Elliot Bailey, A&E Editor
Originally published March 5, 2015
Junior Isabelle Keller, with her recent photo art collection “Untitled,” offers a perspective on the role of the artist that at first seems hard to swallow. Her take on art is adaptive and is perhaps the best suited to a modern model of quick-twitch, web-connected content consumption.
“I think art is so subjective to a point that you can’t really make it to tell such a concrete story,” Keller said. “So many people relate themselves to art.”
A simplistic interpretation of this philosophy might confuse “Untitled” for simplistic art, but Keller’s premise isn’t to be misconstrued.
“I have my own stories behind it [her art], but I think anyone can look at it and make up their own stories,” Keller said. “That’s how a lot of these are to me, because I’ll think of something and put it down, but see something like this [“Untitled No.1”] — this was supposed to be like good versus evil, people partying and people doing what they’re told, but anyone could look at this and get a completely different story.”
This sentiment is a refreshing voice in an often impermissive conversation on how art should be interpreted. There’s something powerful and engaging in an experience of art where the viewer isn’t heckled by an artist to respect the boundaries of their premise.
And so it’s not an insufficiency that characterizes “Untitled,” not thematic neglect, or poorly laid plans. It’s an emancipation: participate in art. It’s yours and everyone’s and, in the end, it’s free enough to mean what it means to you.