Tom Hunter Talk

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Well I think we can say it went well.

Photograph by Amano.

We had a look round some of Tom’s work on display before heading up to a meeting room for the talk, question time and then a swift coffee in the uber cool coffee shop next door.  I have to say I found the talk really interesting even though I have heard him do this a few times now.  His ease with public speaking and his acute understanding of his own practice allows him to veer away from the powerpoint and elaborate on certain thoughts and points of interest.   His passion for what he does comes through vigorously!

Photograph by Amano.

During the talk the subject of what is ugly and who determines beauty came up and was elaborated upon in the questions.  Tom feels that the beauty of the images does not compromise his message.  He uses such beauty as a tool to seduce the viewer as well as offering an empathetic and more positive representation of people often considered as outcasts by the media and society – he sees these people and their lives (often in Hackney or run down neighbourhoods like Brick Lane in the early 1980’s) as genuinely beautiful.  Rather than feel restricted by the gallery wall and art market he said he was thankful to Saatchi for giving his voice a platform to a much wider demographic.
For the question time Tom was very generous, both with his time as well as in giving real answers.  He was thoughtful and seemed to answer with a degree of honesty and genuine soul searching that caught me off guard.  I appreciated how he told us that it was important for him to learn from his mistakes (when he allowed his success to go to his head for a little while when he was young) and that to be a great artist you have to work “really **** hard”.  He said you are only as good as your last work and it is a real struggle to come up with good ideas.   He feels the pressure more than ever, now that he is being given good opportunities, like Paris Photo and solo shows in Berlin and further afield.
I was also really pleased to hear that some of his works are now in the permanent collection of MoMA…. not that he is likely to retire!
All in all the opportunity to hear first hand how an artist has thought through the issues he is representing in his work, the techniques he used to do so as well as how to navigate the media and how to be an artist was more than worthwhile.  I’m glad the students who came seem to have found it helpful, according to these comments and the buzz in the coffee shop afterwards.  It was also great to see some new faces, bringing the East London crowd out of the woodwork!  Thanks to all the students who came and had prepared interesting questions.  Good job!

Photograph by Amano.