Other-ness

A view from the public: what does *it* add to the mix?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/27/arts/design/27ligon.html

And some quotes.

On identity:

His big break came in 1989, when he got a grant from theNational Endowment for the Arts. “I thought if the government thinks I’m an artist, then I must be one,” he said. He started making art full time.

On the technology of composing:

Mr. Ligon forms letters with stencils because “it’s a way to be semi-echanical, to make letters that are not handwriting but have personality,” he said. “Handwriting would make these quotations too much mine, and stencils give it a bit more distance. They also allow me to keep being painterly but also have the kind of content I want a painting to have.” And rather than use oil paint, which can get messy, he uses oil stick, so that each letter has a more defined quality. For some works he has also flocked the canvas with coal dust to give it a textured, glittering feeling.

Neon sculptures create yet another message, a kind of 21st-century signage that hints at advertising but is quite the opposite of promotional. On the first floor of Mr. Ligon’s studio building is Lite Brite Neon, a custom lighting fabrication studio where, on a recent visit, the “negro sunshine” sculpture was being made for the Whitney’s window. On a long work table the perfectly made letters spelling out “negro” rested against a white metal backing. As Mr. Ligon inspected the progress, he explained that the front of the letters will be painted black, for a shadow play between light and dark. In the show there will also be neon wall reliefs that spell out just one word — “America” — from which the retrospective’s title was taken.