Chicago-based art critic Alicia Eler demystifies the career of a professional art writer and talks about the unique kinds of feedback that come with writing for the web. Eler also elaborates on the importance and difficulty of writing negative criticism, and how she, as a critic, sees art within a wider cultural context.
“I am not interested in art existing in a vacuum, or art only existing within the context of the art world. I am always thinking about art in a bigger cultural picture and framework… I want artists to be aware of the types of symbols they are using and the visual language they’re working with.”
Alicia Eler is a Chicago-based curator and art critic contributing regularly to Artforum.com and Hyperallergic, where she publishes an ongoing Selfie Series cataloging, questioning and theorizing the selfie cultural phenomenon. She is also the Curator for ACRE Projects, Visual Arts Researcher for the Chicago Artists’ Resource, and Writer/Editor for the OtherPeoplesPixels.com Blog. Additionally, her writing has appeared in Art Papers, RAW Vision Magazine, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Flavorpill, ReadWriteWeb and Time Out Chicago. Eler holds a BA in Art History from Oberlin College.