Anatomical Nightmares
repulsive laughter.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Friday, September 6, 2013
By Association
Dick Blick and University of the Arts will be hosting the art exhibit By Association this Saturday, September 7th, from 6pm to 8pm at the 1330 Chestnut St. location. This is one of my few attempts at curating shows, so come out and eat the cheese.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Stranger Than Fiction
I've started making a drawing every few days documenting the ridiculous things I see and heard on a regular basis. This one happened on the way home from buying coffee at Whole Foods.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
100% Proven Ways to Enlarge Your Confidence
There are no more excuses for feeling inadequate in the bedroom with these proven ways to tighten your shorts and enlarge your your confidence. This 58 page journal provides you with 9 illustrations and 36 pages to document your trials and tribulations. Only $10 and the first four orders receive a special gift.
Friday, May 3, 2013
No Hope, no harm. Just another false alarm
Cher Collective presents No Hope
an exhibition opening May 4th from 7pm to 10pm
featuring a live performance from Eddie Sids, a handmade photobooth,
and some of the most hope(full)(less) contemporary art you have
ever(will ever) see(experience). come and rejoice(despair) with us
about our collective future(fiscal fist)!
located at Salon 1522
1522 North Lawrence St. Phila, Pa 19122
www.salon1522.com
and you'll get to see this in person.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
100% Proven Released
After 13 years hiding in a sketchpad from 2001,
the enlargements are finally released.
Only 15 copies available in the first printing,
but more to come soon.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Black Face Sells Out
Fleisher Ollman’s last exhibit at 1616
Walnut Street featured the Coogi paintings of Jayson Musson. Those with prior viewings
of Musson’s work know what to expect, but for visitors unfamiliar with his
portfolio, I advise you to ignore the literature and titles posted, and move
directly to the art on display. Doing so may help prevent the following
questions from running through your head.
“How did this happen? Why do these look so familiar?,” and “Is this
supposed to be ironic?”
I spoke with Mr. Ollman for a few
minutes about Musson and why his work was selected. Musson started exhibiting
at Fleisher Ollman in 2010, as part of a group show featuring emerging and unrepresented
artists. Ollman has followed the career of Musson as his work
has been shown in coffee shops and smaller spaces like Marginal Utility in
Philadelphia. Musson has built a name for himself through the use of a themes
commenting on race and class, reminiscent of Blaxploitation. Whether he is creating childlike drawings of
a superhero Obama fighting terrorists, or translating art-talk into hip-hop
commentary under the alter ego Hennessy Youngman (http://vimeo.com/17431354), Musson use of reverse racism capitalizes on the
pleasure some gain when poking fun at the perceived ignorance of blacks. In
doing so, Musson has type-casted himself as a parody of the black artist. More specifically, a black artist in black
face.
To get a better idea of Musson’s work
and the themes which run through it, visit his website and watch his
performance art on vimeo.com. Musson’s analysis of art theory as Hennessy
Youngman juxtaposes academic terms and concepts with urban dialogue and slang. His
use of opposing linguistic extremes show how far apart academia looks from the
neighborhoods that often surround them, but is it necessary to travel to such
lengths to create a following, or to prove a point? And is this a following
laughing with you, or at you?
Fig. 1 – South
of the Border
The latest collection consists of fabric
paintings made of Coogi sweaters, arranged by Musson, and often stitched by a
team of artists. At times the paintings successfully resemble landscapes (Fig.
1), but unfortunately have a habit of remaining the sweaters used to compose
them, failing to break away from their associations with the Cosby Show (Fig.
2).
Fig. 2 – How Do
You Get To Hear To The Rest Of The World?
Bill Cosby
Musson should be congratulated for
playing the game and winning, even at the sacrifice by dumbing down the
language of his work to make it entertaining for the establishment. However,
this commentary extends beyond his most recent exhibit, and refers to his
collective body of work. It should be understood that Hennessy Youngman is a
product of Jayson Musson, just as the Coogi sweater paintings are a product of
his approach to visual art.
Fig. 3 - Sherrie
Shawn Beeks
http://www.jaysonmusson.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)