It's amazing that the building cost 55 million, my friend noted that it felt like the "Ikea of museums". It's sleek, simple, kinda cheap, but nice. I thought this was the perfect metaphor for the New Museum, it was going to switch ideas and exhibitions the same way that Ikea changes their displays every month or season. I kinda like the idea that a museum will follow the current trends, and try to have their finger on the pulse of contemporary art.
The first show "Unmonumental" was curated by Richard Flood, the chief curator of the museum, and I'm under the assumption that he will have his hand in most every show in the near future. I'm not going to critique the show in terms of what I believe is good or bad, because I respect the fact that the museum is exposing a trend which is so explicitly revealed here. Most of the time curators are trying to find a diverse group of artist that are all making different types of work, but that have small threads that connect them either conceptually or visually. But this show blasts the strategy out of the water, Flood decided to choose 30 or so artist that combined look like a solo artist exhibition.
I felt like the show was similar to what I hope to do with this blog, figure out who's who and what's what in the art world. "Unmonumental" brings together artist making sculpture out of junk, found objects, and cardboard. They have commissioned some of the artist to create unique works for the show, one the most astounding was by Gedi Sibony. This guy was probably given 10,000 or so to make a cardboard, plastic tarp, and plywood installation that seems to have been dragged out of a garbage bin and thrown into the museum. The poor guide that is provided by the museum tried to explain this piece to me, and of course I asked her to explain it to me, since it was one of the most ridiculous installations in the show. It was pretty funny... the conversation went something like this....
me: so... what does it mean?
guide: well... it doesn't really mean anything... (she liked looking at it from a certain angle, which she positioned me in)... you have to get past the fact that the materials look like trash... this work is very difficult
me: really?
guide: yeah... i love the title (she walks me over to read it to me). I'm not sure how it relates to the installation, but I really like it...
The title was some pedantic bull shit that had nothing to do with the trash that the museum paid good money for.
me: wow... how much did the museum pay for this?
guide: oh... they don't tell me those kinds of things...
me: well, knowing that would make it much more interesting, don't you think?
NO RESPONSE... awkward moment....
To me, Sibony was fucking with the entire institution, getting paid to pick out some trash and display it... remind you of anyone... R. Mutt...
guide: We all understand that he is not the first artist to make art this way, but the museum was very excited to have him make this work...
me: wow... thanks for the explanation... that really helped...
guide: thank you for asking... (i think i was the most work she had done all day)
Recap:
- The work meant nothing
- was difficult
- expensive
- had been done before
- and had a nice title with no significance...
Now that's what I call contemporary art.
3 comments:
You really stuck it to the museum and to the artist with your brilliant expose on the truth of money (which you have estimated from your own brain/ass), the artist involved (you needed a guide to TELL you what to think), and the dullness of artwork which several people have invested all their available amounts of money (rent: dipshit) time over years and years, just to bring it to your sorry, uninformed, school-boy, "I'm gonna be the best student in critique this week", immature, lazy, boring, ass.
Hope you have a good time reamoving this post as soon as you can avoid other people reading it.
hey yourfather,
what are you defending? if the post was uninformed, immature, lazy and boring then why even respond. If you have an opinion on Gedi Sibony's work, or what the New Museum is doing then write about it. Make a point! Your sarcasm tangles any Real point here.
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