We are not moving towards some kind of goal. We are at the goal, and it is changing with us. If art has any purpose, it is to open our eyes to that fact.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes that life and art are dynamic processes rather than static goals, urging us to recognize and embrace change as a constant aspect of existence.
Antony Gormley's quote suggests that rather than striving for a fixed destination or achievement in life, we should acknowledge that we are perpetually in a state of change, and that our understanding of purpose evolves alongside us. Art serves as a medium that enhances our awareness of this fluidity, encouraging us to appreciate the current moment and the continuous transformation of our experiences.
In practice
During a lecture on contemporary art, one could use this quote to illustrate how art reflects the ongoing changes in society.
I believe in the city as a natural human environment, but we must humanize it. It's art that will re-define public space in the 21st Century. We can make our cities diverse, inspirational places by putting art, dance and performance in all its forms into the matrix of street life.
It's wonderful to see art in a museum, but it is institutionalised. I don't like the idea of the artwork as something that requires special conditions. I would like it to be universal.
Art is not about objects of high monetary exchange. It's about reasserting our firsthand experience in present time.
The art of storytelling is reaching its end because the epic side of truth, wisdom, is dying out.
Each arrow you shoot off carries its own target into the decidedly secret tangle
Artists are meant to be madmen, to disturb and shock us.
Oh Woman, come before us, before our eyes longing for beauty, and tired of the ugliness of civilization, come in simple tunics, letting us see the line and harmony of the body beneath, and dance for us. Dance us the sweetness of life. Give us again the sweetness and the beauty of the true dance, give us again the joy of seeing the simple unconscious pure body of a woman. Like a great call it has come, and women must hear it and answer it.
There's a kind of power thing about the camera. I mean everyone knows you've got some edge. You're carrying some magic which does something to them. It fixes them in a way.
I write plays and poetry at the same time, and I'm always refining, but I'm not obsessive about it. It's what I like to do, what I've always wanted to do.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.