This thesis examines the complex, multifaceted, lived experiences of visual artists, and uses a social, relational approach to understand the tensions they navigate. It conceptualises social relations as value- laden and value driven, moulded by dominant and alternative economic frameworks, in which market logic and the pursuit of the common good co-exist. The thesis explores how these social relations influence artists meanings of identity and development, their pursuit of practice and their negotiation of careers within and beyond dominant systems. It aims to unpack the entangled narratives through which artists negotiate community and competition, informality and formality, individual and collective needs, alongside passion, autonomy and care. It argues for a recognition of development as flourishing, that is, a more holistic, meaningful, good life.
In doing so it questions the normativity of networks as individualised and transactional, as well as the socially-shaped attachments to artworld aspirations that may hinder flourishing. It considers how artists navigate and reshape their understanding, wrestling with, and resisting, the cruel optimism sustained by dominant logic and precarious contexts. It does this through three interconnected chapters of empirical analysis. The first draws on Berlant’s (2011) theory of cruel optimism to analyse in-depth interviews with artists in Yorkshire and Humber. The second utilises Macintyre’s (1981) theory of practice to examine the Yorkshire Sculpture International Sculpture Network, a professional development network for artists hosted by West Yorkshire’s leading visual arts institutions. The third analyses focus groups with artists and arts workers, applying theories of commoning and the commons to consider the possibilities and limits of commoning as a basis for more ethical and collective forms of cultural work.
Alongside this, the thesis introduces a participatory mapping method for exploring the value and meaning of social relations during self-defined moments of development. This method offers a practical approach for exploring artists’ social relations and development with and for artists, and encourages critical reflexive dialogue on any tensions they may face.
