This was one of the art galleries we visited on the gallery trip at the start of the year. This left a lasting impression because of the aesthetic it had . It was initially grotesque, messy and almost ‘dirty’. Even the title of the exhibition is very aggressive. I really liked the impact that the artworks had on me and I liked it even more when I found out the meaning behind it. so No! Art is this “radical avant-garde” movement that started in New York, primarily by Boris Lurie, Sam Goodman and Stanley Fischer in 1959. This was an act of rebellion against the capitalist/consumerist ways of society, especially in the art world. This was the time where the Second Industrial Revolution happened, also commonly known as the ‘Technological revolution, which led to the uprise of capitalism in everything, including the art market. The art movements of that time were Pop Art, Conceptual Art etc that were heavily capitalized. No! Art is a stand against that. In a society where people are so blinded by materialistic urges and consumerists tendencies whilst other tragic events are happening around the world (Vietnam War, Atomic Bomb), No! Art aims to shock people into changing their perspective on what art could be, and why only certain types of artworks are publicized and sold on the market. Basically changing what is accepted as art.
Like how Boris Lurie uses a lot of subliminal imagery in his work of collages. Those images of women are taken from magazines & pornography, where the female body is capitalized upon for being ‘ideal, sexy, pretty’ and then collaged in a kind of messy way to reveal how dirty and defiling the process of capitalism is, in a more literal visual way. I like the way Lurie acutally uses real pornographic images because he takes the original form and changes the intended meaning to reveal the truth. Instead of the women being ‘desired’, they are now unappealing to the eye. Instead of having the essence of no power and under the male gaze, the images become empowered. Same with the cemented ‘NO’ on a bra. Cement is commonly known as a industrial material used mostly by construction men. So to be placed on a bra, with each letter on each breast, is a big shout and challenge to the capitalism on women’s bodies (in the media).
I’m not going to lie, I’m not really a fan of these ‘shit’ sculptures. But I think that its a must since the exhibition is literally called ‘Shit and Doom’. Other than the fact that they are actual sculptures of shit, they are also literally quite shit sculptures (as in they aren’t that good – they don’t resemble shit in a very realistic way). However, I think Goodman & Lurie did this on purpose. One reason, though this is a minor reason, is because it is such a big statement to the art world of that time to showcase something so explicit, that they didn’t want it achieve maximum realism. Second reason was because of the idea of No! Art that “It must be unacceptable as art”, in which case shit it. Shit is unaccepted as art. Even now, not many artists represents shit in their art or uses it as a medium or source of inspiration. This work challenges what art is accepted and not accepted. It pushes against boundaries of art, in the most gruesome, shocking but somehow relatable way (i.e. shit and defecation is a natural human process).
I’m not going to lie, I’m not really a fan of these ‘shit’ sculptures. But I think that its a must since the exhibition is literally called ‘Shit and Doom’. Other than the fact that they are actual sculptures of shit, they are also literally quite shit sculptures (as in they aren’t that good – they don’t resemble shit in a very realistic way).
However, I think Goodman & Lurie did this on purpose. One reason, though this is a minor reason, is because it is such a big statement to the art world of that time to showcase something so explicit, that they didn’t want it achieve maximum realism.
Second reason was because of the idea of No! Art that “It must be unacceptable as art”, in which case shit it. Shit is unaccepted as art. Even now, not many artists represents shit in their art or uses it as a medium or source of inspiration. This work challenges what art is accepted and not accepted. It pushes against boundaries of art, in the most gruesome, shocking but somehow relatable way (i.e. shit and defecation is a natural human process).
Sarah K Obina 