Although we haven't seen a show from Oakland artist Peter Gronquist since Gallery 1988's I Am 8-Bit II group show in April 2006, one questions whether or not this was the right way to make his foray back into the art cognoscenti. With the incendiary and somewhat provocative title of his newest exhibit/solo show, The Revolution will be Fabulous Gronquist opens again at the Los Angeles art spot where we last saw him (through May 16th).For those unfamiliar with Gronquist, the 29- year-old Portland native attended the School of Visual Arts for two years, then finished his BFA at the San Francisco Art Institute in 2001. Peter currently resides in Oakland California (EAST BAY!) and tries to paint every day. In his paintings, his palette seems to stay the same (deep rustic maroons, yellow/oranges and the deepest of blues) as does his subject matter- although he does have breakouts; his rendering of perennial Las Vegas act Seigfried and Roy (replete with said blood-thirsty tiger!) is set in a pastel pink backdrop (hmmm...). His works seem to vacillate between fairy tale, pop culture and comic strip.
However, this exhibit is about his "sculptures"
On the one hand, one could be especially militant and argue that the title itself spits in the face of true political revolutionaries like Gil Scott-Heron, who famously uttered the phrase "The Revolution will not be Televised" (and from whom the exhibit's title is obviously extracted). The act of Revolution in its purest form, from listening to Scott-Heron's radical spoken word poem, should not be toyed with or manipulated solely for the sake of an artistic statement but as a means of political and cultural upheaval. Perhaps this is Gronquist's way of being political.
On the other hand, Gronquist's exhibit (title aside) comments on the banality of consumerism, where people's own sense of happiness is determined by whether or not their goods have a designer name attached to them. And while that is a valid point, it has also become a beleaguered one- something that many a budding artist(Takashi Murakami, anyone?) and any student at any art college in the country could fall back on in the absence of inspired creativity. The truth is that every clothing designer (yes, even Kaiser Karl Lagerfeld!) makes some ugly things- so if Chanel made that rifle, would fashionistas clamor to own it? Would they then be joining the NRA in droves? Just because a high-end fashion house makes something, does that mean it is "to die for"? I don't know about most people's answers, but Gronquist at least asks the question. (Tools to "Chanel" your rage! Guns for "Fendi"-ing off trespassers!).
These items (priced from $3,000) can also be "murder" on your bank account...
Okay, enough of the double entendres, lets get to THE REAL RE-Edit...
His "sculptures" (really straining the use of the word, because this exhibit comes across more like something Kanye West would make if he had to take a shop class and less like sculpture) seem even more singularly focused than his paintings, as the main scope of this show consists of emblazoning weapons of destruction (rifles, rocket launchers, chainsaws and electric chairs) with high-end clothing designer logos. The "machinery" under the "glamorous" logos are all things that, when used with an evil intent, destroy life. Maybe that's the argument Gronquist is making; whatwith the consumer-driven weaponry developed at the houses of Hermes, Chanel, and Vuitton, Prada, and the like, that these fashion houses are responsible for the erosion of our culture and the destruction our lives.
However, that gets tired (and less inspired) as the theme of "logo-attached-to-firearm" is repeated over and over again. To see various incantations of the Louis Vuitton pattern on several rifles beats a dead horse. Then to see the same rifle outfitted with another fashion house's imprint (Hermes, Gucci Prada...)takes that dead horse and beats it again. We GET it! This part of the exhibit is saved by the inclusion of the Louis Vuitton-emblazoned electric chair and the Paul Smith artillery.
Perhaps Gronquist's exhibit (and artistic statement) could have been expanded and thus become thought-provoking, but as it insists on being repetitive, it becomes semi-preachy and short-sited. We certainly destroy our lives with a lot more things than just rifles, electric chairs and rocket launchers; our troops over in Iraq are riding around in tankers that can't withstand an insurgency ground attack, telephone powerlines have been inexorably linked to a rise in cancer rates in the communities in which they've been placed, its been argued that televisions have robbed our children of the ability to think cohesively, Paris Hilton has made it okay to be dumb- why not cover these "things" in designer wallpaper as well and make the point on a much grander scale? And although La Hilton IS covered in designer wallpaper all the time, the closest Gronquist comes to this statement is the taxidermied gazelle- whose horns have been fashioned into the Louis Vuitton initials and mounted, hunting lodge-style, presumably to comment on how we are not only killing ourselves but also killing other species in our quest for retail satisfaction.
Detractors might say that Gronquist, in his quest to achieve Warholian status, took a short cut by ripping off Dave Richmond-Watson (who was doing Burberry chainsaws over 5 years ago). Others will say that he might have taken New York artist Tom Sachs' idea of the 'Chanel Guillotine' and run with it. Sachs played with this idea as well when he came up with the Chanel Guillotine/breakfast nook ten years ago- although his point was consumerism as destruction, and not the other way around.
Someone once said that the purpose of art is to ask the questions, not necessarily to have the answers, so in that respect Gronquist does his job- but not by much. "The Revolution will be FABULOUS" doesn't leave me thinking about the exhibit itself or the subject matter it covers afterwards- or maybe, as I delve into my closet to get dressed, it does...
1 comment:
Well I guess if Paris Hilton ever decides to mow down a college campus, here's her gear.
This is hilarious and sad all at the same time.
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