In the world of reality competition shows, Bravo has a pretty good track record. Top Chef and Project Runway, which originally aired on the cable channel, are huge hits. Misses notwithstanding, when Bravo premiers a new one I’m willing to give it a chance.
This season their new offering is Work of Art. Following the usual format, each week the contestants are presented with a quick challenge and then a bigger elimination challenge, at the end of which one of them is kicked off the show. Whether or not this format really lends itself to the creation of art, the show is interesting enough for me to have come back for a second look.
Last night the main challenge had to do with creating a piece that would shock. It was up to each individual contestant to decide how to interpret the challenge. Unfortunately almost all of them decided that shocking was synonymous with sexual. Shock is of course subjective and relative but a piece meant to shock is certainly a piece meant to provoke thought and consideration on the part of the viewer.
Does a cartoon image of a man performing a sexual act with himself provoke thought and conversation? How about nude, low resolution photographs of a shapely young woman? They might make Playboy come calling but will they stay with the gallery patron after he or she leaves the show? Could these young artists think of nothing more shocking than sex?
Perhaps the constraint of time didn’t allow for deep, thoughtful consideration. After the show I spent some time thinking about other areas they could have explored and what works of art I have seen that shocked or provoked thought from me. A piece reflective of man’s inhumanity to man, for example, stays with me a lot longer than a post-coital male face with an extension cord around it’s neck. Walker Evan’s photographs of poverty in the South in the 20’s and 30’s and Baldwin Lee’s similar photographs taken in the 80’s have a much more profound impact on me than a bunch of intertwined genitalia.
The most shocking piece I’ve ever seen was a large impressionist painting featuring horses hanging head down from meat hooks. Different things shock different people but that image has stayed with me for a long time. I’ve gone back three times to look at it and think about it. I can’t imagine any of the pieces in last night’s episode provoking that sort of reaction from me.
Although the piece that won fell a little short, it was one of only three whose creator tried to engage in any sort of social commentary. I hope the other artists thought about that a little after the episode wrapped. I’ll probably tune in next week but I’m making no promises about sticking out the entire season.
Images can make a powerful statement. What shocks you? What provokes thought? What provokes action?
Posts
4 comments:
A thoughtful musing on this show, and on what our culture finds shocking, not to mention how "shocking" can serve up visibility to essential social commentary.
The Walker Evans reference is a wonderful one.
I also thought about this last night. What would have been more shocking? I actually thought of an extraordinary painting I have seen, by artist Sharon Shapiro - a large-scale work of Siamese twins. It is poignant and shocking - and deals with humanity and choices made by parents and doctors, in scenarios that touch the heart.
@BLW I love Walker Evans' work and recently attended a show featuring the work of Evans, Baldwin Lee and Eudora Welty. It was excellent. To me the most shocking was how contemporary Lee's work was. So much easier to view images of situations from 80 years ago that we believe have been corrected than photographs of basically the same situations taken a mere 30 years ago.
The Shapiro piece you mention sounds like what I wished we would have seen last night. I hope the artists reflect enough to grow a bit. Here's to a better episode next week!
Just gone through your blog and found it wonderful. It was nice going through your blog. Keep on posting.
OMG I am so glad that I never saw the images you speak of with the horse heads. Just the thought of it is making me sick now. I can't even look at the animal rescue sites because I become so stressed and upset that I am physically ill and want to attack someone myself.
I don't need or want any 'shock value' in my life. Some days life itself is shocking enough!
Post a Comment