Not the usual Micallef by a long stretch, a womb like image of bodies together, not street, not funny, not controversial, simply a piece to enjoy or not as you please.
Then Mark Sinckler's 'The Age of Shiva', the show opened yesterday, the below is in the window, it's got news coverage, the 7/7 enquiry is currently ongoing and it's released today. Marketing ploy for the show? Yes, without doubt a cheap tactic to garner interest from outside of the 'usual' sources.
For saying something, I will applaud this, so much of what is created has little or nothing to it. Simple images to attract a smile from the adoring public and leave it at that. Save a few artists in this scene, your brain is meant to be disengaged as your wallets engage. At least this challenges the seemingly automated response of 'it's a nice image I want it on my wall'. At least this makes you stop and go, 'why do I not like this?' Do I have an emotion towards this message? Have I even stopped to think about the motives behind that day? Have I ever even listened to the fucking news? Sadly contemporary art does actually broach these issues somewhat more regularly than this supposedly counterculture/edgy scene, so that just shows how far Street Art has regressed. Love it, hate it, at least you thought about it.
Agree with most of what you say Funky, but for me the exploded bus image isn't really saying anything at all. If it was shown being driven by Mohammed, with a load of Taliban fighters having a party on the top deck then it might have been controversial, but as it is, it's just an exercise in Grafter style cloying sentimentality.
ReplyDelete'Tis a picture worth discussing for sure, but you have to applaud the 'cynical' tactics employed by POW to gain media space. Miles better than 'Soon to be relegated to the rothmans istmian league' Anthony 'I lost my flippers money' Micallef.
ReplyDeleteMicallef relegated? Yeah, right. The POW Micallef is great, loved the original in the solo show at Laz, but I'm holding out for the print The Outsiders is releasing in the next week or two. I'm led to believe it's the same edition size and price but much, much bigger and with colour although they wouldn't show me the image. I also heard that the pasted covers JR Women Are Heroes books are dropping soon too.
ReplyDeleteMarks and Stencils? Thats got to be a Banksy joke hasn't it? 0/10 And the logo??? Bet thats him too 0/10...probably the most crap thing I've seen. clearly a has-been.
ReplyDeleteVandalog virtually copy/pasted your post on this Funky. Maybe they secretly want you as a guest writer. They certainly need something to liven up that dullfest.
ReplyDeletetaking of copy/pasting, here's what I had to say to the Vandalog crowd:
ReplyDelete"Sinckler piece. Why is the title (Age of Shiva) controversial?
Shiva is a Hindu deity, and also a Jewish mourning ceremony, neither of which have anything to do with the Muslim religion (the bus being attacked by a Muslim fanatic)
Maybe he’s referencing the Jewish mourning ceremony. I don’t see how that would be relevant though, I don’t think the bomber was targetting Jewish people specifically.
The majority of people will know Shiva as the four armed Hindu God, which will cause confusion and spread the anti-muslim hatred onto Hinduism. Which will serve to strengthen racism and religious intolerence in the UK.
What is it supposed to depict? I thought it was the bodies (souls) of the dead going up to heaven, but looking closer I can only really see women. This brings to mind the fact that these suicide bombers had been told that, once they had died for the glory of Allah and reached heaven, they would be rewarded with 70 virgins. So when I look at this image I see an orgy of naked women and assume that the bomber is getting his reward from Allah for his despicable crime. Which I find disgusting. As I imagine a Muslim would, as I’ve been told that nowhere in the Qur’an does it say that warriors of Islam will be blessed with such a reward. It is just another instance of men misunderstanding religious teaching, usually deliberately, to justify their hateful actions.
At the front of the image are a couple of cheap Hallmark card style cherubs. Is this the same as putting sleigh bells into a pop song so it can be a “Christmas single”?
Could someone please explain to me what this piece is actually about, because right now I can only see it as an ill-conceived hatred spreading desperate attempt to earn money from Christmas shoppers. And that is certainly not how I would describe “art”.
Anthony Micallefs 'A Small Print of what Love Looks Like'
to me the image looks like two naked people who feel a little awkward embracing. the figure in the front with the destroyed face suggests someone turning away because they don't like their lover, and it even suggests abuse to me. the edges remind me of photographic prints I've seen where someone has ejaculated onto negatives before developing their prints.
I have no feeling either way about this piece image-wise, but I know I'm happy that love doesn't feel the same to me as it appears to feel to Mr. Micallef from the title!
Merry Christmas everybody!
books are the news prints.
ReplyDeleteTo me Anthony Micallefs 'A Small Print of what Love Looks Like' two naked people about to have sex inside a third person's vagina
ReplyDeleteits not just him that gets a press release or goes to show openings... no one ripped off anyone. the sinckler piece was going to be discussed, that's for sure. And I, for one, am glad it is.
ReplyDeletebooks are the news prints.
ReplyDelete'Tis a picture worth discussing for sure, but you have to applaud the 'cynical' tactics employed by POW to gain media space. Miles better than 'Soon to be relegated to the rothmans istmian league' Anthony 'I lost my flippers money' Micallef.
ReplyDeleteMicallef relegated? Yeah, right. The POW Micallef is great, loved the original in the solo show at Laz, but I'm holding out for the print The Outsiders is releasing in the next week or two. I'm led to believe it's the same edition size and price but much, much bigger and with colour although they wouldn't show me the image. I also heard that the pasted covers JR Women Are Heroes books are dropping soon too.
ReplyDelete