At the intersection of needing to get paid and hating working for some excessively wealthy person is employment. The Vennmo Diagram by artist Jeffrey Bayer struck a nerve on Reddit with more than 10,000 upvotes above any downvotes. Garnering a lot of positive and negative comments about the art. But that is, in many ways, the point of art. To start the conversation and let it flourish organically, wherever it may flow.
Some comments about the Vennmo Diagram artwork say it’s quoting Mos Def, Mike Monteiro, Nicholas Pileggi, Martin Scorsese, and several others, most of which no one has ever heard of, but seems to show how the concept of “Fuck You, Pay Me” has pervasively entered the collective consciousness of the english speaking world in one way or another. But as a reddit commenter amusingly said about the work “It’s super random and very low effort, imo”. Much like armchair art critiques.
But effort has never translated directly to the perceived value or the validity of work. Consider the “work” of bankers and money changers, corporate middle management and CEO’s, or anyone that earns money trading on the work and ability of others without providing real value to society. Consider Cy Twombly’s scribbles, Damien Hurst’s dots, Jackson Pollock’s drip paintings, or Picasso’s line drawings. Are these any less art because of the time (or lack there of) they took to make? Are Jeff Koons’ balloon animals art at all or still his artwork when they are produced by an army of workers. Or are these examples all only considered art because a wealthy art dealer decided they are sellable to the idle rich? What is that tipping point where a specific work or artists work goes from curiosity to traded commodity?
Interesting questions for you to answer for yourself and for your own taste in what you might consider art. But, whether you consider this piece art or not, handmade artwork is simply better than mass-produced printed replicas. The texture of the paper, the slight variations in the ink. The beautiful detail in the layered ink variations and imperfections of human made objects adds visual richness and depth to any art. It shows the work and humanity that went into creating something instead of trading on the value of someone else’s talent.
Two of the edition of three hand made, numbered, and signed silk screens are available on the artists Saatchi art page. Grab one now before they are gone.