Find Out

You know what they say: don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to. Clearly, it’s great advice. Unfortunately, it is also impossible to follow, since we humans are born curious and stay curious all throughout our lives. Therefore, I don’t feel guilty for what I did. After all, I needed to find out. And find out I did.

I’m a rope artist. And true artists are quite unsure of themselves. I mean, on the one hand, you believe in your talent, and you trust in your hard work and all the pain you have endured to create your work. On the other hand, however, you never stop asking yourself whether someone else will see your products as valuable as you think they are. It’s a never-ending torture.

And when it comes to alternative art, such as bondage installations, anxiety and doubt increase. I mean, you’re doing something that, for most people, can be summed up in one word: weird. And, even in the case of those who like it, there’s not such a long tradition to use as a standard, as is the case, for example, with painting or sculpture.

That’s why in my latest exhibition, I put a hat and my sunglasses on, and I walked around my own pieces, trying to remain unnoticed, and to eavesdrop on whichever comment, good or bad, I could hear about my work.

The results were enlightening. Luckily, I can say that most people do appreciate my work. They find it interesting, challenging, and even fun sometimes. On the other side, however, I realized that perhaps I finished my pieces too soon. I mean, many people said that I could have taken this or that piece even further, once I had found a good idea.

I guess the bottom line is that we should always appreciate feedback. And if you have to go incognito to find out the truth about your work, don’t give it a second thought. Do it!

This is my Shibari story.