MetaFilter posts tagged with parody and art

Stereotyping our way to a better EU

LMGM — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 04:05:47 -0800

SatiricalCzechArtFilter: A massive art installation at the European Council building in Brussels has raised hackles. Bulgaria, in particular, is not pleased at being represented as a "Turkish Toilet." Comissioned by the incoming Czech presidency of the EU, this has caused something of a PR scramble for them; in the case of Bulgaria, the Czech ambassador has been called to Sofia, Bulgaria to explain (see first link). The piece looks like a giant set of snap-out plastic pieces, like one would find in a model set (e.g., a model airplane). Each country is represented with the shape of its territories, modified to reflect and lampoon some stereotype of the country. France, for example, is covered by a sheet declaring "On strike!" in French. The Netherlands are shown flooded with water, with a series of minarets showing above the water line (interpreted in most news accounts as a reference to religious/racial tensions in NL). As the official press release on the EU2009.cz website declares, the artwork was commissioned to take contributions from 27 artists from all the member states of the EU. However, the original artist, David Černý (personal website), admitted to a Telegraph reporter that he faked the names and did it all himself (with 2 accomplices). There is now some debate about what to do with the embarassing art installation before it's official opening on January 15, but already the reporter that broke the "There were no 27 artists" story is arguing that the piece should remain. "Official" brochure for Entropa (PDF, 5mb), complete with concept drawings, explanatory commentary and CV's of the faked artists from each country. Images: BBC.co.uk: 'In pictures: Entropa installation' (only a few of the countries are included) Aktualne.centrum.cz: Concept drawings of most of the countries (in Czech, but you can figure out which image represents which country; "předchozí" means "previous" and "další" means "next")

Urban[e] Renewal

Smart Dalek — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 10:12:07 -0800

Postcards from Our Awesome Future. [via] An art exhibition stemming from the minds of Packard Jennings (whose illustrations have appeared in Adbusters) and Steve Lambert (of Anti-Advertising Agency fame); using San Francisco's infrastructure as a model for improvement, the duo answered the siren call of Objectivism through an arcology devoid of “...budgets, beauracracy [sic], politics, or physics”. While the final result owes more to MAD Magazine than Le Corbusier, Frederick Law Olmstead or Lebbeus Woods, it does capitalize upon the Utilitarian ideals of reknowned multitaskers. Jennings and Lambert's works are also available for download.

Guernica

Civil_Disobedient — Wed, 24 Nov 2004 01:04:16 -0800

As a brutal civil war ravages the NBA, loyalist forces are under attack from a fascist coup led by Generalissimo David Stern. Stern promises prosperity and stability to the people of Indiana. [Special thanks to this guy.]

fundamentalism on the march

madamjujujive — Fri, 12 Nov 2004 22:47:01 -0800

Christ's Entry Into Washington 2008 is a painting by Joel Pelletier featuring a cast of 121 contemporary characters and a theme of fundamentalism on the march. The work is modeled after Christ's Entry Into Brussels 1899, a mural by James Ensor. (via cioran63)

batboy — Fri, 18 Oct 2002 09:18:37 -0800

kiddie art If you work in an office with lots of people, chances are that you work with a person who hangs pictures up that their kids have drawn. The pictures are always of some stupid flower or a tree with wheels. These pictures suck; I could draw pictures much better. In fact, I can spell, do math and run faster than your kids.

paulrockNJ — Mon, 23 Apr 2001 20:43:10 -0800

The Museum of Depressionist Art: a very funny collection of art parodies, all done with a 'depressionist' theme. ok, i suppose it's not that funny, but fellow art history buffs(?) might enjoy.