Shea Hembrey: How I became 100 artists

[KOBMLtd]

This piece is funny. However, would the Art piece stand on their own without this commentary? Or are we watching live art?

[TJ68LA]

It's still impressive creativity, lots of clever stuff, but it seems more like a work of fiction about contemporary art, and a publicity stunt put together by a smart ad agency. And like Mr. Brainwash, if he makes a bunch of money selling expensive pieces while claiming to be against that system, he's really a con artist.

[TJ68LA]

It's interesting that he starts out with the impossible "tall tale" about his father shooting flies 50 feet away with a BB gun, am I wrong or isn't that obviously inserted into this talk as an indication that he's telling us tall tales.

Fun, but seems a lot like Mr. Brainwash - take an existing artist/concept and plug in different objects. Creating different artist personas is not new. The mirror one looks like Anish Kapoor in his back yard.

[TuwaLiking]

I love this!!!

[GORMLESSwonder]

I think it's fair to say he's being ironic about a lot of the artists and techniques he's made up, even to the point of mocking the art scene. That's why the audience are laughing. Plus, they're laughing because the range of stuff he's created is surprising and impressive. To be fair, if anyone's produced art seriously before, making a range of random stuff is the starting point, the easy bit... The difficulty is in developing your style and concepts so your pieces aren't just silly one-liners.

[kupotenshi]

This person is amazing.

[PeterInglisGuitar]

A modern Leonardi da Vinci. No less! He has a amazingly broad pallet of technique and imagination, and then the energy and imagination to realise and then promote his ideas. A true inspiration to creative artists in all fields.

[dielucky]

Brilliant!(2)

[SirWellsper]

Brilliant!

[GurubashiProductions]

Wow I hate how everyone keeps laughing... I think it's fascinating.

[Salsaman66]

I loved the imagination and creative ideas this fellow went with. This is what happens when you don't turn off your childhoods open minded wondering. Love it and it's how I do my comedy music and stand up.

[Crazee108]

omg i love the nests photos! ahhahahaha awesome.

[GeracaodeValor]

good!

[TVWriterGuy]

ROFL....I am absolutely cRaZY about this clip. This is one of the best stories I have EVER heard! Thumbs up...by all means, thumbs UP.

[p3destrian]

amazing!

[Tolstoievsky]

you need to be really sloppy to schizophrenia yourself into 100 artist and create their artwork...and i think it really shows

[serioush]

This guy is awesome.

[eenkjet]

one of my favorite tedtalks...

as an artist, i have to chameleon my work constantly to keep the bucks flowing in for commercial spaces, as well a produce "my own" work. ...i should just start making up "names" of artists instead of making up excuses.

[tossmeacarrot]

I could listen to and watch this guy for hours. He's fascinating. What a round-about approach to creativity. Can't get enough.

[sonomute]

i guess it's his and his family worst nightmare, to be killed by russians with scary eyes)))

[sonomute]

so everybody is so nice and interesting but russian artist from St.Petersburg is so scary that u can't look her in the eyes...Americans, cold war is over...

[hcortens]

@sonomute ..you just don't get it do you.

[rick4318]

.DIS.BE.LIEF.

[mondalaci]

It's amazing how creative this guy is.

[DominaDuck]

This was absolutely brilliant!

[Ramsez]

best thing is, he's not even "shea hembrey". his real name is andries pretorius, and he's south african.

[cmd2tuts]

OK that's it, where do i buy a TED ticket?

[dandil]

i don't usualy care about art, but that was rather neat ^.^

[rodrigo3hm]

The project of the mirrors in the sky it´s EXACTLY THE SAME to an installation of chilenian architects Pezo Von Ellrichshausen. pezo.cl

[samifloo]

Brilliant!

[FUCKOFFYOURGAY]

I always scoff in my mind when i hear about art stuff, Then somehow I usually end up enthralled like I was with this video.

[leonidasx666]

See how easy it is to create art(ists)?

You just have to know how to "sell" it.

I worked on a contemporary museum for 5 years, and this was some of the best work I've seen - thanks TED.

[deathbeforelaceX]

Oh my god.

This man is a complete genius. I'll be lucky if I ever amount to half of what he is.

[WiVaBo]

@deathbeforelaceX You mean... 50 artists? :)

[DeepAbsentia]

This guy is brilliant.

[SuperiorApostate]

I didn't think I would like this talk, but this is EPIC.

[SuperiorApostate]

how come most of him are women?

[MarkNiceyard]

Brilliantly creative!

But does the simulation of an artist leads to art?

[trefod]

Leaning back in my chair, four hours into this evenings lazy stint and idly clicking away at you tube videos... I'm thinking: This guy has way too much energy.

Sometimes I hate driven people.

[TheFounderUtopia]

Where does he find the time?? Half of these look like 6 month - year long projects.

[derebin]

This has got to be one of the raddest fucking things I've ever seen.

[frane9r9r]

Sweet! This made me week!

[ApollosPlace]

LOL knew just how much to cock the gun to shoot the fly without damaging what was under it. Now I have to say wow to anyone who can shoot a fly off the wall from two rooms away and not put a hole in the wall!

[racpembertondual]

"Contemporary art" = garbage

[kmica2008]

the swiss suck ass!!!!!!

[leahcharlottte]

amazing, but it's annoying the way he talks like this a lot?

[Bracerjack]

But....what is the point ?

Somebody help me!!!!

I am going nuts wondering what is the point of all these!

[yourtube20061]

The "Arts" module of my brain does not function. Will I ever be able to appreciate the kind of art he is presenting ?

[Joshhilliardgr]

"So what do you do?"

"Oh, I'm an artist"

"That's fun. What's your discipline?"

"Human souls."

Hmm... This could make a good Cyanide & Happiness scrawl.

[TonyGT37]

i want to shoot a fly with a bb gun now...

[wenliliu2008]

he surely is a mart guy. but what he did shows that a lot of contemporary art works are just bulls**t, that is why he could do "art" just like those.

[iSOBigD]

@wenliliu2008 Yup. Anything can be art if you spin it enough, but if requires no skill or years of practice and education, I don't fall for it, lol. They're just slaps in the faces of real artists who put hard work into it.

[hodor]

Cool stuff, but this guy should stop asking questions every other sentences. Really annoying? I am sure I am not alone?

Thank you TED?

Sincerely?

Hodor?

[Zormac]

@hodor I think this might be a gay guy thing. I've got a gay friend who talks exactly like that, and this guy is clearly gay too.

[GeoffEberle]

he's a bit full of him selves...

[apocaRUFF]

Comments about hot cousins aside, this is one of my all-time favorite TED talks. Adding to Favorites and giving it a thumbs-up. Wish he had a website or something were we could view the rest of the work.

[samifloo]

@apocaRUFF

[samifloo]

@apocaRUFF 

[apocaRUFF]

The cousin at 15:10 is hot.

[tayloreh]

Man I come up with crazy stuff all the time with my friend. So reassuring to actually realize the implications they could have...

[Youssef51]

i was skeptical at first but he won me right over. very cool, very funny.

[jmantheburninator]

Why isn't this televised?

[axelasdf]

10 minutes = attention span. Get it right.

[invinciblemode]

@axelasdf you mean attention span=10minutes?

[jakeekaj9000]

Forever Alone...jk this is actually a pretty interesting idea.

[akrulla]

Oi! Where's tha link for this guy's website!?

[Silverstarlightt]

That's pretty cool.

[aaaaaaaaooooooo]

What is that word? "bioniel?"

[ninjabob2456]

@aaaaaaaaooooooo "bienniale" google it.

[TheNamesBettyNyahhh]

@aaaaaaaaooooooo He says, 'biennial', which means something that occurs every two years.

[mikesomething]

@TheNamesBettyNyahhh no, thats biannual, biennial means that it lasted for 2 years

[TheNamesBettyNyahhh]

@mikesomething You're mistaken I'm afraid. Biannual means something that it occurs twice a year and biennial means, as I stated previously, something that occurs once every two years or, if you prefer to word it that way, something that lasts for two years. Might want to Google it if you're unsure.

[derebin]

@mikesomething

I'm not about to replay the whole thing to find the exact quote but he mentions he wanted to do something that would take two years to complete. Biennial is most likely.

I thought it was "biannual" at first too though.

[mikesomething]

@derebin ni. he says it in the video whether you replay in or not.

he says it in the video whether you fuck a dog ............... or not.

[TheFounderUtopia]

@mikesomething

He said Biennial. 02:38

Definition: "Biennial means (an event) lasting for two years or occurring every two years"

[mikesomething]

@TheFounderUtopia thanks for repeating what i said

[TheFounderUtopia]

@mikesomething

I was merely confirming it.

[derebin]

@mikesomething

what on earth.

[Filecreator]

the guy has a hell of a dry mouth, get him a glass of water!

[ranged2hard]

@Charles33333

Because he made all those pieces of art, and made different characters who created those pieces... Watch the first couple of minutes again lol

[jeffolock]

"also more intellectual than you would ever expect. for instance, me and my sister"

me and my.

I lol'd.

[kebakent]

I don't understand why art is considered so important. If something is pretty, snap a picture or paint it. Don't analyze the significance of a crying clown, weird shape or melted clock. Nothing remotely useful could come of it. Just because your mind goes into a state of wtf, does not mean the artist is any good, it just means that the artist has a weird mind.

[ashmerge]

@kebakent wow are you a somewhat less gifted troll or just mentally challenged in general?

[humanist7117]

Art as hilarity!

[geragna]

GENIUS!

[NiwatiX]

drink some water please.. please...

[lenaslife]

Wow!!

[DivergentMind]

I love that he is a sophisticated hick.

[avikine]

It's really a brilliant idea being able to juxtapose himself into another character to change his style. Love it.

[Dirtboy101]

I feel like every one of these artists could write a book.

[lakecitysailor1]

I could see the cultural differences, but did everyone else notice the earthy upbringing of his Arkansas experience trickle through the many personas of his imaginative and engrossing artists? The way he played with earth, browns, shading, boots, seasons, nests, all of which put together wouldn't have been thought of necessarily through the eyes of, let's say, a Swiss woman. Beautiful, creative art.

[theroofisunderwater]

perk unlocked: one man army pro

[ogrish84]

Wow, what a amazing individual this Man is.

[beatboxbrothers]

Multiple personality syndrome, to the next level

[timbobau]

Love the barbwire works.... lol

[MrOnairos]

that was truly one of the best ted talks i've ever seen. he's quite amazing!

[JohnTheFaun]

I forgot that he was talking about himself.

[Trinivalts]

@JohnTheFaun wait, what? Was he? lol.

[str3123]

Genial!

[Aresftfun]

Never say "This isn't photoshopped". Huge mistake. Not that big of a deal, it wasn't photoshopped, but that's the kind of thing to say to invoke skepticism.

Still awesome talk. That just bothered me.

[Kongolox]

meh :/

[hyperbolaisagraph]

Haha, these guys are great!

[Starpawzz]

What a fabulous, hilarious, mega talented guy!

Thanks!

[dowddash]

My sister and I.

[WoundedEgo]

So clever... (unlike some of the comments here!)

[Willayam91]

Insanely cool that he managed to make one artwork and artist per week for two whole years... talk about commitment and a wildly creative mind!

[akazombie]

@Willayam91 Some of those artists had several artworks. So one artist and one artwork minimum! That's incredible!

[samifloo]

@akazombie There were hundreds of pieces crested for this project.

[randomartist01]

Kenneth from 30 Rock! Glad to see he's keeping busy during the hiatus.



[Karmakameleeon]

IDENTITY THEFT

[DRezz01]

I'm usually very impressed with the public speaking skills of TED presenters. Usually....

[Slug99]

This is WAAAY to meta for me.

[RoZZ92]

Hahahaha adventures with skinny <3

love that :D

[FTLNewsFeed]

It would of been more interesting if he had of contacted 100 artists to make art that you can explain to your grandmother in 5 minutes rather than his "ideas" of what 100 artists could make. The fact would probably of been more interesting than the fiction.

[uiuiuiseraph]

I dont get this.

[FTLNewsFeed]

All I could think was: Hubris. But the laughter of the audience told more about this work than anything else.

[razziel42]

that was great, it really shows you that art is just an idea and the rest is showmanship ,he made a lot of people look bad

[KojakXXX]

100 boring persons in one. amazing.

[stargirl1796]

@KojakXXX HEY! not cool!

[Tolstoievsky]

@KojakXXX haha nice

[MarkArandjus]

Heh I once made a fake band, made up names and everything. The music kinda sucked though :P

[chocolatebiovelo]

Love it!

[IceJT15]

Got bored after the childhood stories.

[TimmacTR]

..he's got one hell of a multiple personality disorder..

[marty1091]

@TimmacTR it's called dissociative personality disorder.

[JLCTushingham]

@TimmacTR Probably the souls of those squirrels, the brains of which he ate, all fighting to express themselves..

[TimmacTR]

@JLCTushingham ...really creative squirrels then... :)

[valken666]

cool artist

[LittleTownInNorway]

This is an amazing Artist!

[fighterlegend]

@LittleTownInNorway

*These are amazing artists

[neikaplay]

cool. making the elite art world a bit more comedic. wonder how he actually put on that exhibition

[KemaTheAtheist]

@neikaplay

"wonder how he actually put on that exhibition"

Like a boss.

[andy7666]

Love it!

[Gabycms]

Awsome

[DarkDemonWolf76]

wait so he made up all those artists, and did the work himself? O,o

[mazdaplz]

@DarkDemonWolf76 him and got his family to do it, poor people!

[sirspiff]

His imagination and creativity is astounding even though some of the artists/artworks he has imagined goes against what he stated in the beginning (14:39 for example). My favourite would have to be 13:58! :) Respect!

[CHRISINMYHEAD]

@sirspiff yeah 13:58 is so amazing

[DeoMachina]

This guy is what other artists SHOULD be. Really impressive.

[gaiagale]

Absolutely fascinating! ...what a mind ...imagine living in that world 24/7

thank-you for sharing

[uberkakis]

Hilarious!

[gulllars]

So, this guy made a schizophrenia-like art collection of 100 personalities... Gotta give him creds for a great and orignial (as far as i can tell) concept.

[Petrifiedhippy]

this guy makes it a total shoe in for ANYONE to be a TED TALKER?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!

[TomFrancirek]

Brilliant... thoroughly enjoyed this!! Reminds me a little of David Arquette. Great job, Shea!!

[Stereozucker]

is he asking questions all the time? i mean seriously ^^ hes good but i mean thats too much... seems stupid...

[ravellwolf]

@Stereozucker It's called upspeak. Quite prevalent in Australia apparently. People who use it are said to be less sure of themselves and are seeking confirmation of what they're saying.

[99drunkenmknkey99]

@ravellwolf It's just an accent...

[Stereozucker]

@ravellwolf i know that^^ i was in the us once and all the girls there were speaking that way^^ i thought it was annoying.. its like those high pitched voices and than this upspeak thingy^^ well i think thats something you should never do at a presentation... well at last i learned that at school.

[PunsT3R]

@ravellwolf and they are a**holes apparently... to be precise of course....

[XxRynethxX]

What the fuck.