Shock art doesn't shock on Bravo's 'Work of Art' reality series

 

In its latest episode, Bravo's "Work of Art: The Next Great Artist" challenged its contestants to create a shocking work of art. The producers invited artist Andres Serrano -- of "Piss Christ" infamy -- to serve as a guest judge.

Serrano's "Piss Christ," in which he placed a crucifix in a bath of urine, caused a scandal in 1987 and was an early battle of the culture wars. His appearance on Wednesday's episode suggests a new art-world axiom at work: Sooner or later, everything that was once cutting-edge becomes reality-TV fodder.

The contestants had less than a day to create their "shocking" works of art. Perhaps due to the time pressure, many of them defaulted to sexual content involving genitalia and nudity. 

The results weren't so much shocking as predictably shocking. At the same time, the awkward frisson created by the challenge made this the most entertaining installment yet of the series.

Miles, who has won two previous rounds, created a large illustration of Mickey Mouse involving penis-like embellishments. Last week's winner, John, attempted a painting of a man performing fellatio on himself, while Jaclyn created a series of low-res nude photos of herself. Ryan made a portrait of himself as a transsexual prostitute. Both Erik and Mark created works addressing child sexual abuse.

Taking a different approach, Abdi chose to create a series of molds depicting young black youths as bombs ready to go off. Nao appeared to have the most trouble with her performance-art piece in which she dressed up as a pseudo-drifter with a scatological obsession.

Because of the nature of the challenge, the episode featured a lot of bleeped words and blurred images. Creating shocking art isn't easy but the real shock came half-way through when De Pury revealed that two contestants would be eliminated in this round.

In the end, the verdicts (spoiler alert!) were harsh but fair.

 The judges eliminated Nao for her performance-art piece and John for his depiction of a self-pleasuring man. They faulted Nao's work for its incoherent nature and the artist's inability to satisfactorily explain it. (Serrano appeared to be the lone defender of the bizarre performance piece.) They criticized John's work for its cartoon-like execution and for the fact that he misspelled "fellatio" as "follatio."

For John, the elimination was doubly painful since he was last week's winner. He later said that he was trying to please Serrano with his work rather than himself.

Taking home the prize for the first time was Abdi, whose bomb-like molds were praised for their understated nature and social commentary. The runner-up was Jaclyn for her nude self-portraits that she invited gallery visitors to deface with magic markers.

Jaclyn's strong showing was called into question when Erik accused her of stealing his idea of letting people write over her creation. The artist defended herself, saying that she had come up with the idea before Erik suggested it. The judges didn't seem swayed either way by the accusations.

Since both artists have advanced to the next round, viewers can look forward to more drama and hostility in the episodes to come.

-- David Ng

Photo (top): Andres Serrano with fellow judge Jerry Saltz. Credit: Bravo

Photo (bottom): Abdi, with his creation. Credit: Bravo

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Comments

[Mary]

Maybe, I am from the old school. But, who thinks that art is displaying in a gallery human excretion, excrement, scraligious behavior, etc.....? This is just disgusting!!!!! I'm glad to stay in the Old School.

[william wray]

What's interesting was how miserably the artist who is arguably the most experienced in the world on controversial performance art failed so badly. What is even sadder about that is how she was up against some pretty weak competition. I expected this week to be a much easier challenge than lasts Illustration theme. Personally, I'd have build a church altar and nailed a severed boys penis to the cross. If you’re going to do sex, get some politics in.

Jaclyn's "strong showing" was weak to me perhaps if she had been really nude in the photos or in the gallery. Both she and Erik should have been more generous. She credits him (with her explanation) or he prodding her in a more dignified manner. Lessons take from Miles jacking- off on his work. Better find away to show it or nobody notices including this review.

[Zoe SF]

Erik was ridiculous. He didn't even claim she stole the idea. He *gave* the idea to her. It was a suggestion. So he was just mad that she used the idea he *gave* to her. Which is like... what?

[Charles J]

I agree with this assessment - the works were mainly booorrring, nothing shocked, ah, knocked my socks off. I liked winner Abdi's Black Bombs, but didn't find anything particularly shocking about them. Hmm...maybe the best thing about this episode is to show that in today's war-torn, oil-drenched, body-slamming culture it's very very hard to shock anyone. I like Serrano's work, but other than his Piss Christ (which I suppose mainly shocks the religious right), I think a lot of any 'shock' to be seen in his stuff is simply due to the large format & glaring red colors. I found it somewhat bizarre that the judges criticized John for just painting a self-fellatio scene, rather than doing a photo of himself engaging in the practice, perhaps throwing out a few vertebra in the process. (Maybe if _____ (forget her name) had actually cut off her thumb...)

[Mila]

The only shocking piece in the whole exhibit was Nao's. Her elimination proves how shocking it was. Even the judges were disgusted and weirded out. Everyone else's was predictable. Child abuse, sex, self exposure, Jesus...all done before.

[janice e. nelson]

Why did I know that art would be sold out on this show?

[william wray]

It seems that if the judges like the work anything goes. If the winning artist failed to achieve the theme of the episode they win. Abdi’s scrunched up black bomb heads were cool, but I almost felt there was a combination of political correctness pressure and weak competition enhancing the final verdict. Still don’t think Nao’s bit was shocking, just kind of sad and perhaps a bit gross. She never knew where she was going so the judges didn’t either. I do think others could have gone to, not sure we she got it.

[Zzz]

I would just like to comment that I appreciate that this article calls default on everyone that cracked under pressure and made a break for their genitals. “Faux pas” said Abdi. I concur. They should send those losers to France.

Except Jaclyn. Jaclyn's doing just fine.

Also you guys, this show sucks. The art sucks and the judges suck. I’ll elaborate:

The art sucks, which would be fine if the show focused on the artist’s development, like how Tyra Banks keeps training her next protégé in America’s Next Top Model. It doesn’t though. The judges rip on these kids. And not one of the judges is even a professional artist. Which brings me to my second point; the judges suck. They don’t think like artists and they don’t cite endless references like educated critics.

You guys, having the bad critics so close to the developing artists and their process is just reckless.

Why not let… America vote?

[Manuel Alderete]

Any ape can throw his feces against a wall.

Good artists inspire and provoke us. I'm so sick of these "Howard Stern" phony artists who think that bodily fluids constitute "genius".

The mural around Roosevelt High School beats the pants off anything "modern" I've ever seen, in terms of inspiration.

[Darren Daz Cox]

It's amazing how many people, including the judges and writers of culture blogs did not understand what Nao was doing with her performance piece.

Just because she couldn't articulate a manefesto of how her performance art was shocking doesn't make it less 'art' or shocking. The problem is that is was too uncomfortable for the fancy pants judges (other than Serrano) to take a moment to contemplate why.

What's more shocking than to contemplate losing your mind? Imagine fancy pants China Chow getting a brain disease and turning into a smelly bag lady, it could and does happen, and when it happens to someone who is used to a gilded life, it is even more shocking. The reason why it was so instantly disliked by so many people is that it touched a deep fear that so many people had, the fear of losing their comfortable 'sane' life...

[william wray]

"What's more shocking than to contemplate losing your mind?"

Perhaps... but it sounds like your projecting more into the performance than the judges and the artist herself. I think for the horror that your talking about takes more of a set up story showing the normal self to the final result of the dilution of the rational mind. I have to tell you I’ve seen so many mentally I homeless people on the street I don’t see the horror of it moment to moment, I’d need to have known them or was told their story for it to have impact...

[Grusha]

My husband and I have both been full time visual artists for the past ten+ years. I was scared when I saw "Work of Art" advertised but am LOVING it. Lunch at our co-operative studio today was all talk about last night's show.

Serrano's sh*t speech was the b*lls. I rewound and watched it twice.

I was sad to see performance art lady go as she was so full of bossy opinions. Book cover winner guy was one of my faves so the decision was a total bummer for me. So far I'm thinking Miles/Abdi final two.

[pete]

There's a great line that goes something like "the most shocking art was never meant to be shocking." If all you're focusing on is the shock element, then it's just a gimmick. If you're trying to convey something and it comes out shocking to some, then it's pause for consideration.

[BigLittleWolf@DailyPlateOfCrazy]

I found this to be a superior episode to the more commercial book cover assignment (amusement over Miles's and Simon's recollections of boyhood firsts, if nothing else), and perhaps the producers thought "shock art" would hold our interest, still early in the first season.

This is, after all, entertainment first, and education second. Without the entertainment factor, only those already passionate about the art world would tune in, and I imagine that would be too small a pool to keep the show on the air. Enter predictable recourse to so-called shock value, the setting up of feuds and flirtations, and entertainment is indeed what we get.

I am curious about all the context that is left on the virtual cutting room floor. Nonetheless, this episode saw tiresome titillation from Jaclyn, a non-event (again) from Erik, Jaime with nothing that impresses in any way (as yet), Mark with a decent idea and competent execution, and Peregrine's alien bunny outfit her best contribution in my opinion.

Of all the work, though not shocking, Abdi's seemed to be the most well intentioned, intelligent, and reasonably executed. But it took additional Bravo site video footage and blog elaboration to fully flesh out the finesse of his undertaking, and that's a shame. Speaking of shame, I was sorry to see Nao go, and John's piece had nothing of shock value (to many of us), but was satisfying visually (with an Outsider quality, including the unintentional misspelling).

It would've been interesting to see Judith's contribution to this challenge.

[Donald Frazell]

The mentally and emotionally challenged took over art long ago, its about psycho babble now and games, as children proliferate, and adults seem to have vanshed. We are watching Wimbledon, though the Food networked has been ruined with reality shows, and the History channel crap too, thanks alot Hollywood.

Try making something emotionally powerful, containing truth in a way that seems old and new at the same time, yet simple, and activates mind, body and soul. Now THAT would be shocking. The Shock of the New was because it revealed truth in languages appropriate to the time and evolved off of human history, not because it TRIED to be shocking, thats teenagers walking around with rude Tshirts.

Time to grow up art world, relevance, responsibility, commitment, passion,now that would be new. And this is NOT Modern art, few of us are left, and ignored in the cesspool of Contempt entertainment for the too rich and too thin.

art collegia e hollywood delenda est

[Charles J]

Methinks too many people have been taken in by the title to the show, “The Next Great Artist”. I do think that “Artists Who Are Pretty Good, One of Which Will Win a Bundle & a Show at a Prestigious Museum” would be a rather clunky title, as would “Here’s Some Artists Doing Their Thing So Let's See What Happens", although these titles would fit the bill better.
So what can we do? Just watch ‘em and try to appreciate the efforts of some serious and talented artists and try not to burden our souls too much with attempts at analyzing every brush stroke, every on-or-off-the-wall comment, ad nauseum.
And a lot of nattering with judging the judges going on, too. I don’t always agree with their opinions, but they seem to be a well-qualified bunch whose lives, after all, are dedicated to judging art and artists.
On with the show!

[Local Artist]

So the best shock art is the stuff that reinforces pre-existing stereotypes?

[Chico Gonzalez]

Andres Serrano..........So so shocking! I'm shocked. Shocked I say. Why isn't he a game show host?

[Mabil]

Great art comes from the very soul of the artist and is meant to please the artist first and foremost. When art is created for shock value alone, it no longer ceases to be art. It becomes a passionless and desperate attempt to gain undeserved attention. Shock art is seen so often in the contemporary art world today that it has become quite boring. So much of what is out there lacks basic aesthetics and fails to provoke thoughtful discussion.

[Rich]

"Jaclyn's strong showing was called into question when Erik accused her of stealing his idea of letting people write over her creation."

Jaclyn didn't steal Erik's idea; and Erik did not accuse her of that. Erik gave her the idea (and she seems to have lied when she said she had thought of it first). What was outrageous of Jaclyn was, when asked about it by the judges, not mentioning that Erik had suggested it. She showed a lack of ethics in not giving her fellow competitor credit.