Boom - Bust: David Corcoran [69]

David Corcoran
New York, NY, USA
http://www.corcoranart.net

Title: Boom - Bust


image 1: Boom: Digitally altered photograph


Image 2: Bust: Assembled from google images, Created in photoshop

Stuff For Sale: David Corcoran [68]

David Corcoran
New York, NY, USA
http://www.corcoranart.net

Title: Stuff For Sale
Media: Digital Photographs


image 1: A street sale that I had.


image 2: A man who bought my clown mask and shoes for $10.00

Never an artist has been prostituted so explicitly as now: Deva Dasis [67]

"There was something romantic and terrible in whores, and of course you could always write about them. In my time, I had tried to save a couple of them (...)

If a woman wants to sell her body, I do not think that is very different from a concert violinist who is shown giving a concert (...) Just to compare what a writer does and what a bitch, how could you appreciate the difference ?..."

- Charles Bukowski








Never an artist has been prostituted so explicitly as now

I could have been any kind of artist who makes works that are sold as decorative items, a conceptual misunderstood genius who hides his mediocrity and lack of talent in the airy wing of the concept, which seeks fame by signing catalogs and drinking wine cheap in vernissages, or suffering, and have their own art in the famous hard climb towards global recognition of his work. I'm in this last batch.

I started spontaneously. No one taught me. I didn't go to art college to learn, because I learned to carve and paint wastes, listening to Frank Zappa. Feeling so naive artist from the first moment, and do works to satisfy my own instincts and exposing them in my own home.

Then I studied social communication. And I worked as a journalist, as a radio announcer and now as an copywriter in advertising agency.

My first exhibition was in college. And I felt the passion to show, to teach my work. And always looking for each work item controversial to provoke, to reflect, to think. Well, I never saw myself as an artist unconnected patches of inexplicable passions. For me art should be direct, sharp, decisive. No half measures or useless imagery. Nothing worse than simulated communication between artist and viewer, in the process hypocritical when we usually see anything there stated is the truth, when all the art festival is a great circus, a sham.

And I wanted to continue to expose, but without getting opportunities. And in the halls of art I get refused, again and again. And this is why I decided to prostitute myself as an artist. A picture and an idea that is nothing new in the art world, as they often talked about prostitution in the art.

As a coincidence, in my personal life had experienced the world of prostitution in a different way than normal. I knew them, prostitutes, since I was a teenager. And I knew what it meant to be a whore in Venezuela. A difficult country. A nation known worldwide as huge riches but with a great crisis, economic and human values. Where are the highest in use of BlackBerrys and consumption of whiskey, but also the highest in violence and underdevelopment (beyond petroleum, beautiful weather, a "president" controversial and high production of beautiful women).

So I met prostitutes. And I was attracted to her world of red lights, mirrors and sensuality. And by frequenting their places of work, talking with them over it, little by little I began to realize the sad reality that surrounds them.

And come to ask them to paint, to take crayons and express themselves, and put on a pad of paper what they wanted. The task was arduous and difficult, since it is uncommon to ask the whores to paint pictures, and somewhere in the middle of their places.

So my second solo exhibition took place at the Center for Latin American Studies Romulo Gallegos of Caracas, where I had my original 34 works and 10 works made by sex workers.

My name Deva Dasis, comes from a Hindu religious practice in which some young women were dedicated to a deity. According to their caste, were chosen to be dancers, singers and servants of these deities.

Having been with prostitutes either as client or as a promoter of his art led me to feel pain about every day have to face the profession. Not for what they do but how are often treated: disrespected, beaten, humiliated and with nobody to defend them.

That experience, of having asked to paint pictures were great. Seeing their strokes, most with very childlike ways, you can guess their wishes, dreams lost, and so on. The exercise I seek through art is the decriminalization of prostitution, at least in reference to the theme that each one of us must defend their human rights.
I am currently working on a second round on the same topic, but related to music that can be heard in places where they work, as their only attraction of at the time of waiting for clients.

I invite you through this blog, all the gallery owners, curators, patrons, and institutions related to sex workers to make yours my own art. Any comments, invitation or criticism is always welcome. I'm eternally grateful to Jane Wang for her support.

Twitter: @ladevadasis
In Facebook / devadasisart@gmail.com


15. Vaginal deflowering Meter, 2004 Collage 39 x 49 cm


17. Baco’s Club from the Toulouse-Lautrec reloaded Series, 2006 Acrylic and Ink on cardboard 88 x 64 cm


18. The Goajira Night Club from the Toulouse-Lautrec reloaded Series, 2006 Acrylic and Ink on cardboard 92,5 x 57 cm


19. Cairo’s Table from the Toulouse-Lautrec reloaded Series, 2006 Acrylic and Ink on cardboard 97 x 70 cm


20. Stilettos, 2006 High-heeled Sandals, newspaper and coins Variable dimensions


21. Fuck lasts 15 minutes, 2007 Collage 32,5 x 27 x 2,2 cm


26. Help, 2009 Passport-sized photos on canvas 60 x 80 cm


29. How will MY DAUGHTER? from the Real Facts Series, 2009 Acrylic on canvas 40 x 50 cm


30. This guy is DISGUSTING from the Real Facts Series, 2009 Acrylic on canvas 50 x 40 cm


7330... God with them, 2008 Wood, crucifix and bikini 33 x 24 cm




36. Sacred Heart of Mine 2004 Crayons and wax crayon on card 24 x 32,7 cm


37. Our World, 2004 Wax crayon on card 32,7 x 48 cm


40. Abstract Face, 2004 Crayon on card 32,7 x 48 cm


41.Welcome to the morbidity world, 2004 Crayon on card 24 x 32,7 cm


42. Landscape, 2004 Crayon and pencil on card 24 x 32,7 cm


43. Venezuelan Seascape, 2004 Crayon and pencil on card 24 x 32,7 cm


44. So it rains my soul when I’m not with my daughter, 2004 Crayon and pencil on card 24 x 32,7 cm

Andy Warhol: Mel Smothers [66]

Mel Smothers
NYC, New York, USA
www.melsmothers.com

I read in the New York Times that Andy Warhol’s ocean side estate at Montauk, New York was recently sold, so, I made a point of driving out from California to get a feel for the place.

Fifty years ago, Andy was a very busy guy in New York City, he was famous and he was mass producing contemporary art from the images he found in the N. Y. Times.

Montauk wasn’t on Andy’s calendar much. I took a look around and began painting Andy ‘postcards’ thinking he would have liked that.

"Andy Dialog#222," 10x10", oil on canvas, Mel Smothers 2011




In addition, Mel wrote (included here with his permission):

I hope you are not another clever, growing number of emails arriving to my inbox indicated they have selected my work. My excitement turns to disappointment when I discover they are asking for money from any emerging artists, playing on artists hopes and dreams,and offering so little in return.

The Biennial Project Plays With The Big Boys!: The Biennial Project [65]

THE BIENNIAL PROJECT PLAYS WITH THE BIG BOYS! THE BIENNIAL PROJECT has been asked to submit work for the MOBIUS PROSTITUTION OF ART project. What a coup this is! COLLABORATING with MOBIUS means we’re not just a bunch of silly fools who find ourselves way too entertaining anymore – we’re ARTISTS! IMPORTANT ARTISTS! And it's just so totally symbolic of our growing success within the art world to be elevated to the level of BOSTON’S ELITE PERFORMING ART TROUPE. Take that, dreary naysayers – MUCH COOLER PEOPLE THAN YOU like us, really LIKE us! OK now, kids, calm down a little - it’s too early for the champagne. We've got to focus. With greater success comes greater challenges, greater responsibility. We're performing on the BIG STAGE now - we've got to produce IMPORTANT WORK. Think now.....THE PROSTITUTION OF ART. We must come up with something meaningful, or they might not like us anymore. One day you're IN, and the next day you're OUT! THE PROSTITUTION OF ART..... What are they going for here? They must feel that it's a bad thing. After all, prostitution IS kind of gross....yucky diseases and all. True love and artistic collaboration are much better - like Selma Hayek and Diego Rivera in that movie. But then, he cheated on her a fair amount and also really let himself go, so that wasn't all that great. But still as a general rule prostitution has to be bad, so we should say something against it. But then again prostitutes are usually women and it's not really all their fault, so maybe if we come out against it we’ll look all anti-feminist-theory, and that certainly wouldn't do. Wow, this IMPORTANT ART thing is more complicated than it looks. OK, let's look at their blog and see if we can get any ideas. Hmm, lots of cool work by lots of cool artists, kind of intimidating - it would take a lot of time to actually check it all out. That would be hard. Oh good - they have a definition of prostitution here. ‘Pros·ti·tute / ˈprästəˌt(y)oōt/ • n. a person, typically a woman, who engages in sexual activity for payment....’ Just like we thought. After that, there are some other definitions, but again, too much reading to get to them. FINALLY, an idea is coming to us…. We'll BE the prostitutes - embody the dilemmas inherent in the act of prostitution; thereby reflecting on the nature of gender, identity and commerce in a society that objectifies women and devalues artists – forcing the viewer to confront their own conflicted emotions on the subjects of art, sex and capitalism, etc. – we’ll throw in some other stuff as it comes to us – now we feel a GREAT ARTIST STATEMENT coming on! Ok, we’ve done the hard part, all that’s left is to put on some trashy clothes and hang out at a truck stop embodying our inner hookers. Whoever thinks this being a serious artist thing is all fun and games has obviously never met The Biennial Project! THE RESULTS! [Cue Donna Summer]: ADDENDUM - Apparently this being a hooker thing is way easier than it looks. With no formal training or life-related experience to speak of (as sluts, yes of course - but as whores per se, no), we had multiple offers to “tap that” - and our suggested rate of “one for $15, two for $20” was deemed acceptable by several passersby. It’s good to know we’ll have something to fall back on if this art thing doesn’t work out! XXOO, THE BIENNIAL PROJECT http://www.biennialproject.com/

Causalidades II: Virginia Cappabianca [64]

Bina Capadia - Virginia Cappabianca
Buenos Aires, Argentina
http://www.causalidades-parcialidades.blogspot.com
http://www.trazolimite.blogspot.com
http://www.poliforme-prototipo.blogspot.com

"Causalidades II" - 2000
Oil on table - 0.60 x 1.25 cm.

The following text belongs to my work in painting titled ”Causalidades II” /“Causalities II”

In this painting, I worked many concepts. One of them is about sexual abuse and psychological pressure.

Sometimes, people –men and women, and children too- suffer this kind of troubles in the course of their lives. It can occur at work, at school, in their own homes, in the street, or in other places. The sufferers are usually considered as the “victim” and the aggressor, the “murderer”. Some situations can be proved, so they can manage with it on the laws, and others can´t be proved. The “victim” sometimes can preserve it´s life, and sometimes not.

I can remember about many years ago, in my country, there was a discussion about this topic, because of the criteria used about these situations with the laws (all this cases were based on “victim’s” testimony and the “murderer” defense, and sometimes with some “testifiers” confession)

In relation with Art, the topic “Prostitution in Art”, is a parallel concept based on the ideas explained above.

I consider the idea of prostitution in art based on the pressure used by any power instruments (it is, some organizations which operate in art) used to control the arts freedom, so the artists have to obey some rules that don´t belong to their own artworks criteria. For example, the obligation to pay with the artist´s resources for some art participation activities (art fairs, biennials, galleries, museums, etc) but sometimes the artists don´t have their own resources, so, they can´t participate. Or, perhaps, when the artist´s work and effort is used for some other´s enrichment or to some activities that the artist doesn´t know what is about, and the artist doesn´t receive anything, nor a value for their artwork as a creator (which could help to continue with it´s career)

This discussions belongs to art critics, but I consider much important let the artist express it´s own point of view, because of their direct implication on this situation.

My discussion, as an artist, as a creator, is that I have to control the ways by which my artwork is running, and I have to pay a lot of attention to terms and conditions when I decide to give my work (to a gallery, to a virtual page, to a museum, etc)

I have worked many times guided by lawyers to control some points of my art.

I hope this text could be accepted to accompany my work in painting.

Virginia Cappabianca

$1 Drawings: Georgia Kennedy [63]

Georgia Kennedy
New Orleans, LA currently; Somerville, MA after August 15, 2011.
100percentGDK.com

$1 Drawings

This ongoing project began in April 2009. I “pay myself” $10/hour, and time six minutes per drawing, under the expectation that viewers could purchase a drawing for $1 and I could make up to ten drawings per hour. The project is an exercise in democratic drawing, or “the people’s drawing.” The project’s goals are widespread distribution and affordable ownership.

Each drawing is a thought, plan, observation, or note, 3″x5″ in varied media acquired prior to the project's commencement. $1 drawings have been exhibited as well as commissioned, and can be mailed. Drawings are housed in the box pictured, which is a replica of the original box used for the project which was a gift from my grandmother.

The second time I exhibited the drawings as one project, the exhibition was a "Cash and Carry" benefit show, for which I donated 50 individual drawings @ $50 to the gallery and provided purchasing instructions inside the box. Though I was donating a $50 value to the gallery (which, in this work, correlates directly to 5 hours of my labor), I felt the donation supported the vibrancy and culture of New Orleans' St. Claude arts district, anchored by the hosting gallery. In return, the gallery was to record the name of the purchaser for the artist, establishing relationships of artists and collectors for future sales.

By the end of the one night show, the entire $1 drawing box was missing but its sale was not recorded, so it is unclear whether the work was 1. purchased in excess of the work's parameters, 2. stolen, or 3. lost by the gallery. If the work was purchased, rather than a purchaser paying $50 for 50 individual drawings, per the work's instructions, there was a misunderstanding and for $50 an individual purchased the box itself and all the drawings contained therein--approximately 150 drawings, a steal, to say the least.

Frustrated with the gallery's negligence, I hoped the outcome (which I've never learned) was the one I found most fitting--that the work had been stolen. The work was born partially out of a "bankrupt on selling" mentality. I meant for it to encourage frequent output of work in my practice and undermine the need for galleries as liaisons, so I felt this outcome represented one revolution of the making/buying/selling art wheel. And I saw it as a reminder that I hadn't wanted $1 drawings in galleries in the first place.

I was on the eve of closing the project when two events occurred: 1. my mother, frustrated, found a replica box on eBay, and 2. an old friend unaware of the gallery fiasco inquired through my website about commissioning 10 new $1 drawings, for which she would mail funds.

Thus the project was reinvigorated, and it remains a portable studio practice encouraging drawing anywhere, anytime; a way of quickly delineating a plan for a larger work; and as a traveling sellable collection of artwork anyone can afford.

The Selling of an "Artist"? [62]

photo: Mick Tsikas/REUTERS via DayLife

Your 4-Year-Old Can’t Do That
NOAH HOROWITZ - The New York Times - June 11, 2011:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/opinion/12horowitz.html

An interesting article from the New York Times which reflects on the selling of an "artist" who happens to be only four years old.

The artist version of stage parents? Aelita Andre is not a unique case - there have been other infant wunderkind in the media of late.

The article also discusses briefly the notion of vanity galleries - here represented by the Agora Gallery in New York City which charges a hefty $3000 or more to an "artist", or in this case, an "artist"'s parents, for the privilege of a solo exhibition in their space.

But lest you worry that the parents and child are on their way to filing Chapter 11, note that the child's works are fetching upwards of $24,000 a canvas.

The author also concludes that the fame of Ms. Andre not so much that of a legitimate Artist with a capital "A" as a bit of theater and media circus. Stage parents indeed.

Noah Horowitz, director of the VIP Art Fair, is the author of “Art of the Deal: Contemporary Art in a Global Financial Market.”

Ms. Andre's Website:
http://www.aelitaandreart.com/

Slut for Life: Matthew Rose [61]

Matthew Rose
Paris, France
http://matthewroseartworks.blogspot.com/
http://matthewrosestudio.blogspot.com/
http://MATTHEWROSESTUDIO.NET/
http://ABOOKABOUTDEATH.BLOGSPOT.COM/

SLUT FOR LIFE, text work, 19.5 x 15 x 1.75 cm. Plastic letters on board. 2011

from Slut for Life Text Works album on facebook.

"You know this is a variation of Irving Stone's bio of van Gogh, LUST FOR LIFE"