A Brief History of Kanye West’s Art Commentary on Twitter
This morning, School of the Art Institute of Chicago honorary degree holder Kanye West proclaimed on Twitter: "My tweets are a form of contemporary art only compromised by people trying to tell me what to tweet and not to tweet..."
This morning, School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) honorary degree holder Kanye West proclaimed on Twitter: “My tweets are a form of contemporary art only compromised by people trying to tell me what to tweet and not to tweet…” The cryptic message was part of a series addressing his desire to join Instagram, but only if he has complete creative freedom over what he would post there because, “It’s my art.” He then accused his would-be Instagram handler of being a “Non artist trying to grab the paint brush.”
As any of West’s more than 20 million Twitter followers can tell you, if the social media platform is a canvas, he wields words like Jackson Pollock. His comments on art, not unlike his remarks at the SAIC last year, offer sweeping pronouncements on and cutting criticisms of the state of contemporary art, fashion, and music. Here, then, are some highlights from what will one day surely be a collected “Critical Writings of Kanye West.”
On the definition of art:
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/699504037276864512
On the critical feedback offered by those around him:
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/707993466089906177
On his own standing in the pecking order of living artists:
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/702561799816790016
On his portrayal in mainstream media:
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/697185038350360577
On the artist who has had the greatest influence on his work:
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/699374444645494784
On the challenges of making political work:
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/702561295321722882
On the similarities between art and McDonald’s:
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/699308477785595904
On what motivates his practice:
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/699307776195973121
On the state of arts patronage in the Bay Area:
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/699108378891710464
On his relevant precursors in the history of art:
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/699107322895994880
On the public pressures endured by artists:
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/698147169182810112
On his censorship policy:
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/698146073190252545
On the etymology and correct pronunciation of “zine”:
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/696813983945400324
