Art world watchers, insiders and pundits have been collectively buzzing for quite awhile about Bravo's newest endeavor, Work of Art. And finally, the night has come: tonight, the show premiers (after the Blackhawks game, of course) and the rest of us get to see what the fuss is (hopefully) all about.
There will be cheesy, camera-ready moments and lots of over-the-top themes and TV gimmicks, and there will be well-placed drama-magnets who drive us nuts. Off the bat, I kind of can't stand the tag-line of 'the next great artist.' Ideally the show will challenge the contestants in productive, stimulating ways, and the audience will be enlightened about art production and inspiration. However, this is, after all, intended to be commercial, and you're also dealing with artists who have egos large enough (or too big) to fit on TV.
But the art world always wishes for more attention for its emerging talent, and TV is the world's common stage. We just have to see what happens this time around. And if people really hate it after they've seen it, well, that's still a lot to think and talk about...
We all know the reality TV drill by now, and Bravo's the network that's shown everyone else how things should be done. How the hour-long frenzied competitions will play out in the context of the art world is yet to be seen, but the line-up of judges and contestants is solid-enough that it's worth paying attention for awhile. Jerry Saltz? Simon de Pury, anyone? But as we all know, as long as there's enough drama and flair and ticking clocks, we'll pay attention - if not during the original run, who doesn't love a marathon?
But the real tip here for anyone reading this blog is that several artists on the show have strong Chicago ties, and hopefully they'll all be fun to root for. The clock is ticking!
Watch out for the following contestants (as always, sometimes I miss things, so leave any comments or suggestions for me and I'll update the blog!)
Peregrine Honig (definitely known in Chicago, though Kansas City-based)
Ryan Schultz (Northwestern Grad - exhibited at Flat Iron Building, Zhou B Art Center)
John Parot (check out his show at Western Exhibitions in the West Loop!)
Jaime Lynn Henderson (recent MFA from SAIC; showed at Around the Coyote and CAC)
Filed under: art, Chicago icons, Galleries, Photography
Tags: Around the Coyote, Bravo, china chow, Flat Iron Arts Building, jerry saltz, Reality TV, SAIC, simon de pury, television, Western Exhibitions, Work of Art
