It was interesting to hear Alec Soth talk about his work last night. While it seems to me that what he does isn't some how 'spectacular' or unusual it is very much the real thing. That is to say it's right out of the mold of Walker Evans. In a video available on the Getty website Evans explained his work in simple straight forward terms. He said that he 'liked saying what's what.' That's an explanation of a work of art that I understand and even relate to. The thing about the way that Soth works is equally as straight forward. He does his homework and plans his efforts. He takes road trips! But before he goes any where he researches the area and looks for the unique or unusual. I got the impression that he may only visit an area once but when he does he has a pretty good idea of what he's looking for.
Soth also goes on to say that he doesn't find it necessary to carry his camera every where he goes. Sitting there with a camera hanging around my neck was uncomfortable but I won't make excuses for the way I work, I'll just keep working. Soth did make interesting comments about marketing his work or should I say about how he has built a network of influential people who help him market his work. A smart move on the part of the artist.
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