I try to expose myself to art by visiting museums, modern and otherwise, and make some attempt to understand what’s going on. I recently saw an exhibit of art by Sarah Lucas who, I gather, is a fairly big artist today. A couple of her pieces were giant penises: (spoilered because the picture is mildly NSFW)
I don’t get it. Not at all. It’s no longer shocking or pushing the envelope and I’ve seen too much art which attempts to be deep by exploiting genitalia. It comes across to me like juvenile farting jokes.
The chickens in the picture, btw, are part of the exhibit. I found them at least whimsical and fun.
Reminds me of some Japanese artist who created statues of women with breasts so large they couldn’t have possibly moved. Juvenile maybe, but people were so shocked several of his works were destroyed. Some people are always going to be outraged by this kind of thing no matter how cliche it is and that’s what artist like this are really hoping for.
Isn’t it actually a gigantic dildo? It appears to have a handle. Also, the black thing it is leaning on looks as if it is meant to be something, though I can’t quite make out what. If so, it is also presumably part of the same sculpture, and affects its meaning.
And teh chickens, do they belong with the penis/dildo or are they an artwork in their own right?
If we decided that art had to only consist of things that have not been done before, then we’d be pretty much out of art. Everything’s been done before.
That said, I clicked the link expecting to laugh or just go “meh” at the depicted art. As it was, I thought it was sorta cool. The chickens are a neat touch. The giant phallus is somewhat thought-provoking. I give it the Athena Seal of Approval in the “Giant Dick” category.
That’s the twist. You think it is a giant cock, but it is actually a cock-shaped dildo. The work really challenges your assumptions and makes you think.
Hmm, hard to put into words. I guess overall, I clicked the link and expected to take one glance and form an opinion and close the browser tab. Instead, I kept looking at it, going “WTH is it? What’s it made of? What’s that thing it’s resting on? Why are their chickens there? Is it a dildo or a dick? It’s kinda pleasing-looking, in an arty way. I like the angle it’s lying at. You don’t get right away that it’s a big dick, you have to look at it for a few seconds. What IS that thing it’s lying on?”
Etc. etc. Thought-provoking, meaning, I didn’t just glance at it and move on. My eye keeps being drawn towards it, and not because it’s a giant penis. It’s art!
Thanks Athena. I’ll agree that it is thought provoking in the “WTH is that?” sort of way, although I’d say that means that the gum on the bottom of my shoe is art as well.
While your telling them about the penises, also tell them it’s not edgy to do “art” involving bodily waste either (especially when combined with some sort of religious figure/symbol)
