ADORNISM THE MANIFESTO
ADORNISTS OF THE WORLD UNITE!!!!
“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your existence is an act of rebellion” – Albert Camus
Adornism -”the act of over decoration in art or self”.
Adornism is not new. Adornism goes back to the early days of humanity, when man painted his face for hunting games or ceremonies. Although the word and ideas we have created behind it may be new, people have been decorating their bodies and the world around them for tens of thousands of years, yet somehow in the 21st century most people conform to the recycled uniforms and ideas that are seen as “normal”. As an Adornist we wish to express the utopia that we could live in through our everyday adornment, in art and life, through our own creation. We have became tired with this mass produced and hyper consumerist society. We strive to be gone with this age of conservatism whereby the general public easily consume white and grey ideas day after day.
The 21st century art world currently feels more like the Paris salon of the 19th century when institutions and conservatives combined to suffocate the field of unique work being created at the time. Today, we bear witness to these victims of the “art” world who are on the same white stagnant walls that are tainted with the stank of complacency and replicated clones. “Artists” are creating work in a white cube for a white cube and not only must they be able to create, they are forced to adapt into a scholar role or be a member of academia in order to receive validation from their peers and the art institution.
We seek an alternative art model in this new age of cultural competition, digital and otherwise, which has made the art world dogma seem increasingly quaint. We are able to connect with a myriad of hybrid ideologies through the Internet, and on other democratized tools and platforms. We consume this information with an insatiable hunger that can never be quenched. Our brains are over saturated with images and information. We do not cramp up holding our heads in the corner of the room saying “everything has been done before, so why bother”. We are not frozen or intimidated by this overflow. We have a valve through which we can let it run out, like an opulent stool of pure beauty and inspiration.
As Adornists we must therefore lead by example and explore through our expression the ideas set out in these writings.
1. Colour
We see the importance of colour in the world as vital. Colour is not owned by the adolescent nor is it reserved for special occasions. It’s existence is to be experienced and enjoyed. We are living in a time where more colours are accessible than ever before yet when we look around city landscapes and the general populace, colour is largely unexplored. To embrace colour is to be seen in the eyes of the majority as childish, novelty or unprofessional. We see colour as a celebration. Colour is our freedom. Colour is our voice. We want to see the world through the eyes of a mantis shrimp, we want to explore the realms of a rainbow without the limitations of
the human eye. (or human judgements) Although you can still do a neutral shade like black or white in an Adornist way. As long as an over lapping of detail is involved so in turn creating the kinetic Adornist effect.
2. Works.
In the chosen path as Adornists it is our responsibility to create works that satisfy our own visions and ideas over any external influences such as the current trend of the week. Our works are “autotelic”, from the Greek words auto (self) and teles (goal), which as defined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, is “an activity we do for its own sake because to experience it is the main goal”.
Adornist creations move and crawl with detail and skill, that have been explored and developed by the individual. That touching and detailed handiwork breaths the life and soul into that image or object. With time and perseverance we see each creation through to the very last detail and when we step back to assess what we have created it is a breathtaking and fundamental expression of how we experience existence.
We don’t want to deal with these overly mass produced pieces, created with bloody hands for people to consume cheaply. We breath new life into an otherwise dead, discarded or damaged object. We are not uniformed cogs, we are titillating circuit boards! We are firm believers that less is not more. In our daily lives we see our image as far from endeavors of vanity, our outer transformations are a reflection of our inner transformations.
3. Influences.
Adornists search for their inspiration from many different environments. It is like a process of cross-pollination in which ideas or objects from seemingly incongruous domains merge to produce surprising new meanings and perspectives. We create a complex and contradictory art based on the richness and ambiguity of the modern experience.
4. Life.
Adornism is an extension of us, like an arm or an extra nipple. We are bi-products of today’s “reality”. We are the concentrated sediment of an alternative society. We are here to reprogram humanity and make them realize that all the rules have been thrown out the window. Forget what you have been taught, reinvent your reality through your creativity. Adornism isn’t just an art movement, it’s a species movement.
5. Community.
We acknowledge and warrant that Adornism has come before us, and exists within us today. We respect and acknowledge these Adornists who have forged the way:
Yayoi Kusama, Leigh Bowery, The Cockettes, Elsa von Freytag- Loringhoven, Frida Kahlo, Gilbert and George, Jack Smith, Eva and Adelle, Steven F. Arnold.
Current Artist’s that fit the Adornist frame are:
Anto Christ , Casio Ono, Rubbish Fairy, Alexandra Moonage, Adrian De Giorgio, Holly-Anne Buck, Daria Mårchik, Jose Vigers, Justin Shoulder, Hanako, Hugo Rourke, Benjamin Fraser, Sha Gaze, Ooozzing Gloop, Mad Kate, Andrej Vile, Joko Koma, Muffinhead, Ryan Burke, Regrette Etcetera, Nosslo- Grebnellaw Aniluap, Antoine Timmermans, Devin Mohr, Anne Sophie Cochevelou, Sue Kreitzman, Daniel Lismore, Gregory Jacobsen, Le Pustra, Rufus Backman Ossandon, Hedo Luxe, Maria Psycho and Designers like Johannes J. Jaruraak, Raki Fernandez, Yukiko Pica Yamane, Jackie Taylor, Shayli Harrison, Anthony Aitch, Marina Dellamore, Tata Christiane, Nixi Killick, Stevie, DinoReal, Naddy Sane,
(Note: some of the people listed here may or may not associate with Adornism. This is merely the opinion of the writer to give you, the reader, a fair example of all the facets that Adornism comes to represent. The mention of these talented and unique beings is more as a point of reference. We also wish to acknowledge that their are many more artists and people who fit into the Adornist framework and we wish for them to join us.)
What we want in ADORNISM.
1. Using multiple textures, objects, overlapping of lines or images to create a kinetic effect, like that one experienced when looking at nature.
2. Making works with a soul that will help re-program humanity.
3. Creating works for yourself and not for someone else whether it be the art world, an
institution or society at large.
- Obtain the unimaginable through experimentation, chance and the discarded.
- Destroying all art that is mundane, stagnant and thought of as a fixed idea of what “modern”
is.
- To create art in our everyday walking lives.
- In with the original and out with the copied.
- To explore colour, in all its vibrate shades and hues.
- To support and encourage the fellow artists around you. (weather they are Adornisist or not)
If Dadaists defined Dada as “Nothing” then we define Adornism as “Everything”.
Written by Antonella De Giorgio.
With thanks to Casio Ono, Alexandra Moonage and Jess Mills.