and... I'm back! Brian Jungen- I wish I met you in Form Study

Brian Jungen: Prototypes for New Understanding

I would like to apologize to my readers for my temporary hiatus (so many devoted fans.. I know!). As promised I'm talking about Brian Jungen today! Before that, I hate it to dwell on this as I'm sure any other ridiculous art blog these days but I just have to talk about Bravo's new train wreck of a reality show "Work of Art". Artists get an awful rap already and this is just making me cringe. If you haven't heard of it, it's basically trying to be like Project Runway but for artists... but promising these people a solo show at the Brooklyn Museum (who I have lost all respect for in agreeing to giving these hooligans a solo show). WOW what artist doesn't want that? Unfortunately the creator of this TV show is Sarah Jessica Parker and you'd think it would be like "Sex and the Paintbrush" or "Sex On the Easel Near the Paintbrush Competition" or some other ridiculous spin off. Sarah Jessica Parker was picked because she "appreciates art". I'd really like to see an Art History degree or an MFA on the show. One of the "artists" on it reminds me of my friend who takes pictures of herself for her myspace profile. Basically her idea of great art is taking scandal

is taking pictures of herself in the bathroom. This woman for the record is also Jeff Koons studio assistant. All I can make of it is that Jeff Koons must really appreciate a nice rack. To add to it the older artist on the show decided to do a book cover by spelling the title BACKWARDS.... is this art? Would any normal non artistically inclined person do this? I don't even believe a non artist would appreciate any of the work on this show. While sometimes I see some marginal talent on the show, the judges don't seem to appreciate it most of the time! This show definitely has the art scene in an uproar and hopefully next year they cast actual artists (one guy on it has no formal art experience and another supposedly went to art school but didn't know what "Piss Christ" was. I'm surprised he knows who Jeff Koons is). What does it take for us to be respected? I'd go out on a limb and say that almost none of the big names out there deserve any respect. They are all just rich people who make crap that sells for a lot of money! It's the almost well known ones you have to look for for talent (but seriously, what regular person knows that!) I hope making this blog will show some people what REAL art is and what it is NOT.

breathe!

Okay let's talk about Brian. Any art student that has struggled through their freshman sculpture requirement will wish they had this guy as a teacher.

We all know why I put up this whale. Instead of being a sacreligious paleantologist who decides to unearth a whale skeleton and doodle all over it Brian is an ARTIST who creates this work with his own hands (and possibly a few helpers). I urge you to check out more of his work because I am not adept at uploading pictures (nor do I have the attention span after attempting to write a flirtatious email). He is quite wonderful at making native american garb out of Nike shoes and sports Jersies. This guy can take just about anything and make it talk. His pieces are not only deeply complex and visually beautiful, but talk on so many different levels. You can look at it and think about it at the same time. His work is also very visually fluid and reads like a book that isn't necessarily ever going to end but with a rich dialougue that begs you to stare at the spaces made between the words. Not only is he talking about his heritage but he's talking about pop culture and he's talking about sweatshops. I mean what a guy right? Yet Orozco gets to be in the MOMA? Perhaps the curators will understand that these artists are the artists that should be popular right now. Give artists some respect again (errr for the first time?)! We really are a heavily stereotyped and discriminated population. A population that thinks about beauty and an obsession with making work and hard work for that matter more mentally challenging than a business proposition or opening a door with an octopus puppet in your hand.... (that's my livelihood). Anyways /Rant. Anyways I like doing this so I'm going to keep posting... hopefully more frequently once I have to stop all this planning!