Lets get complicated... By Alicia King

There is no expectation upon contemporary artists to engage with ethical issues, nor for their work to uphold any kind of ethical standard. In fact, being artists affords us a lot of social leeway, and we often fall (or are delegated) into a realm of exemption beyond the boundaries dictating acceptable behavior and practices for the masses.

'the flesh is willing' Alicia King 2007

This leaves us generally free to navigate our own terrain, to indulge in the grey areas without the pressure to conform to any conclusive perspectives. It also affords an amount of exemption from ethical standards - sanctifying generally unconventional, controversial or obscure social behavior under the realm of contemporary art. Art and ethics are generally separate realms, meeting occasionally at points of friction, often of the visceral or political kind. While it's fair to say that most artists do not choose to engage with ethical or political issues, on the flip-side, artists who do take the initiative to engage with challenging and problematic issues become fast targets for criticism; their work often considered inauthentic unless taken to the extreme.

One thing that engagement with life sciences has taught me is that there are no true ethical absolutes. The components of life itself are far too complex, and on a physiological level (amongst others) there is very little of it that we even understand.

As a contemporary artist I constantly find myself struggling with the ethics concerning developments in human and animal life, and the problems of their inseparability through science. Lately though, through analysis of other ethically focused works I've come to the conclusion that problems often create a pivotal point of engagement in an artwork.

The recent artist talk by emerging artist Andy Vagg at INFLIGHT Art (Artist Run Initiative www.inflightart.com.au) directly addressed ethics of contemporary behavior; in this case environmental ethics. Vagg's installation rethink: you can have everything you ever wanted and so can everyone else focuses upon environmental concerns through homage to the humble bicycle. Vagg presents aseries of secondhand bikes that he has personally salvaged from the Hobart rubbish tip and lovingly restored, accompanied by text specifically addressing his personal perspective and relationship to mass consumerism.

In discussion of the installation specifics, it was suggested that perhaps the space should not have been lit at all, as it could be seen to contradict focus on environmental wastage and degradation. This point on lighting was no more a serious criticism of Vagg's work as this is a considered review of it, but more a discussion point upon the problems of trying to create work through completely ethically sound methods, as if the only way to authentically engage with an ethical issue is to present it through completely ethical means and processes. Although the bikes themselves are mainly recycled material, it was necessary for Vagg to purchase some new parts for the bicycles. These were obvious points of contention for Vagg, in their potential to undermine the validity of the work, however I feel it is also these points which give his work strength through their contrast, as these so-called problems or discrepancies provide fuel to generate discussion of the work.

As contemporary art provides a unique forum free from the usual constraints of society, to bring these issues into the public realm to generate discussion, it is perhaps the perfect (and possibly only) avenue in which creating problems rather than solving them provides for an alternate exploration of issues; inadvertently exposing, complicating and inviting us to engage and re-think our views.