Arthur N. Ghell

Please view this piece on: www.arthurnghell.org Arthur N. Ghell is an interactive, internet-based art project. It has at its centre the fictitious persona of Arthur N. Ghell (sounding like 'Art Angel'), an ideal mentor of unrecognised, emerging talent in the art world. Arthur is well educated and connected, always approachable (online) and supportive. He is always happy to view and is invariably positive about art work handed in to him. He responds appropriately to submissions in impeccable 'art speak'. But unbeknown to the viewer, all responses are randomly generated. Uploading a file for Arthur to view, feels like an ordinary, every day uploading process on the internet (including file format guidelines as well as loading bar and information responding to the file size) - yet nothing is uploaded. The design of Arthur's website draws heavily on the garish aesthetics of self-help literature. Self-help gurus are our modern saviours, blurring the lines between Psychology (science) and religion. Arthur embodies artists' desires for support and recognition. The randomness of Arthur's response is a comment on 'art speak' as well as on critiquing art. It deliberately uses the methods of horoscopes or fortune teller games, in which statements are general enough for the reader to be able to make a connection to their own life.