Studio Practice in the critic’s pick in Arforum
The insular nature of the project—opinions within the art world blatantly determining the value of artworks made for that world—points to a certain cyclical cynicism about the contemporary production and reception of works. All of the paintings are sufficiently marketable given their Abstract Expressionist quality, and they have catchy titles such as Laura Palmer’s Curtain 2 andOffset Matterhorn #1. Given the precision with which the documenting website has been designed and managed, including an unusual presentation of the assistants’ labor contract, as well as the less significant role of the participating gallerists and the complete absence of the artist himself (apart from a final comment and signature on the chosen works), it becomes evident that Lund holds a mirror to the art world’s systems of evaluation and assignations of value.
How to get an honest opinion about your artwork, ArtSlant
In the end it’s fitting that most of the paintings signed—paintings 55-58—acted as studio drop cloths for much of the project. They show paint splatters and footprints, drips and stains: the haphazard reminders of ill-fated artworks that didn’t survive the jury’s gauntlet. In Lund’s final evaluation he writes of these canvases: “A series of paintings void of artistic intention seems like a perfect summary of Studio Practice.”