Paul McCarthy: "Piccadilly Circus" | Art21 "Exclusive"

Episode #083: Artist Paul McCarthy describes the improvisational process and performances behind the video work "Piccadilly Circus" (2003). Filmed at an unoccupied London bank before being renovated by Hauser & Wirth gallery in 2002, and shot several months before the start of the Iraq War, the work features costumed players in the roles of President George W. Bush, Osama Bin Laden, and the Queen Mum (in three versions).

Paul McCarthy's video-taped performances and provocative multimedia installations lampoon polite society, ridicule authority, and bombard the viewer with a sensory overload of often sexually-tinged, violent imagery. With irreverent wit, McCarthy often takes aim at cherished American myths and icons—Walt Disney, the Western, and even the Modern Artist—adding a touch of malice to subjects that have been traditionally revered for their innocence or purity. Whether conflating real-world political figures with fantastical characters such as Santa Claus, or treating erotic and abject content with frivolity and charm, McCarthy's work confuses codes, mixes high and low culture, and provokes an analysis of fundamental beliefs.

Learn more about Paul McCarthy: http://www.art21.org/artists/paul-mccarthy

VIDEO | Producer: Wesley Miller & Nick Ravich. Interview: Susan Sollins. Camera: Bob Elfstrom. Sound: Doug Dunderdale. Editor: Lizzie Donahue & Paulo Padilha. Artwork Courtesy: Paul McCarthy.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• art
• artist
• contemporary
• visual
• paul mccarthy
• george bush
• queen mum
• piccadilly circus

[Thephyguy]

@wigiman33 Sure, if you review every unkind act you've done to others and then show everyone, and don't stop there, all the porn you watch. And also everything you've done with your partners during sex, and show your mother. Do you know what art means? Or provoked thoughts?

[metaphoricrocky]

Something's not elitist just because you don't understand it.

[HDFEST]

This is thought provoking. Awesome stuff by Paul McCarthy!

[theotherbabies]

is art all about 'liking' the work

[wigiman33]

This aint art, this is not well in the head i dont care what you say, if you like this kind of stuff then maybe you must not be well in the head either. look at this video 10 times over and over then show it to everyone you know and ask them.

[Ultrasecond]

I will eat your face.

[TheFolkUtopia]

lol you gave me the best laugh I have had in a while. I completely agree. It is elitist and that is my concern.

[oneu778]

@TheFolkUtopia

i'll be honest to you debating weather a piece is good or bad just gives me a headache.. what does it matter anyway.

have you been to the frieze art fair(?) have you been to interviews at goldsmiths and other top university's?.. trust me you quickly learn that the art world is only for the elite scum who can blag their way into saatchi's wife's pants

[TheFolkUtopia]

Do you have an opinion on the work in this video? Is it your opinion that this work can garner respect for the field of art? In my opinion this work does not achieve a tangible amount of respect to garner publicity to enrich anything. Therefore my comments below about even having a Television program, youtube channel and the hits garnered from coming back to comment we float only at 487 though an improvement-you see how disucssion increases viability! Is the work successful?

[oneu778]

@TheFolkUtopia

i dont really know the point your trying to make- but stop worrying about the state of art and go make some. everyone has the ability (no matter how small, good or bad) to contribute something to the art world and even try and leave an art legacy. i feel if someone can appreciate all aspects of art including the aesthetically unappealing they have liberated them-self to the highest state of art