"Skin Fruit" at The New Museum Of Contemporary Art curated by Jeff Koons

[OvalGray]

More branch-like than line-like I'd say, but you're right; it obviously couldn't be an otter or an asshole for instance. Its theological import lies in its almost-Minimalist investment in the Jungian territory of collective unconsciousness, perhaps a place where your long, black line and my tree branch meet; especially evocative due to it's juxtaposition here. For the brassy urbanity of the carousel or glittery campiness of the gun-toting Liza Lou, the Urs Fischer's naturality is stressed.

[CatZula]

@OvalGray That's psychological (and a stretch at that), not theological. And, interestingly enough, Jung wrote books and articles to express his thoughts. He didn't draw long, black, scrawling lines and then hope that other's should ascribe a complicated intellectual or spiritual motivation to such meaningless gestures. Also, isn't it really sculptural minimalism? I've never seen a tree limb that looked like this nor a floating vine...not much natural there...

[OvalGray]

I absolutely love that Urs Fischer piece. I see what he means by theological. Kind of like Franz Kline through a sculptural lens, burnt charcoal, it could be anything. These pieces seem odd together, incongruous; but it also seems like a kind of wonderland.

[CatZula]

@OvalGray Well, yes and no. It could be anything that looks like a long, black line suspended in the air. That's pretty far from being theological...

[kavaykavay]

"Art is what the Artist makes"

[rocknrollarcadia]

OK FUN

[thornbird7556]

I really love Koons. Puppy I think is his best and most powerful piece. I think his work is cartoonish, but that's what makes it so good! It has a fun, child-like, beautiful-yet-banal quality. It's really an art of introspection and extrospecion at once. You're swept away in the flood of connections. You realize the world is beautiful, even the most mundane parts of it.

[CatZula]

@thornbird7556 Please describe to me how Puppy is introspective at all? Extrospection is not a word, but I'll ask you to take a stab at that too. I see maybe a trickle of connections...a flood?

[thornbird7556]

@CatZula That it's a topiary (made of plants) sculpture of an animal is particularly powerful because it connects two different forms of life (plant and animal), which becomes a metaphor for the the interconnectedness of all life, including human. That the flowers die, but the sculpture (the puppy) does not die is also noteworthy; we as individual humans die like the flowers, but the human race lives on just as the larger sculpture does. This callenges a viewer to take notice of the big picture

[CatZula]

@thornbird7556 Hmmm...not sure it challenges the viewer to take note of the big picture any more than any other topiary (and you can find plenty of more clever and interesting topiary-based-art by simply doing a google search...at least for my two cents). Also, I have to admit that the crazy fees associated with maintaining the sculpture detract, rather than add, any allure for me (at least with traditional topiaries you see the seasonal cycles of life).

[thornbird7556]

@CatZula Noticing this big picture (the processes of life and death) is what's introspective about the work (the introspection happens in the viewer... I have no way of knowing if Koons was introspective making Puppy). Much of this happens subconsciously, which is why some Koons fans have difficulty describing why they like his work. I feel his less pop-oriented works (Puppy, Hanging Heart, 50/50 tank) to be great, but his poppier ones (M.Jackson & Bubbles, Hulk/Elvis) do nothing for me.

[CatZula]

@thornbird7556 I think the problem for me with this statement is that any and all artwork challenges the viewer. All artwork is, by that definition, introspective. And I guess, for myself, I'd rather contemplate art where the artist has specifically put meaning into the work. I think Jeff just sort of throws stuff at the wall and sees what sticks. Since he has repeatedly denied his work has any deeper meaning, I'm inclined to believe him and look elsewhere for interesting and meaningful art.

[thornbird7556]

@CatZula Fair enough. I agree there's better work out there than Puppy. It's my favorite Koons piece, not my all time favorite art work. I agree the art world's largely governed by the sort of corporate greed that runs many systems. The insane fees bother me too, but I'd blame them more on the way the art world is than on Koons himself. To his credit, he feeds much of the money he earns back into his art & not into his pocket. I don't doubt that he's said there's no deeper meaning to his art...

[CatZula]

@thornbird7556 I wouldn't call it a pathology, but I'm not sure that I think you're reading Koons right. I think his dismissal of meaning has more to do with wanting to be able to let critics read whatever they want to into the pieces. Which isn't bad, per se, but since he's more or less a conceptual artist, doesn't earn him any points with me (since the whole point of being a conceptual artist is that your medium of choice is ideas). At any rate, thanks for the explanations.

[foxtrapper1972]

makes sense to me

[3idiot3]

thanks for the view:)

[lessonsoftoday]

I know a lot of people love to hate Jeff Koons, but I must admit that it looks like he put together one hell of a show! I need to see it, or at least get the catalog.

[3idiot3]

@lessonsoftoday its the American way. Build em up, tear em down. Koons is good.

[CatZula]

How humble of Koons to only put one of his pieces into the show...perhaps he could have skipped himself altogether? What was the New Museum thinking? Now we're going to let Joanou and others institutionalize their international art Monopoly game? ...At least he could have picked an artist with half a brain to curate this...why not Charles Ray?

[TaylorArtandFun]

This show looks crazy. I love this guy's work.