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consumption &
contemporary art
How does contemporary art address the idea
of consumption? How do artists question
commonly held assumptions about commerce, mass media, and consumer
society? The Art:21 documentary “Consumption” explores
these questions
through the work of the artists Barabra Kruger, Michael
Ray Charles, Matthew Barney, Andrea
Zittel,
and Mel Chin.
special features
See a slideshow of artworks showcased in the “Consumption” episode,
watch a video preview of the show, or explore a slideshow of artists
from multiple seasons of Art:21 discussing the theme of consumption
in their work.
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episode synopsis: “consumption”
"All of these artists reference the other kinds
of images we are familiar with," writes Katy Siegel in
her essay for the Art:21 Companion Book. "We spend our
whole lives training to understand movies and television and
video games and clothes and beds and houses. And so contemporary
art often invokes these experiences and objects; art often looks
like a commodity, because in a consumer culture, nothing could
be more essential."
“Consumption” begins with an original work created by artist Barbara
Kruger. Hosted by tennis star and sports commentator John
McEnroe, the humorously frenetic video explores the ways in which
people
consume things in their daily lives, from food to money to sex.
Throughout the video, Kruger's trademark phrases in red and white
demand the attention and obedience of the viewer. Proclaiming "Love
art, Buy art, Sell art," and "Feed me, Love me, Buy me,
Sell me", Kruger's text addresses the viewer in much the same
way advertisers sway a consumer to buy a product. |
| VIDEO: |
Introduction by
Barbara Kruger with John McEnroe |
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| Michael
Ray Charles is filmed
on location at his home and studio in Austin, Texas. Through his
studies
of
advertising,
the minstrel tradition,
and blackface, Charles seeks to deconstruct and subvert images
of blackness through painting. "I've been called a sellout.
People question my blackness. A lot of people accuse me of perpetuating
a stereotype," he says. "I think there's a fine line
between perpetuating something and questioning something. And I
like to get as close to it as possible." Pointing out items
from his collection of memorabilia, Charles traces the transformation
of stereotypes in his work. The segment concludes at an exhibition
of Charles' work in
New York City. |
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| "A system that has
an internal object, Freudian narratives—consumer and producer,
violence, sexually driven, NFL films—these are the things
I think about," says Matthew
Barney. His "CREMASTER" series of films twist
narrative flow, challenge genres, and interrogate art as they explore
the ways "that violence
is sublimated into form." This segment follows Barney and
his crew on the set of "CREMASTER 3" at the Saratoga
race track and at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.
At Saratoga, Barney transforms a group of horses into racing corpses;
at the Guggenheim, the artist transforms the Museum into
a set for an obstacle course/video game. |
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| From her experimental
home and clothing projects to her artificial "Pocket Property" island
off the coast of Denmark, Andrea
Zittel is an artist who truly "lives" art. "We're
obsessed with perfection, we're obsessed with innovation and moving
forwards. But what we really want is the
hope of some sort of a new and improved or better tomorrow." Filmed
in Zittel's Brooklyn home and studio, which serves as her artful
business "A-Z Administrative Services," the
artist takes the viewer on a tour of her specially designed bathroom,
furniture, and wardrobe—a whimsical blend of the artist's
Southern California roots and 20th Century Modernist design philosophy. |
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| An interactive video game
based on rug patterns of nomadic peoples and a garden with "hyperaccumulator" plants
that clean up contaminated land are just two of Mel
Chin's unique collaborative ventures, incorporating botany,
ecology, and even alchemy. "Making art, I think, is not about
one track, one method," he says. "The diversity of mediums
and techniques is minor. But the diversity of ideas and how they
survive and the methods that are transmitted is very important." The
segment follows Chin in Detroit as he scouts locations for his
latest project that converts arsoned houses into worm farms that
benefit the local economy. Fractured by television static,
Chin's segment resembles a subversive broadcast. |
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| VIDEO: |
"Revival Field"
project |
| VIDEO: |
"Revival Field"
cartoon |
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