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00:06:49
00:08:54
00:06:49
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Transcription: [00:06:49]
{SPEAKER name="Jan Butterfield"}
It seems to be winding it's way through--
{SPEAKER name="Michael Asher"}
Let me just say--
{SPEAKER name="Jan Butterfield"}
--other pieces that you've done.
[00:06:54]
{SPEAKER name="Michael Asher"}
Well, let me just say, though, that it takes two to tango, we all know.
[00:06:59]
And the museum doesn't have to accept the bills.
[00:07:04]
The museum doesn't have to accept an inflationary work.
[00:07:08]
The museum doesn't have to-- the museum can put an end to it.
[00:07:12]
But the museum itself, in fact, regardless of it being in contempt of the artist, is actually behind it.
[00:07:25]
It's supportive of it because it pays for it. And that's one of the big problems I find.
[00:07:32]
{SPEAKER name="Jan Butterfield"}
Yeah. I mean, there's a whole lot-- well, museums are guilty in the sense that we have bought the hook of the mystification of the artist too.
[00:07:38]
And we were afraid to-- in terms of the artist's work or creativity.
[00:07:42]
So I can hardly think of a situation where a museum would say, "Okay, Michael. You're halfway through the room and you've already run up twice the amount of bills. We're done. We close the show."
[00:07:50]
I mean, I can't even think in all my--
[00:07:52]
{SPEAKER name="Michael Asher"}
Well, I hope they would.
{SPEAKER name="Jan Butterfield"}
--years of an example.
{SPEAKER name="Michael Asher"}
I mean, I've had that happen.
[00:07:56]
{SPEAKER name="Jan Butterfield"}
I mean, the point is that maybe we as museums, using that loosely, I mean, maybe we don't take that role as seriously as we might.
[00:08:04]
I mean, we've allowed ourselves to accept some of that mystification.
[00:08:07]
And I'm real conscious of that because of some of the things we were talking about the Art Institute.
[00:08:11]
I'm tired of mystification. And I don't buy it anymore.
[00:08:15]
This has got to be-- we've all got to-- you've got to hoe your own row regardless of what you're doing. I don't care if you're pumping gas or selling insurance or whatever.
[00:08:22]
The artist accepts the responsibility when he or she undertakes a work. And those things are very important to me.
[00:08:29]
Now, I'm interested in where your sense of responsibility in relation to the integrity of that ability lies because it's an interesting issue. And I don't think it's really been brought up.
[00:08:41]
I mean, I have not discussed that with anybody.
[00:08:45]
{SPEAKER name="Michael Asher"}
My sense of responsibility is as an aesthetic producer.
[00:08:52]
And I assume you're talking about-- are you talking about--