Thursday, January 13, 2011

COMMODITY - Artist For Sale!

COMMODITY at UWA

ARTIST FOR SALE!
A Good Investment! Artist can only Appreciate in Value!

AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY AT THE JANUARY UWA 3D OPEN ART CHALLENGE!*



Each part of this COMMODITY (arms, legs, stomach, pelvis, etc) contains a singular dream, memory, confession, nightmare or wish (Revelation) of the ARTIST which has never been told to another person! No two pieces are alike!

No one else will know this personal part of the artist! The value of each Piece O' Miso© is contingent on sharing this secret with only the artist. Buyer gains the right to talk about this secret with the artist!


You may right-click on any Piece O' Miso© and BUY it; then right-click again and TAKE it. Each Piece is an ORIGINAL and will not be duplicated nor sold again. When a Piece is gone it is gone!

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This piece speaks on the issue of the commodification and marketing of art.

Art works follow economics of scarcity: the rare, the unique; high demand, finite supply. Where does the fungible value of unique, "priceless" commodities like art works and antiques come from? From desire, symbolic wealth, and ownership of a scarce good. Context and perception is all. Commodities show value, translate into cash value, only by circulation and exchange in the marketplace. Art objects are not exchangeable one for the other like other commodities: art economics is based on scarcity of unique objects. Some argue that art does have a "Satisfaction" (utility) value (Grampp), and cannot be explained purely by exchange value models.


Artworld hierarchies of value and cash value

* Scale from the legitimate but low value works in galleries from $500-1000 to the small fraction of works that hit the auction houses for huge amounts ($500,000 to millions).

* Wealthy prestige collectors increase value and visibility. Prices of sales to and from private collectors are often well-known in the artworld and used as investment capital.

* The influence of museums, international shows, and the price of works (the Saatchi effect) on the saleability of an art work.

* Economic variations in funding of art around the world--state sponsorships, grants, public spaces, free art school tuition and conditions of the commercial art market, the business of galleries and museums all affect the price of an artist's work and labor.

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The actual "artwork" being submitted will be dependent on the investment capitol prospectus of myself as an artist; who will buy... what parts will they buy... what will be left of "Miso" when this round of the Challenge is closed?


When each Piece O' Miso© is purchased, it will be removed from the work and a ghost outline of itself will be left in place. These ghost outlines are nonpurchaseable, as is Miso's Face© (an actual texture made from my avatar's usual facial skin). The purchaser will be able to look inside the piece and view the text of each personal Revelation. The textures are no mod/no copy/no transfer. The value of these bits of myself will be contingent on the buyer never sharing this information with anyone else but me.


Another issue being addressed here is the accessibility of art. How many people will see the seed artwork in its entirety, if and before any pieces are bought and spirited away into collections?


I will continually visit the piece and photograph it in its various stages of disappearance... depending, of course, on the pertinent question:

Is Miso's stock RISING? is it VENTURE CAPITAL MATERIAL?!?! Or will I end up with all my parts, doomed to bankruptcy and drawing pictures of pet dogs for doting old ladies?


*Lest you think this is a crass commercial project (and start screaming at Jayjay or FreeWee), know that all monies from the sale of Pieces O'Miso© will be donated to the artist's prize pool for the Challenge. It's not about making a profit ^_^


** my limbs are cheap, but you'll have to cough up some hard Ls if you want my pelvis (with a most personal revelation) :D

9 comments:

Iggy O said...

What's the Suzanne Vega lyric?

"Hearts are cheap and wings are nearly free..."

This needs to be blogged up in many places. Brilliant idea.

Apmel said...

Great concept! I will run the link for a day top right in my blog :)

Iggy O said...

I now own your head. MUAHAHA.

Miso Susanowa said...

@Iggy - "fancy poultry parts sold here" :)
DON'T TELL ANYONE WHAT'S INSIDE!!!!

Miso Susanowa said...

I am gratified that after less than 24 hours from the placement of this piece, 7 people have participated in this work. Iggy I know about, and Free Wee Ling has graciously allowed me to reveal her name as the purchaser of my Right Arm. However, the identity of the other Speculative Angels is unknown to me at this time.

sororNishi said...

hehehehe....soooo coool.

Anonymous said...

I purchased Miso's heart yesterday. After the secret contained there was revealed to me, I decided to purchase Miso's pelvis as well.

I too have a heart and pelvis.

I am considering the meaning of the secrets held within these "pieces" now.

What an interesting concept. Well done Miso.

Wizzy Gynoid said...

i got a left and right upper arm. i like to speculate. i have one question tho. these are educational sims, and it used to be that selling on educational sims was a no no. perhaps that rule has changed since the Lindens removed the educational discount.

Miso Susanowa said...

Wizzy... I got special permission from Jayjay to do this work, as all the "profits" go to the Artist's Prize Pool. However, that is an interesting slant that I did not consider in the work and worth incorporating :D

COMMODITY explores the "Popular Vote" category, the equating of Price with Value and Desireability and the nature of Interaction; is purchasing a piece of artwork "interacting" with it?