As Andy Warhol famously declared, “Good business is the best art.” Taking Warhol and his maxim as its point of departure, Pop Life: Art in a Material World presents a selection of international artists who have followed in his footsteps. Organized by London’s Tate Modern and co-curated by Artforum editor-at-large Jack Bankowsky, François Pinault Collection curator Alison Gingeras, and Tate Modern curator Catherine Wood, Pop Life explores the relationship between art, commerce, and celebrity in the post-Pop era.
Say the phrase “female contemporary artist” and you’re likely to conjure, via Google or collective memory, images of Cecily Brown’s writhing bodies; Tracey Emin’s messy, suggestive bed; Lisa Yuskavage’s kitschy soft porn; or Vanessa Beecroft’s nude installations. The financial success of such in-your-face sexuality — whether viewed with icy remove (Beecroft), humor (Yuskavage), or brassiness (Emin) — dovetailed nicely with the Third Wave feminism popularized in the early nineties. So what’s next for the double-X chromosome creative set in our current period? Photo evidence and a few words from art critic Jerry Saltz after the jump. Read More »
“I usually go and have a few boxing classes before the opening of a new show, to get ready for the attack. It makes me feel more robust, I can take the blows. Oh, but it hurts! You have to shrug it off but it really is horrible.”
- Controversy-courting British artist Tracey Emin talks to The Times prior to Those Who Suffer Love, her first London show in four years.
Culture, religion, and sexuality are frequent topics of Sarah Maple’s comedically intellectual artwork. Using provocative images and a whole lot of snark, Maple — who has been called “the heir to Tracey Emin’s throne” — aims to spark conversations through controversy. Whether she’s making fun of pop feminists, or jihadis doesn’t matter. She just wants people to stop being so reactionary and actually (gasp!) think about why her work is so unsettling. Read More »
I heart NY State: The I LOVE NY logo that has persisted on souvenir T-shirts for 31 years is being updated! NEW YORK STATE TOURISM decided that the original MILTON GLASER logo was too narrow — the three stolid letters and iconic heart represented only the excitement of New York City, not the state as a whole. So in order to lure tourists beyond Times Square, the logo now appears covered in snow or with small animals perched near it. The tourism office hopes the range of designs will make tourists realize that New York is somehow an entire state and not just a city. [TTG]
Terence Koh’s sexy Jesus still rocking Christians across the pond…
