Jesus wept!

[imomus]

Odd things have been happening in the museum recently; incidents, acts of God, interventions.

On Thursday Deva Graf's wax sculpture of (what I take to be) the black head of Christ, up on the fourth floor, went a little bit out of control; the flame burning inside Christ's head got too big and began to melt the wax, which spilled like black tears through Christ's eyes and trickled down to make a puddle on the floor. Jesus wept! The guards' walkie talkies were soon acrackle with urgent messages. Like a rolling news reporter I covered the dramatic scene as it unfolded: "In an act of God, the head of Christ is melting," I reported through the bullhorn. "Please stand back, pyrotechnicians and helicopters will be here momentarily. If you've just joined us, we repeat: in an act of God, the head of Christ is melting!" When the pyrotechnicians did arrive, they decided it was the artist's intention that the wax should melt. Or did they mean the will of God?



Shortly after the candle incident I came across an intervention which resembled a guerilla version of my own twisted commentaries. Next to Richard Serra's "STOP BUSH" print there's an A4-sized dispenser usually filled with copies of the work, which visitors can take away. Some counter-revolutionary had replaced the "STOP BUSH (signed SERRA)" handout with one reading "STOP SERRA (signed BUSH)". It was a witty little intervention, on a par, perhaps, with the pranksters who brought their own velvet rope to the opening and set it up on the sidewalk outside the museum. Except that, as pro-Bush propaganda, it backfired a bit, because it's impossible to imagine Bush mustering the artistic gumption to lift a brush, let alone the wit to create a squib. The pirate handouts were swiftly removed, and Jesus wept some more.

Comments

[heinzbitte.livejournal.com]

This was probably one of the most interesting things I've read in a long time. Even though I am not very Pro-Bush I like the stop Serra idea.

[cityramica.livejournal.com]

and what's more, here in san francisco, someone's been putting penguins in my sweaters!

[scola.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't necessarily assume that this was an attempt at Pro-Bush propaganda. As you point out, it doesn't really work on that level... seems more like an apolitical, ironic poke at Serra. Perhaps a "comment" on the uselessness of shrill, preeching to the masses political art.

[elliotharmon.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I agree. I think it's meant as a "depiction" of the Serra piece, rather than a depiction of a prisoner. Reading it that way, it made me laugh a lot.

[heinzbitte.livejournal.com]

It could not be a comment or poke on anyone, but just someone saw a chance to do something and ghey did.

[never-the-less.livejournal.com]

This is what I was thinking as well before our host (momus) deemed it pro-Bush (whcih surprised me a bit, simply because I was so certain it was a commentary merely on the Serra piece...(or on political art as a whole))

[cap-scaleman.livejournal.com]

But you're an unreliable tour guide! You can't tell them what is going on! Or did you turn into a reliable guide playing an unreliable guide playing reliable?

in germania

[joey-roth.livejournal.com]

an epic-metal band at my univ. did a loud cover of "Germania" from Vodka Jellies a few years ago. The Serra incident plus the fact that it was reported by you reminded me of this.

[cerulicante.livejournal.com]

It's funny how Serra would probably shit his pants screaming about free speech and his right to make such images (IT'S ARRRRRRRRRRRRT!), but let one contrary opinion show and it's immediately snuffed out.



Free speech, indeed. Heh.

[bricology.livejournal.com]

I'd like to think that the prank was an indictment of Serra's pat propagandizing. "Stop Bush", indeed! Nothing like preaching the same ol' platitudes to the choir. Next, someone's going to inform us that racism is wrong and that we should welcome diversity. *yawn*

[boygirlparty.livejournal.com]

if memory serves me, the artist who made the crying wax jesus was pre-empted by madonna's "like a prayer" video. thanks whitney, you has-beens.

[peripherus-max.livejournal.com]

Speaking of coy co-opting, I found a nice bit of an interview with you on YouTube today:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=4sLIzMeATY8

[imomus.livejournal.com]

I'm a bit worried about David Bowie, listen to him in this podcast (http://www.davidbowie.com/exclusives/podcast/data/DB-PODCAST_MIX-ShortMP3.mp3) interview with Secret Machines, he sounds weak and strained.

[cerulicante.livejournal.com]

Yeah. It's easy when your ideology comes from bumper stickers. No thought required.

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

I avoided the top floor, but the toothless, one-note political cliches I did see struck me as a kind of half-hearted reprise of the '93 Biennial. Precious little conversation is possible with the stuff: it's too narrow to be art, to my mind. It even fails to manipulate, and so even fails as agitprop. It's lazy.

A related criticism about the show: much of the painting and drawing felt like student work. Such cynical insistence on affecting a technical ineptitude in a time when the old classicist academy is a long dead memory seems terribly misplaced. In contrast, Sarah Bernhardt's bronze sculptures, which were recently on display at the Jewish Museum, showed far more command of technique than anything made with hands at this Biennial. They were more exciting, too—brimming with odd, exuberant imagery. If included in this show, they would have made a lot of the work around them appear rote, timid and academic. "Return of the repressed" or no, it's true.

Judging from my brief visit, it seems that a handful of lovely installations are the bright spots in the show this time around (there were also some embedded glass jug dioramas in the walls that I really liked). They need a few more Momus clones (or some people in animal suits), as much on display needs to be liberated from its stale artworld conventionality.

Re: Stop Bush

[tassellrealm.livejournal.com]

Not exactly Guernica, is it.

All the information necessary to "Stop Bush" is already available...

http://www.thewebfairy.com/killtown/pentalawn.html

[tassellrealm.livejournal.com]

What I've noticed about Bowie is that his voice sounds different in every interview, subject to who he's been hanging out with.

On the evidence given by this podcast, I'd say he's been spending a lot of time with Brian Eno and Bob Holness.

[desant012.livejournal.com]

Technique, craft, and sincerity are the new rebellion.

Re: Stop Bush

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Guernica also features in this Whitney Biennial, in the form of a backdrop to two video monitors showing the Deep Dish TV (http://www.deepdishtv.org) documentary series "Shocking and Awful".

[jasongtokyo.livejournal.com]

It sounds like he's about 75-80...lbs., and years old.

Listening to Mick Jagger at that press conference in Shanghai -- his speaking voice has never really changed.

Mozzer's voice is richer, deeper, but still with spring in its step.

[samuellsamson.livejournal.com]

(John 8:12)

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

I don't know about rebellion—I think new developments in art are often an outgrowth of someone just doing their own thing, and not necessarily getting caught up in merely responding or reacting to what already exists. That allows the status quo to dictate the "dialogue," for lack of a better term.

That said, I do think that graphic artists, because of their training, usually have a better handle on how to convey a specific message (especially a political one), and make it work on many levels. Compare the iRaq spoof posters (http://www.tuaw.com/2004/06/11/more-ipod-iraq-mock-posters-showing-up/) to the Serra piece, for instance—they're much more successful both aesthetically and conceptually, mixing technical ability, practical knowledge of what will grab attention on a city street, dark humor and political and social critique. These posters can also exist separately from their creators—they don't coast on being by a fashionable or well-known artist.