>Don't let these silly boys from The Mid-West and West US confuse you. They >have noting to do with Fluxus. They are entirely phony. >Just read the title: "Director, Fluxus West". Utterly ridiculous. > >What you saw in Genova was the real thing. > >Keep in touch, >Eric Andersen
I sit here unable to remember a single Fluxus work of Eric Andersen's (I've seen several and read about more than a few) and really do not know what his contribution to Fluxus has been. Of all the original Fluxus participants (as defined by performing at Weisbaden festival in 1962) I have the least grasp of what his contribution was and has been. He seems to have been well regarded among the core Fluxus group (Dick Higgins liked him so he can't be all bad; and I hear he is charming, but you wouldn't know that by his bad social skills and paranoia on Fluxlist). So I can't figure out what his contribution has been. That I don't know this stuff is not much of an indictment, however, because I am really not much of a Fluxus scholar. But I can not even find anything about his work on the internet--which is why he has never been listed on the www.fluxus.org fluxus portal page. I can't find any links to Eric's work or bios for Eric (anyone have any, I'll add them)! Honestly, I have just sort of thought he was an intellectual lightweight...and have since the first time I saw him speak--which was at the Walker Art Museum (1993?) kick-off for the first big international touring Fluxus exhibition. His remarks basically consisted of denying that Fluxus existed (I think he was trying to be ironic) and minimizing its American/Maciunas roots (sooooo European). Next to Jon Hendricks, he was the biggest jerk at the kick-off. Most of the other Fluxus folk were a delight. Does anyone out there know of or understand what his contribution to Fluxus has been or is? Or to ART? I'd like to see one paragraph on this. I guess I've also been suspicious of Eric Andersen, because he makes such a big deal of his being a REAL artist and places so much emphasis on it (as in most of his attacks on Ken Friedman seem to be "Ken isn't a REAL artist"). I do love art and artists, but am a little put off when they feel compelled to draw the wagons into an exclusionary circle and make authenticity the issue. It is this keeping-of-Fluxus-in-the-serious-house-of-Art that I have always thought was short-sighted and a reason why Fluxus (which I love and admire) has not had greater impact on culture and creativity in general. I do realize that I have my own odd little point of view on things and it is frequently a mish mash of at least a few inaccuracies and exaggerated opinion, although in this case I am mostly blank. So I would be happy to hear anyone else's more informed point of view on this. And then maybe finally we can give Eric Andersen the space he deserves on www.fluxus.org. Allen Bukoff
