Overview

Artist Bob and Roberta Smith was recently appointed by Commissions East to oversee a project in which five artists were commissioned to create site-specific projects to transform open spaces in South Essex. Art U Need: My Part in the Public Art Revolution is an intimate account of this project, written in diary form. With sensitivity, candour and a great deal of humour, Bob Smith, and his alter ego, Roberta, ponder the nature and place of public art in today's world. Art U Need is a refreshing addition to the art debate, providing a unique insight into the workings of the artist's mind. Through his remarkably honest approach Bob and Roberta Smith manages to encapsulate the larger issues surrounding the roles of funding bodies, self-expression and, of course, the public, in public art today. Similar in feel to our previous title with Bob and Roberta, Make Your Own Damn Art, the book is a beautiful object as well as a useful resource. The text is complemented by edgy design and vividly illustrated with original photography and artwork by Smith and the other artists involved, making the book itself as quirky and unique as its contents. Charming and accessibly written, Art U Need: My Part in the Public Art Revolution will appeal to young artists, students and the world of public art equally. Through his musings and arguments with his alter-ego Roberta, Smith allows the reader a glimpse into the artist's life and mind, and a fascinating observation of the world of public art today that is illuminating, honest and lighthearted. Bob and Roberta Smith is the pseudonym of Patrick Brill, one of London's most instantly recognisable and colourful artists. Noted for his radical sign painting, cement sculptures and other urban installations, he has recently shown work at The Brick Lane Gallery, The Baltic Centre, The Hales Gallery and exhibited internationally, notably at the Perogi Gallery in New York.

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9781906155162

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Reviews

Bob and Roberta's piece, a giant eco-friendly sign which reads 'Faites L'Art, pas La Guerre (Make Art, Not War)' written in lights which are powered by the sun and wind, has received the thumbs up from Adrian Searle, The Guardian visual arts critic, Tom Lubbock, The Independent art critic and a favourable mention in The Times by Dalya Alberge. 'Bob and Roberta Smith's wonderfully daft tower imagines just such an alternative history. With its solar panels, a wind generator, and the glitzy illuminated lettering enjoining us to 'Faites l'art, pas la guerre', it has a brazen vitality reminiscent of 1960s French nouveau realisme. The sculpture has a low carbon footprint and promotes civic virtues, creativity, and language skills. The slogan itself could be a distant echo of May '68. It is stupid, but oddly, uplifting. Man the barricades!' Adrian Searle, The Guardian 'Only one of these designs seems worth realizing - that of Bob and Roberta Smith, aka the artist Patrick Brill' Tom Lubbock, The Independent

Author Information

Bob and Roberta Smith is the pseudonym of Patrick Brill, one of London's most instantly recognisable and colourful artists. Noted for his radical sign painting, cement sculptures and other urban installations, he has recently shown work at The Brick Lane Gallery, The Baltic Centre, The Hales Gallery and exhibited internationally, notably at the Perogi Gallery in New York.

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