On Serialization

Everyone interested in art and who follows the work of various artists is well aware that art is often produced as part of a series. As a result, artists create a recognizable style, producing a sufficient group of works to fill a gallery. From a commercial perspective, this seems to make a lot of sense. When galleries give artists opportunities to exhibit, they want to ensure a return on that investment by reinforcing elements of a recognizable style to which collectors might be repeatedly drawn. In this sense, is there an argument that serialization is a way of transforming art into a commodity that is ultimately anti-art? I realize this question pokes at the distinction between art as a radical expression of authenticity and personal expression vs. something that pivots around design and a general sense of "artsyness. "

I don't want to be misunderstood here. I can think of many artists who have created bodies of work with common elements that are rich in meaning. I am repeatedly knocked out by Mondrian's late work, and am also riveted by much of what Anselm Kiefer has done. Still, I wonder if serialization is a trap for many of us seeking recognition and a platform for sales.

My personal belief is that art is a form of emancipation from a sphere of human interaction preoccupied with commerce. I am certainly not against artists selling their work, or galleries making a profit from exhibitions. However, there is some merit in thinking about the order of things; specifically, how priorities are organized. Serialization provides a degree of order on which commerce thrives, but in the spaces between those serialized works (psychological and emotional), is a realm of human experience that may be disruptive, but also more personal - more central to what motivates art's creation. There are many times when I encounter gallery shows where there is obvious talent, but where I nonetheless want to ask "what do you really feel?" As much as I appreciate artistic confidence and brilliance, I also deeply appreciate signs of struggle, indications an artist has wrestled with inner tension, or some type of disjunction between self and the outer world.