No Words. Only - I need this hat.
Name that Artist by United Airlines
Traveling soon. I needed to make an account with United Airlines (I want points) and this security question came up:
Who is your favorite artist?
Well, this is new. No need to type in a name United Airlines had a whole list for your to choose from. The names fell into three categories - World Famous. I know who your work but not your name, and 'This is new. You just blew my mind.'
Let us talk about a few:
Damien Hirst
The work was nothing short of appalling - I nearly gagged on my Special K when staring at the image of a decapitated cow illustrating the circle of life in his piece titled ' A Thousand Years ' . When you get over the initial shock, you tend to wonder with these labor intensive pieces if he is going for a 'Ripley's Believe it or Not' effect or simply to impress his audience with preserved animals one would find on a farm or a child's petting zoo. Due to my rare use of color in my own work I cannot help but be drawn to his butterfly pieces, but still the thought of these creatures killed for the sake of art disturbs my morality. Hirst's lack of respect for all living things seems to have caught up to him - his current show has been met with scathing views and rightfully so. A dramatic shift from his shtick to capture a story of -- he could have [rather his assistants] have gotten a subtle him from a quick google search the idea would have generated lukewarm interest at best. It seems that Hirst confined himself in a box that would take significant effort to expand beyond it. His current exhibition proves he has much work to do. I doubt I would like to be forever known as a wealthy living artist who made his fortune on killing animals in which one would equate this behavior to sociopathic tendencies if he was a 13 year old boy.
"A Thousand Years" Damien Hirst, 1990
Zhang Huan
I know him. Ai Wei Wei's exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago had a photo of Huan performing one of his pieces '12 Square Meters'. No question performance art has taken center stage in recent years thanks to some of the efforts of Marina Abramovic. Yes, there is hypocrisy in me praising Huan and shunning Hirst despite both using animals in their work. He does not go for the 'wow' factor but provides a powerful visual representation to his roots and the philosophies of Buddhism. Succinct I know but Huan is so complex it would take an entire novel to peel back the layers of accomplishments of this individual's work.
"Family Tree” Zhang Huan, 2001
El Anatsui
Who cannot appreciate meticulous sculptures on a grand scale with everyday objects? I love it. That is all that needs to be said.
"Dusasa I" El Anatsui, 2004