistic field at their free will. ity of every form of artistic expression as a sort Does indeed celebrity status grant to enter and exit of social sub-set, Becker’s (cf. 2008) assumptions different sectors without any particular problem? rather postulate border-free art worlds that may DOI 10.14277/2385-2720/VA-25-16-6 Submission 2016-07-13 | Acceptance 2016-08-19 | © 2016 59 Venezia Arti, 25, 2016, 59-70 ISSN 0394-4298 interfere with one another. Insisting on the im- intentions – depending on the peculiar power re- portance of habitus, Bourdieu will be helpful to lations between those agents. In Bourdieu’s own understand the expectations that an artist must words, it can be described as “a force-field as fulfil to be accepted into a specific art field, while well as a field of struggles which aim at trans- Becker stresses the concept of ‘convention’, hence forming or maintaining the established relation pointing at the importance of re-negotiation of so- of forces” (2013, 15). The particular shape of this cial rules to bring any sort of change into an art arena relies on capital distribution amongst par- world, be it individual or collective. ticipants, which consists of such properties that These theoretical stances on separate art determine success in the considered field. The branches and border crossing will later be put strongest agents are in a dominant position due against the practical background of a case study to the accumulated cultural capital – which may in recent British art history. In the last two dec- be prestige, influence over other key players, ades it might be observed that several visual opinion leadership, network assets – and usually artists, who reached stardom in their own field, thrive on their standing, opposing any competitor have been tempted by a career in new disciplines. that challenges them. Trying to identify possible rules of engagement The true struggle in any artistic field is not over for artistic spill over, the case of three British financial power, but rather over authority inside artists will be analysed, who rose into promi- the field itself, which means conquering the role of nence in the nineties and later tried to branch legitimate and acknowledged decision maker of the out into new directions, though with alternate arena. In fact, the privileged position every agent success. The selected authors – Damien Hirst, wants to acquire holds the rare ability to sanction Steve McQueen, Douglas Gordon – all belong to symbolic meaning in the observed branch. Typi- the generation of so called young British artists cally the struggle is over the definition of the field (YBA) who gained fame at a very early career limits, over what should be legitimately considered stage and pushed the UK art scene back into the as art and over who should be counted as a rec- centre of worldwide attention. Furthermore, they ognised player (Bourdieu 1993, 30-36). Accord- were all winners of the Turner Prize assigned by ingly, the French scholar describes several fields Tate in the nineties, thus reaching unquestion- of art – such as the visual arts, cinema, theatre, able success in the visual arts. Besides retracing classical and operatic music, ballet and many their individual attempts of border crossing, the more – which ought to be treated separately from analysis addresses the reaction of gatekeepers one other. Each field has its own authorities and in the penetrated field, such as to examine how agents, capital assets and power relationships, thus they might respond to an alteration of their dis- they can be said to have boundaries subject to a cipline’s boundaries. Hence, this study will rely strict border control. As a consequence, acquiring on opinions drawn from specialised magazines, a position inside a specific art field holds meaning newspapers or online press expressed by critics, for that field alone and it can be related to a sort journalists and experts who commented on the of habitus that every participant must get hold of. tested attempts. Thus, transferring one’s own capital, creativity and reputation to a different discipline is no automa- tism, because one would probably not comply with 2 Borders of the Art Field required habitus. Quite the contrary, since every or Borderless Art Worlds field has its pale and gatekeepers, any prospective entrant – even though of some relevance in another In the writings of Pierre Bourdieu (1993, 12, 36) field – would need to undergo a severe screening, an idea of art system emerges, which sees sev- in order to be accepted into the new domain. The eral economic and social forces shaping a com- new entrant would thus be tested against the re- munity characterised by the predominance of po- quirements of the field, particularly against the litical and cultural elites. Hence, the ruling class background of the right habitus for the role he or as a whole would appear to act as gatekeeper of she intends to play in the field. It may be expected the art system, certifying artistic value. However, that gatekeepers of a penetrated field watch out such a system can hardly be understood as a uni- for border crossers, such that the entrant is often fied set, being rather defined as a space of posi- confronted with harsh criticism. tions where cultural meaning and predominance To understand under what circumstances gate- are at stake. Indeed, the art world involves nu- keepers grant entry, it would probably be neces- merous players – each with different means and sary to go beyond the mere description of a field. 60 Mantoan. Borders and Border Crossing between Art Worlds ISSN 0394-4298 Venezia Arti, 25, 2016, 59-70 Considering the intrinsic aims and motivations of by common agreement attribute art status, art- gatekeepers or influential agents should help ex- ists being only one link in the chain.