Instead of asking, as we all will be prone to during this week of money, what is the value of an artwork, ask what are the values of the critics, curators and artists. Instead of asking what the meaning of an artwork is, ask what the critic, curator and artist means. In a time where spin is as easy as sincerity, can we trust these people?

A polygraph test, more commonly referred to as a lie detector test, is considered a pretty reliable measure of sincerity, and the only scientific measure of truth. The test is performed by a professional analyst and a special machine which measures your pulse, respiration and the conductivity of your sweat. Abnormal changes in these three bodily functions indicate your body’s subconscious response to lying. Therefore, if we wanted to get accurate answers from an artist, critic or curator, and not just lip service to current trends, this would be a good way of doing it.

Anne Historical with the Joubert Park Project, in a ‘panel discussion’ entitled You Deserve The Truth, invited several art world specialists to submit themselves to a series of questions, while being polygraphed. These five people namely Sean O’Toole, Storm Janse Van Rensburg, Simon Njami, Lawrence Lemoana and myself were separately sealed off from the audience, but with a live video feed and asked to answer some pretty tough question about our relationship to art and to money. The results and analysis of the test were exhibited and put up for sale (price decided by the examinee).

My personal response to the experience of being mechanically interrogated was interesting, and very revealing of the nature of the project. Firstly, there was deception implicit in my appearing, as Robert Sloon is only an aspect of the idiot whose body we share. In short, I was lying before I even started. Secondly, there is the pressure of expectations, your own, as well as the audience’s: are you saying the right things. It’s embarrassing to be caught lying, and that is worse than a sociably unacceptable answer. The test caught very few lies, it rather forced participants into honesty.

The five questions asked were: Have you ever pretended to understand and artwork when you had no insight into it at all? Is your mother proud of what you do for a living? Is making money more important to you than making, curating, writing or selling good art? Is it alright that the primary market for contemporary art lies outside of the continent? Do you feel hopeful about your future? Keep a look out, as the answers as well as a graphic representation of the test will be up for sale at the fair.

Labels: Joburg art fair