Inkslinger On writing, on books, and on book arts

Salon Life in Minneapolis: Christian Boltanski

Christian Boltanski

EDIT:  So many people visit this page--and it's a joy to find out that so many are curious about Christian Boltanski.

To honor further that curiosity, I've added another, more informative post about this artist.  Click here: Art Friday: More on Christian Boltanski.

Cheers!

We're heading to a salon-style discussion of one of my favorite artists, Christian Boltanski, this evening.  We've read The Impossible Life of Christian Boltanski, in which Boltanski tells the story of his life and art to interviewer Catherine Grenier (curator at the Musée National d'Art Moderne in the Pompidou).

Several times, Boltanski talks about being an artist.  His words will resonate with writers also:

Being an artist is a very dangerous thing, because you look for love and you are loved, which can make you a little crazy or put you outside of reality.  And in a certain way, you also risk your life, because you know it can stop at any time.  That has really filled out my life.  But that's the case for every artist, even those who are much less known.

And this (which recalls the Martin Amis interview here):

Wanting to be an artist is so ambitious that it's a form of madnes.  That's what I always tell my students.  Artists stand outside of life: they're an oddity in this world.