So, bullshit is….art ? help, please.dal direttore Ferruccio Gard
I counted up to one thousand before writing this piece, and I must confess that I am not sure whether I should have written it or not. I do not want to be a bad teacher who invites artists or wannabe artists to… imitate others, since I will discussing an exhibition that is all about that. Since the co-curator of the exhibition (with Alessandro Michele) is Maurizio Cattelan, not only a brilliant artist, but also a master of provocation, I will try to be provocative too (I copy others, therefore I am). So, Cattelan, copying the title of a famous performance by Marina Abramovic (another master of provocation) at the MoMa in New York, "The Artist is Present", invited a group of 30 artists, hopefully copycats, to the Yuz Museum in Shanghai, from Armleder and Delvoye to Parreno and Danh Vo, with the aim of paying tribute to the practice of copying others, seen as an inexhaustible source of art. And why? Well, obviously because "the copy is the original" and, according to Cattelan, "copying is like blasphemy. It is disrespectful towards God, but it is also a recognition of his existence". Which means: a copy of a work of art is a recognition of the existence of the copycat artist; therefore, copying equals making art ... .. There are no limits to the creativity of copycats. Worthy of mention among the many works on display is "Cloaca", by highly regarded Wim Delvoye (yes, the Belgian artist who came up with the idea of tattooing pigs), an installation that turns food into faeces, with a lovely accompanying smell. Wow, will we end up saying that bullshit is… art? Help, considering today’s (and tomorrow’s) art world, never say never....
