Alec Soth Advice For Young Artists(Signed)

12 個網站

• 走訪校園：在 2022 至 2024 年間，Alec Soth 親自造訪了全美 25 所大學的藝術系與攝影課程。
• 身分反轉：他名義上是去給予學生指導，但實際上，他反過來觀察這些尚未被藝術市場或世俗意識干擾的年輕人，並藉由他們的靈感來審視自己「即將老去」的藝術生命。
• 視覺風格：書中影像包含課堂上的半正式習作、學生肖像、凌亂的藝術道具、以及各式各樣充滿哲理或語焉不詳、隨手寫在便利貼（Post-it）上的字條。此計畫在視覺與精神上受到了紀實大師 Walker Evans 晚年拍攝年輕人寶麗來（Polaroid）肖像的啟發。 [1, 2, 3]

• 靈魂拷問：第一頁是一張綠色便利貼，寫著：「這本書是寫給誰看的？」 後續還有 「你真正想要的是什麼？」 等謎樣提示。
• 幽默的創作規則：他開玩笑地提出「書中收錄的照片數量不應該超過你自己的年齡」——因此這本在他 54 歲時出版的書中，剛好精準收錄了 54 幅影像。
• 抽象的安慰：便利貼上寫著 「接納你自己」、「耐心，諸如此類的」、「關於少即是多的一些道理」。這些建議聽起來無比正確，卻又因過於空泛而顯得幽默，Soth 藉此暗示：年輕時面對的焦慮，即使成名了也不會憑空消失。
• 唯一的具體建議：製作展覽或攝影書的「縮小模型（Maquette）」來幫助自己視覺化編排，而這也是他在書中最後一頁展示的實踐。 [1, 2, 3]

12 websites

**Advice for Young Artists** is a member of Magnum Photos and American contemporary photography master Alec Soth by MA at the end of 2024. A solo photography monograph and a touring exhibition of the same name published by CK Publishing House.

Fraenkel Gallery

One plus

Although the title of the book sounds like a wise "teaching guide", it is actually a humorous and ironic trap set by Alec Soth: it is not a one-way teaching of the secret of success, but an introspection and dialogue about the essence of photography, time, aging and artistic creation.

Collector's Daily

Plus two

1. The creative background and concept of the work

Visiting the campus: From 2022 to 2024, Alec Soth personally visited the art departments and photography courses of 25 universities in the United States.

Identity reversal: He nominally gives guidance to students, but in fact, he in turn observes these young people who have not been disturbed by the art market or secular consciousness, and uses their inspiration to examine his artistic life that is "about to grow old".

Visual style: The images in the book include semi-formal lessons in the classroom, student portraits, messy art props, and all kinds of notes full of philosophy or vagueness, casually written on Post-it. The plan was visually and spiritually inspired by documentary master Walker Evans, who took a Polaroid portrait of a young man in his later years.

2. The "plausible" suggestions in the book

Soth interspersed many humorous, mysterious and almost spoofed "declarations" in the book, revealing the artist's confusion at different stages of creation, such as:

Collector's Daily

One plus

Soul torture: The first page is a green sticky note, which says: "Who is this book written for?" In the follow-up, there is "What do you really want?" Wait for the riddle hint.

The rules of humor: He jokingly proposed that "the number of photos included in the book should not exceed your own age" - so the book he published at the age of 54 accurately included 54 images.

Abstract comfort: The sticky note says "acceive yourself", "patient, and so on", "some truths about less is more". These suggestions sound extremely correct, but they are humorous because they are too empty. Soth uses this to imply that the anxiety faced when you are young will not disappear out of thin air even if you become famous.

The only specific suggestion: make a "maquette" for exhibitions or photography books to help you visualize the arrangement, which is also the practice he shows on the last page of the book.