The rise of planners’ art

Advertising in France has traditionally had a relatively lower status than in the UK or the US because of its repetitive faux pas: it mixes creativity with commerce. So you’ll understand my confusion when, after a few art exhibitions in Paris, I came to the conclusion that there is a definite trend towards more pragmatic art. More of the contemporary art put on a pedestal today could be the work of a creative planner. This year’s Turner prize winner also seems to support this theory.

Last month Paris hosted FIAC – the annual fair of contemporary art - a good place where to test the pulse of the art people are buying today. Over 200 galleries from around the world showed off the artists they represent and champion.

After half an hour at the event I began to seriously question one of those fine theories about the difference between creativity in advertising and that in art. The theory seemed pretty solid even if it was at the end of an Armagnac infested evening with a French creative director. We had concluded that creativity in advertising is relatively functional and outward looking; it has to communicate something precise to a specific audience. In art, on the other hand, creativity can be relatively more abstract and inward focused with not too much worry whether anybody will understand. Interpretation can be left to curators and art critics.

Clearly FIAC 2004 proved this theory to be a load of bollocks. Much of the art at FIAC was shouting out as strong communication, not as abstract experiences. In fact many of these artists seemed to be quite analytical, have great insights behind their creativity, and were extremely innovative in presenting their ideas – definitely one or two ideas to add to a planner’s shed.

Here’s my selection.

My prize for “best ethnographer” goes to Sophie Calle; a French artist who works with photographs and writing. She has spent the last two decades following, peeking into, and outright spying on the lives of strangers; the results illustrate human vulnerability. At FIAC she was exhibiting The Bronx. The work showed the results of stationing herself in a gallery - in the Bronx – and asking some of the strangers that came in to take her to a place of their choice. She recorded it on camera and captured something of their daily lives. She has a great book out (see photo).

The prize for the “sharpest brief” goes without doubt to Vuk Vidor, an artist from Belgrade working in Paris. His mural called ‘Art History’ is a list; on each line he links an artist to his/her cultural impact in three words. He is so efficient that he tackles over 30 in his piece. So for example he writes “Mondrian owns Geometry”, “Pollock owns Drippings”, “Warhol owns Pop”, “Botero owns Fat” and “Munch owns Despair”. However, I felt that a couple of them would need some more precise details in either the ‘Reasons to Believe’ or even the ‘Mandatories’ sections of the brief; like “Gilbert owns George” or “Hirst owns the Pharmacy”.

The prize for the best “dramatisation of an audience” – anybody needs ideas for pitch drama? – goes to Kader Attia - a Parisian artist from Algerian parents. In ‘La Machine à Rêves (Dream Machine)’ he brings to life what living in the north eastern banlieue (suburbs) of Paris is like; he originally did it to send to his relatives living in Algeria. In it a life-size resin figure in athletic clothes contemplates a vending machine dispensing all the things that he dreams of that might help him in his daily life in the West: a U.S. passport, Prozac, "Hallal" liquor (an Islamic oxymoron), and helpful books on how to lose a suburban accent and how to live with a homosexual brother.

I expected more planners’ art at the Palais de Tokyo – the Parisian temple of contemporary art - but was disappointed. HP had rented a big space and had unpacked their Hypegallery; the idea is that artists submit a digital picture or short film which is then printed and hung or projected on to the gallery's walls on HP products. While the art can be on any theme to qualify for display every piece must somehow feature the letters H and P - in that order. There is no theme or direction so the result is a great 3D mood board which can be good stimulatus; the only thing you must remember to bring is your own focus.

May Apollo - the god of the arts - strike me down with an easel, but this week’s Turner Prize 2004 result seems to have backed more planners’ art.

In the weeks before the prize, the four finalists had been criticised for having too much social documentary. "We've gone for substance over shock," said David Thorp, curator of contemporary art at the Henry Moore Foundation, explaining this year's shortlist for the Turner prize, of which he is a jury member. The four shortlisted artists all take a serious look at important subjects: cultural identity, the blurring of fact and fiction and all incorporate film into their work – a long way from the shock Brit Art of the Chapmans, Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin.

Jeremy Deller – the winner - demonstrates how ‘acid house’ is linked to ‘brass bands’ and he explores cultural heritage. In his Memory Bucket 2003 he uses documentary techniques to explore the state of Texas juxtaposing official reports with personal narratives – could this be fantastic stimulus for a brief from the Texas tourist board?

Not surprisingly, with the rise of planners’ art brands have learned how to mingle amongst the works of art without looking too much like they got the wrong party. At FIAC, Armani had created a sound, light and smell installation; Maserati had put its car on a pedestal which strangely seemed to fit as a couple of artists had also used cars as part of their installation; Nicolas Feuillatte – a champagne brand – had gone for a more traditional VIP only exhibition within the exhibition.

So did any of this art have any integrity left? – I hear a few of you ask. Well, there was one installation that seemed to be untainted by commerce and was not trying to communicate anything specific to any audience. My prize for “integrity” goes to “Minouk le poisson peintre” - a video installation of Minouk, a goldfish creating patterns in water where a drop of ink has been dropped in. With its improvised approach and lack of focus on the output of its work this fish might go far in the art world, but he shows no aspirations to become a strategic planner.