Over break I went to the Los Angeles County Museum of the Arts (LACMA) They recently had opened a new exhibition room that particularly interested me because it featured the work of Jeff Koons and Andy Warhol as well as other contemporary artists. I thought the exhibition was extremely dynamic. There were floor pieces by Koons like the balloon dog above and the egg shell as well as sculptures of his around the room. There were piles of Warhol's Kelloggs cereal boxes and his famous electric chair print. I had seen it before in class but experiencing it in person was much more impressive. It had an aura of foreboding and eerie quality to it. This contrasted greatly with the playful pieces of Koons who had blow up pool toys and wall pieces that featured photos of photos. I especially liked the balloon dog, its massive size and the way that the shiny metal so perfectly imitated plastic balloon material made that piece very dynamic to me. The dichotomy exhibitions content presented by the serious pieces like the electric chair and the rorschach image in stark comparison with pieces like Koons balloon dog made the exhibition work really well and fit together under the modern pop art scene rather than clashing. The exhibition was colorful and exciting as well as contemporary which made it easy for me me to relate to and very interesting as they comment on society that is so common. It was a perfect exhibition to see as a precursor to this class.
This video is Titled "Magic Board" and it was directed by Spike Lee. I think it's a great example of art and life coming together to represent a culture that is not often given attention to in this sort of a narrative way. It seems like all the skate movies are just clip after clip of trick after trick and then a fail montage at the end for laughs. This was a really unique narrative that was presented in a playful manner and it was completely enjoyable. I love this video personally and think the concept behind it is so clever. A skateboard that goes around from person to person bringing a brief moment of happiness before getting passed on to the next person is a powerful uniting symbol of skate culture. All these skaters share the same passion and it is expressed through the video very well.
