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CounterPunch
December
28, 2002
Clinton Boisvert:
Sorry with a Capital S
by ANTHONY GANCARSKI
As the 12/18 GUARDIAN put it, "Clinton Boisvert,
a newly enrolled student at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan,
was arrested this week and charged with reckless endangerment
after dreaming up one of the more provocative art projects of
the post-September 11 era: placing 38 black boxes, bearing the
word 'fear' in white lettering, around the Union Square station."
Of course, the immediate implication
from the media was that Osama bin Laden, Lex Luthor, or one of
the evil minions thereof had placed these boxes of fear in the
station, attacking us as terrorists are wont to do. Not to worry,
though. After the station had been shut down for a few hours
so the Bomb Squad could sweep for bombs, recover dropped sweetheart
lockets, and the like, helpful tipsters began reporting that
they had seen "two 'artsy types' distributing the boxes."
What stoic cool it must have taken to downgrade the incident
from an Attack On Democracy By Theocratic Fascists to a distribution
of boxes. But never mind all that. Once the police figured out
it was two artsy types, they naturally began to "canvas
local art schools" for the hopefully ersatz evildoer. At
some point amidst all this canvassing, Clinton Boisvert turned
himself in.
Certainly, this is the most interesting
piece of conceptual art done in homage to the terrorists since
the mailbox bomb smiley face a few months back, though I have
yet to see some of the work Israeli Art Students have done relating
to 9/11. But I'd expect that an artist with  Boisvert's
audacity and vision would take the opportunity provided by claiming
the work to articulate his vision. Boisvert certainly must have
realized that this is a country that doesn't play around when
its court-appointed leaders decide we're in wartime. Once Boisvert
started speaking truth to power, he might as well have finished
the job.
But Clinton Boisvert had no such inclinations.
There are no gallery openings in the Cell Block. No time for
"provocative art projects" when one is having diseases
communicated to him on a hard plank in a cramped cell. In behalf
of the young artist, Boisvert's attorney claimed that "he's
only been in New York three months; I've been trying to explain
to him what 9/11 was like here. He feels terrible. He wants to
say sorry to New Yorkers, with a capital S."
What is Boisvert sorry for, exactly?
The lawyer's implication is that he is sorry for the inconvenience
he caused, or for unintentional reckless endangerment. For an
artist, however, the consequences of his work are beside the
point while the work is being created. The difference between
a visionary and a hack is that the visionary is willing to die
for his vision, while the hack is willing to cut deals with benefactors
so that he can continue living. For a visionary, there is no
life without truth. Boisvert's proxy plea comes attendant with
the cowardice that allows a man to cut deals, to sacrifice the
sanctity of his work to save his own ass. Boisvert, like so many
among us, feel like fame and material fortune suit us better
than the miserable poverty to which we've become accustomed.
The price for getting over in the exciting world of modern art
is dear indeed, but apologizing for one's work itself certainly
is a nice down payment. Clinton Boisvert, welcome to the big
time!
Anthony Gancarski's collection of fiction
and poetry, UNFORTUNATE
INCIDENTS, is available through Amazon.com. Emails are
accepted at ANTHONY.GANCARSKI@ATTBI.COM.
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