Italian artist/entrepreneur Salvatore Iaconesi scanned thousands of sexually-oriented websites, searching for instances of people posting their mobile phone number in the hope of getting a "date". He took screen shots of the phone numbers, and now he's selling those screen shots as art.
One of his "paintings" costs 50€. But if your number is in his database and you want it removed, that'll cost you 1000€. There's no info on how well his sales are going. [Forbes.com]
Posted By: Alex | Date: Thu May 16, 2013 | Comments (8)
Category: Art, Sexuality
Back in 1964, a giant steel block lost its form while being hammered at a factory. So the workmen polished it up and submitted it to the Documenta III art and design exhibition in Kassel, Germany. But eventually the directors of the exhibition decided it wasn't real art. So they removed it. I don't know. Looks like modern art to me.
Posted By: Alex | Date: Wed May 15, 2013 | Comments (3)
Category: Art, 1960's
Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg collects random DNA samples she finds on the street (on pieces of gum, cigarettes, hair, etc.) She then analyzes the DNA to identify the phenotypic traits of its owner (eye color, hair color, skin color, etc.). From this info, she creates a sculpture of the person, using a 3D printer. So it's possible that you could walk into her gallery and see yourself there! More info at policymic.com, or check out Dewey-Hagborg's website.
Montana Public Radio reports about artist Tim Holmes, who's dying money blue and giving it away. He also stamps it with the phrase, "Based on the value of a clean world!" He hopes this will prompt a widespread discussion about environmentalism. Why? Because the money is blue. He elaborates at his website bluebills.us:
Regular green bills express no value. The money we use every day is backed by NOTHING! Its only value is what others think it has. But when two people exchange a Blue Bill, both agree on the value of a clean environment and a healthy community. Every exchange thus is a vote for a clean world!
So green = "no value" but blue = "clean environment and a healthy community". Got it?
Posted By: Alex | Date: Sat May 11, 2013 | Comments (11)
Category: Art, Money
Artists find inspiration in all kinds of unusual places. Brendan O'Connell got inspired by shopping at Wal-Mart and started painting scenes from inside Wal-Mart stores. He's achieved quite a bit of success, to the point that his paintings now fetch up to $40,000. Which means they're not going to be on sale at Wal-Mart anytime soon. However, the company has purchased one of his paintings. [msn.com]
Mexican artist Edie Aguirre created some images to show what Barbie might look like 1) without makeup, and 2) with the body shape of a real woman. Judging by the bags under her eyes, makeup-free Barbie also looks like she hasn't yet had her morning cup of coffee. [foxnews]
Posted By: Alex | Date: Sat Apr 20, 2013 | Comments (4)
Category: Art, Body, Toys
The Fossil Hunters is a painting by Edwin Dickinson, created between 1926 and 1928. Its claim to fame in the history of art is that it was accidentally hung sideways first at the Carnegie International Exhibition of 1928, then subsequently at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and at the New York Academy of Design, where it received an award. Finally someone noticed that it was incorrectly oriented (according to what Dickinson said was supposed to be the right-side up).
I think it looks better on its side (below). At least, I can kinda make some sense out of the painting from that angle. But then, who said art was supposed to make sense!
Back in 1905, celebrities of the day were asked to try to draw a pig while blindfolded. The results were printed in The Strand magazine:
Most of the names I don't recognize. But I do know Caton Woodville (middle of the second row from the top). He was an artist who specialized in war scenes, such as his rendition of the Charge of the Light Brigade. I'm guessing his paintings aren't cheap. But I wonder how much his blindfold pig would go for?
Posted By: Alex | Date: Sun Apr 07, 2013 | Comments (5)
Category: Art, 1900's
Category: Art, Avant Garde, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Eccentrics