Having been part of a punk funk band in our youth, it feels natural to think about merch. Back then, we had white T-shirts, logo on the front, name at the back. The musical leisure ended, but our love for merch remained. What exactly is it that makes merch so damned attractive? Maybe it is that instead of identifying with some fashion brand based on child labor, you can identify with indie pop culture or even better punk subculture. In any case it’s a very common way to communicate how you want to be seen and with todays art being all about identity but never reaching the multitude as audience it is time to re-think merch as Art.
The very inspiring artist Danielle van Ark visited us at our residency studio at Nieuw en Meer in Amsterdam and we had an interesting discussion about using merch as a way to escape exclusivity. She said “it was born out of a strong need to bring the Do It Yourself mentality back into practice and reach a wider audience and potential”. In her 2019 exhibition Memorabilia at gallery tegenboschvanvreden in Amsterdam she presented the work Merch Table (2019) appropriated from touring rockband tradition. The online announcement shares; “One of the promotional posters that were scattered across the city is now part of her second solo exhibition at the gallery. But upon viewing In hindsight (2019), you will notice immediately that the poster has been transformed […] to create autonomous work”.
The desire to produce merch stems from our interest in deconstructing traditional distinctions between art and design, ideology and commerce, and religion and consumerism. Publishing statements about the value of art in a culture that constantly consumes and rebrands its visual languages will blur the lines between commercial products, branding, and artistic practice. We want to turn the act of collecting art into a participative performance, rather than simply an act of ownership. Our merch should function as an extension of the nomadic art experience, rather than simply be a passive object. A T-shirts that addresses themes like identity, branding, subculture, and most importantly the value of Art. Each T-shirt becomes a prop-sculpture for artlovers to actively participate with the work itself—thus Art actually can become part of everyday life.
When we picked up on our idea of the Escape Tour (2005), we instantly wanted to produce merch and contacted longtime collaborator Eric de Haas, one of the most hard edged graphic designers around, and asked him for help. His first advice was to keep it simple and make just a few choices to generate a clear perspective for wannahaves to become part of the nomadic identity. The whole idea of the Escape Tour revolves around 56 questions from curators and art critics, so it seemed obvious to focus around them. Not long after we met at a bar in Eindhoven to look at the first designs.
(This activity is partially funded with financial support from the Province of North Brabant)
Comments