Chadguay

To think about this in a different way (anthropologically, in my case) perhaps it is a matter of Othering (a la Said) different types of art: as in, "we" do proper art - painting, sculpture and whatever else they choose to categorize as art, while 'they' do not do proper art - bonsai, carpentry, ikibana, etc (anything that is not on their list).

This is further compounded by the fact that the Other was originally pointed at the 'Far East' as an exotic, mysterious place (that we need to go and colonize). So, bonsai is an exemplar of a practice of the Other, even if it is practiced to a fine degree in Britain itself. It is art 'they' do, not that 'we' do (or fund in this case).

I'd love to hear what some of those over there think of this?

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