I’ve said before that a lot of “art” is just like the Emperor’s new clothes and the hapless public feel pressured to like something in case they’re perceived as ignorant by coming right out and saying it’s a load of cr@p.
And, Damien Hirst (who counts Posh and Becks amongst his celebrity “fans”), has illustrated this point more than adequately by loaning his 2003 spin painting – which is titled: ”Beautiful Psychedelic Gherkin Exploding Tomato Sauce All Over Your Face, Flame Grilled Painting” – to a London branch of Burger King.
If you were strolling past this clutching your lunch-time Whopper, you’d assume it was painted by some spotty teen who was bored and had a few buckets of paint handy to splosh about on work experience rather than a world-renowned artist who has amassed an estimated $340 million from the sale of his work over the years.
“I love the novelty of Damien’s artwork being in such an unexpected place,” Django Fung, the owner of the London fast food franchise (and Hirst pal) said. “Art should be accessible to everyone, especially in such a busy summer, and putting this painting in our new-look Burger King restaurant in such a high-profile location does just that.”
Meanwhile, talented young artists continue to struggle to sell a single piece.
The world’s a crazy f-cking place. Fast food and fast art to go with reality TV and the slew of famous for being p-ssed on in a home sex tape starlets that grace the biggest selling magazine covers every week and Victoria Beckham of all people “designing” high-end clothes while Saint Martin’s graduates face signing on to the dole.
Do you ever feel the joke’s on us?
The joke is most certainly on us. In my opinion, Hirst is grossly over-rated…as Stuckist once said about him: “…the fact that Hirst’s work does mirror society is not its strength but its weakness…”
Y.E.S.
damien hirst is completely overrated.
I think because wealthy people with lots of disposable income (rich arabs etc) pour lots and lots of millions for his sharks etc and then some mistake price for value.
id add jeff koon here too.
I appreciate their art and the stuff ive seen is interesting, just overrated.
Bit of a tangent… but did you see Grayson Perry’s series on C4? Lurrved it.
Yes, also loved it. What a wonderful man!
We used to make these pieces of art at the state fair when I was a kid. Those little machines they sell that spin the paint around. Is this the result of a big paint spinner? Not that it can’t be pretty if use a great color mix.
Hirst doesn’t make those spin paintings or the dot ones, art grads in a warehouse knock them out in his name. Like Koons, like Warhol actually. The artist as media personality. The investment banks that buy this sh*t for their board rooms don’t care as long as they can right off part of the purchase under one of the government backed buy art dodge tax schemes. So. Hirst is subsidised by our government. And his millionaire buyers avoid (more) tax buying Hirst. Nice!
Have you seen the movie “Exit Through The gift Shop”? For me that really showed that when certain types of art are concerned, the joke really is on us. I know that there is a question mark over whether the film was actually real, or in fact a massive prank pulled off by Banksy and friends, but either way, it makes the rest of us look a little bit silly…
Totally random, but I just ADORE this web site! Bohomoth, you and your team are just fabulous – please, please keep writing!
please please, keep commenting Mrs B!
yes!
and he sells out his overpriced cr@p
love banksy. i think he’s genius and he has stuff to say (eg the graffities he did in palestine etc)
what I found funny is the french guy (the narrator). he admits to buying second hand stuff for 50$ and selling it for LA rich kids for 5000$. so yeah, the joke is on us.
and when he brings out his ‘art exposition’ using his contacts etc which is obviously copycat of the others
amazing.
Completely overrated. His non-gimmicky stuff is reeks of “I’m pretending to be a tortured artist, but my paintings drip insincerity” as far as I’m concerned. I’ll happily stick to my lesser known people who speak without words through their art, rather than demonstrate their disdain for their clients through it.
100% agree…..and my business is selling and marketing art on an international scale. It really is all about perception and often reminds me of days of old in the school play yard and the ‘cool kids’ who years on, are about as cool as a icecream left out on the kitchen counter in the middle of summer. And yes, Guest, i too remember spin art paintings at the fair ground and from what I remember still have a couple in storage…..maybe I should see how I go on EBay with them eh!