Manifesto
I claim to be a revolutionary artist. I have a vision of the world and a mission to put it into effect. I want to eliminate the exploitation of man by man, to achieve an equitable distribution of tasks and goods, to build a just, free and classless society.
To achieve my ideal I have to communicate with the largest possible audience, something I can only achieve with large production and a good distribution system of my work. The work cannot be reduced to a few handcrafted examples exhibited sporadically.
To reach the public I want to convert to my ideas, I need a means of production that makes my task as efficient as possible. I also need hired labor that can work on those parts that do not require my creative effort and that can be executed under my instructions.
With few financial resources at my disposal for the acquisition of equipment and machinery, I am forced to use my ingenuity. I have to look for opportunities that favor me, take advantage of other people's mistakes, haggle over prices. In other words, I have to outwit those who would surely take advantage of me in case of carelessness.
The same economic situation prevents me from hiring assistants at the salary they deserve. I have to pay as little as possible, lengthen working hours and achieve maximum productivity at minimum cost. If I have money left over in this process, I must invest it in more and better equipment, and in the employment of more people under the same conditions.
The biggest obstacle to the diffusion of my work is competition. There are other artists with ideas similar to mine and others who interfere with my potential contact with the public. The public spends money on work that is not mine. This distracts their attention from the revolutionary goals of my work and their badly invested money therefore does not allow me to improve my production conditions. I must succeed in imposing my work and surmounting these obstacles.
Obviously I cannot physically eliminate the artists who compete with me. But I can try to discredit them, to create rumors, to antagonize them with their gallery owners, and in general, to sabotage their channels of diffusion. With some luck and a bit of manipulation I will then be able to incorporate those channels of diffusion of work into my own, ensuring my preeminence with the public.
My sales will increase which will enable me to acquire more and better means of production and hire more help. I will be able to consider the possibility of accessing new audiences and even to create an international market for my art. With that achieved, the day my revolutionary ideals become reality will be within my grasp.
Luis Camnitzer (1982)