I wrote about the moments when pop icons and art stars, mass consumption and elite taste have collided in the best possible way in 2010 for Corduroy's blog. In addition to Takashi Murakami dressed up in a flower costume at New York’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, Koons claiming christmas lights his main influence for his BMW Art Car design, Douglas Coupland's disastrous Roots line, Björk and Marina being friendly at the MoMA and obviously James Franco, the editors edited out my favorite moment of 2011. So I thought I'd stress one more time how much I loved whenLady Gaga took Jana Sterbak'sVanitas: Flesh Dress for an Albino Anorectic of 1987, presently installed in the Pompidou Museum in Paris, to a whole new level by wearing a very poorly tailored rip off of the art work - a meat dress - to the MTV Music Video awards.
Takashi Murakami is an artist/designer/brand owner/billionaire and workholic. His work is based on the concept of the Tate Modern and National Gallery show "Pop Life: Art in a Material World," aka this object is a tacky, easy to make, and/or part of everyday culture, so is it art? (see past blog post). His latest venture is the design of the latest cover of Brit magazine Pop. Obviously the use of Britney Spears is 'edgy,' because, she too, is one of those ambiguous characters who is just as tacky, easily consumable but at the same time slightly auratic and controversial. So their association isn't that surprising - yet you should think it is. If anything is surprising here is the wonders done by good lighting, makeup and photoshop.
In parallel to that 'scandalous' cover, France is debating over the reasons why le Château de Versailles is presenting works by the Japanese artist, aka where is culture going? Where is the respect for the past going? etc... Like the Jeff Koons exhibition two years ago exactly, many are outraged but if things go as planned it will be a blockbuster exhibition. A scandal remains a scandal even if culture is at risk. It opens on September 14th.
