La Vérité est Que 1971

Editor: Here we have "La Vérité est Que" by Ben, created in 1971. It seems to be text on a dark background…almost like a handwritten confession. What do you make of it? Curator: Well, aren’t we all just a bundle of truths and untruths! Ben’s work, in my opinion, slices right through the usual artifice. Here we have text-as-art, where the message itself is the medium. Did you get a chance to translate the text? Editor: I did! It translates to something like: "The truth is that: me too, like all other artists, I make art for glory. The truth is that: I am jealous of other artists who have more success than me. The truth is that because of art I suffer and I would like to change." Curator: Precisely! The beauty here is its rawness, don’t you think? It’s brutally honest and a little… well, humorous in its self-awareness. He acknowledges ambition, envy, and even the suffering that can come with the artistic life. I think most artists will attest to this sentiment. Editor: I agree, it's strangely relatable. So, you are saying it challenges traditional art notions with its unconventional… truth-telling? Curator: Exactly! I like that. "Truth-telling!" But, do you think that he’s poking fun at the art world's grand pronouncements, the self-importance that can creep in? The work also makes me consider its relation to pop art because the lettering looks cartoonish. Editor: Definitely some playful cynicism going on. It’s simpler and funnier than I thought it would be initially. Curator: You got it. That is something that I appreciate and find beautiful: peeling back the layers of perception and expectation in both art and life.