Blog: Authenticity Is Art Without Coercion

Featured image: Don't Fence Me In II

When I look at a work art, I look for the artist’s authenticity. Is the artwork unique? Does it exemplify artistic freedom? Or, rather, does the work show that the artist has been coerced as they explore? Does the object they created show the thoughts of another?

Artwork from Art Basel Miami 2019

I believe that an artwork should exemplify what we all seek – freedom, discovery, authenticity. Often we hesitate to act – but unique authentic artists exemplify this freedom through their art. It is what sustains the artist. It is what makes the artist’s soul self-sustaining. 

What Lies Beneath by Christine Alfery

Art that shows coercion, art that exemplifies the thoughts of another - rather than freedom - is not art. I believe it is something else.