exposure and denial | by rik reinking

written for the book "Don't worry 'bout a thing - Being Alex Diamond", Verlag GUDBERG, Oct 2009

GOETHE :"BILDE KÜNSTLER! - REDE NICHT!" Without a doubt the cultivation of an “image” is more important than ever before. From a young age, children learn the importance of presentation; at work social status is to a great extent defined by the image you create. The image plays an increasingly important communicative role in social systems - politics, finance, arts, entertainment, celebrity culture. Today the image is essential, a ubiquitous presence that forms an individual’s answer to the question “What do you believe people think about you?” To decline, to refute, and at the same time use the above question, that is the art of Alex Diamond. For a long time the art world has produced romantic, stylized images that extol the genius of the artist. It was this common belief in the artist’s prodigious creative talent that rendered their self-image gratuitous. With the advent of modernism the art world experienced emancipation. Many artists withdrew from academic conventions, which seemed archaic in comparison to the technological achievements taking place around them. They created new techniques and styles, and as a consequence became increasingly autonomous, shifting the image of artist from genius to producer. Characters like Dali and Kippenberger emerged, and with them brought questions: How does an artist present himself to the public? Is he playing or is he authentic? What kind of image of himself does he create? Does he fulfil expectations – whose expectations? The “Ökonomie der Aufmerksamkeit” – the economics of entertainment, affects our thoughts and actions more than ever. New strategies for attention are sought, especially in today’s art world. Alex Diamond withdraws from any notions the viewer may have of the artists’ persona; hiding behind his work, he uses it as a shield against definitions and references to his personality. The artist’s identity is, in the end, nothing but a mask. So it becomes impossible to categorize Alex Diamond, and it is this resistance to succumb to a persona that draws the viewer in all the more. The artist’s identity emerges from speculation, bolstered by fact and fantasy.

Alex diamond celebrates self-image by refuting it. He refers constantly to the human body – his own body, implicitly addressing issues like gender, body modification and body culture. Martin Kippenberger stated that he couldn’t cut off an ear every day, but he could create figures and characters that enabled him to provoke time and time again.  To conclude, Alex Diamond’s work cannot stand for itself, it must be understood as a reference. The artist refuses to engage with an artificial image created by a theatrical art scene or play the role of the “enfant terrible” because he has chosen to emancipate himself from restrictive role models.

Rik Reinking is an international acclaimed collector, curator and art historian and the founder of Reinkingprojekte in Hamburg.