Urban Art Association

The nearer to death i get the more i want to cram in different things, this week poetry next week music and so on, after looking at some Artwork for a time i may get bored to blaaady tears with it swap it around to different room then a cupboard then sell it or swap it for an old Land Rover ha!. Who knows what we will like in the future.
ps. Series 2A SWB please.

Well this is my first post on here. Been lurking for ages but never got round to joining.

Very intriguing question, that i'm sure has sparked many a debate! I can see where your coming from, having an edition on the wall does not posses the same aura as say an original. Knowing there are loads of something around can take something away from that aura. Thats why you pay so much for a more exclusive piece.

However some of my favorite pieces are the cheapest ones that I bought for what I considered a bargain. These are ones that I have developed an emotional attachment to or are by unknown artists that I have discovered and others don't know much about. I suppose that relates to the whole exclusivity idea. At the end of the day it will be different for everyone. For me I think the emotional connection is the most important factor.

Not sure why someone would exclusively prefer their more expensive pieces of art over less valued ones. Maybe it’s because you are assuming that because they are more expensive then they must be better works of art. If you think about it, it wasn’t that long ago when Banksy’s work was as cheap as chips and yet, less than a decade on, those very same works have reached insane prices. Thus years ago its possible that some people got rid of their cheaply bought Banksy but kept the much more expensive artwork bought from a high street gallery by an unknown (but up-and-coming) artist who is still unknown. Therefore, in this exapmle, preferring the more expensive work is not always a guarantee of quality or longevity of art. However, in hlarmy’s case it just may be that the pieces he likes best just happen to be the ones that cost more and there is no more to it than that.

Personally I have my cheapest works displaying alongside my more expensive pieces and that’s regardless as to whether it is a poster, a print or an original. For me it’s all about the image and the artist who created the image that I like most of all. If it happens that something I initially bought cheaply then, after the passing of time when the artist’s work is recognised and appreciated more, ends up being very expensive, then that would be a bonus. However it’s not the driving force.

I can appreciate that people can get bored with an image and how can develop a liking for different art and finding out about different artists which may lead to getting rid of art collected earlier. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with this as there is no rule which states ‘You must keep everything you buy and you must never get bored of it’. As it happens I don’t have much of a disposable income therefore I am kept on a very restricted monetary lead in terms of what I can buy and how often I buy. As a result I don't have lots of artwork. However, I have to be totally honest and say that if I had shit loads of money I may well behave differently. Would I continually buy on impulse or according to what you guys say on here or what some galleries are saying about a particular artist? And then once I have all this work would I then get bored and get rid of the work within a year only to repeat the cycle. I honestly don’t think I would behave in such a way but I won’t know for sure until I have loads of money so that I can find out – which will be difficult for someone who is only doing temp work at the moment. Oh yes, sorry for going on and on and on and ………

Clearly I had had a bit too much red wine last night Some good replies; so we are attracted to a piece of art for one of the following reasons:

- pure and simple aesthetics - I guess many would argue that this is the only reason that we should buy art, but personally I would disagree with this

- sentimental value (eg. first print bought or received as a gift, or some kind of emotional attachment)

- originality - knowing that the same image isn't on another 199 walls

- intrinsic value (knowing that a piece is expensive, which could suggest it's a better quality of art per redfred - I'm not sure I agree 100% with that )

- investment - I know I have bought in the past for this reason and it's the same reason why I have considered selling all my signed Banksy prints, some of which I am very attached to, in order to buy a small canvas

- status (especially at the higher end of the market, Warhol springs to mind - I would say this is applicable to a certain extent in my case but as 99% of the people who see my art do not know what they are looking at, apart from the few Banksy's I own, then this is probably not the case with me - that's probably the reason why the 'get your art out' thread is so popular )


And we fall out of love with or sell a piece because:

- boredom - a desire to move have a change

- change - a need to freshen up those walls with something new

- increase in value - the piece or artist's work goes up in value, meaning that we can now sell a piece and buy something that is more desired, moving up the art 'ladder

- reduction in value - it may represent a loss so we'd rather not look at it (I've got a few of them )


Is that a good summary; any other thoughts?

I have to agree - that's why Radar Rat would be my ultimate Banksy print.

fundamentally viewing art in this way destroys any enjoyment of a piece of art for me at least

I've found that there's been times where the value means more to me than the image and in every case I've ended up selling and what's left on my walls? Those pieces I truly love

for me at least I've learnt to follow my taste, but you have to be strong not to follow the sheeple (I've been guilty of it in the past definitely). For example I've had GIWTBB up and framed since PoW released, this is probably my favourite piece, if I'd listened to this place I'd have flipped long ago, but regardless of the edition, the drumstick in the angel's hand etc etc this has a place in my heart (and selling it now because its too fucking big to take with me is something I've found surprisingly sad).

I think with me I tend to hang my most expensive pieces within my line of sight when I am slobbing out in my favourite chair, this could be phsycological or more probably because I want to extract the most enjoyment from them due to the relatively high cost. Consequently I have 3 signed Banksys hanging on the wall behind my head which I rarely look at and if asked what I would part with it would probably be them.

I mostly like pictures of naked ladies. That's what art is about for me, naked chicks.

I like originals and only really hang originals. This is because they give you so much more than what prints could ever do. You can hang an original and still be learning and gaining and finding new things out about it for years. It gives you a window into the artists style, their methods and application of paint and technique. You can analyse the colour and help it to inform your own art if you practise yourself. Originals are far more enjoyable than any print because prints are just the same as a pic in a magazine to me and don't give me any handy information or insight. And to home it in a bit to a few of the above comments, the better the picture the more you will learn and enjoy it and yea they usually cost more eh. And if you can sell it after squeezing al your enjoyment out of it for a profit then great, get some more art. And if it sells for a loss still get some more art with the cash but don't worry because hopefully you've enjoyed it for a long time and you cant price that anyway. I don't get the whole print thing one bit.

I would agree. If all I can afford is the print, then I still get to hang the artist's work on my wall, which is the whole point. Granted, a canvas is better, but better a print than no art at all. As far as Banksy's site, I think the "shop" instructions are "print these out and do what you want with them," or something like that.

Integrity. Consideration. Conviction.

It doesn't matter how much it cost it is about the connection that you have with the piece.

One of the reasons why street art has converted well in the main to the inside wall is that we see a piece on the street and it makes us laugh, or makes us think, or we just admire it for its beauty, its shock value, its execution or whatever. And we want that piece in the home because it connects us to the piece we saw on the street, and reminds of us the time we saw it.

Art is like music in that respect - both are mood changers, they effect the way that we feel in the way that often the written or spoken word can't.

It isn't really about value, or whether something is a print or an original, it's about connections and feelings. And that is why we find it so hard to explain why we like or dislike a piece of art.

This is simply not true, infact reverse the statement and you are nearer the truth.