A visit to the Tate Modern ... Pop Life (Warhol, Koons and Emin) ... and the "Box of Darkness"

I'm a regular Tate goer, having been an art student all of my life. Today, we were able to visit the Tate Modern's "Pop Life" exhibit, which was a fascinating romp through the "artist as brand" which has developed since the time of Andy Warhol. Perhaps Takashi Murakami is today's best exemplar of such artist/entrepreneurs (or is that Damien Hirst with his diamond studded pieces?). We all know some of the stories around Andy, and even about his "commercial sell out" when it seemed that his pursuit of celebrity took over from his art.

But it struck me that Andy and his peers were simply trying to make a point about the complex interaction between commerce and society.

What struck me most within "Pop Life" was not Jeff Koons "for over 18's, my-life-as-sex-act works", but it was a piece by Piotr Uklanski on "The Nazis". There was no explanation - just 164 prints of Hollywood stars dressed in Nazi uniform, from movies over the years. 'We end up looking at things with our mouths open, fascinated, regardless of what we watch, whether it's a Nazi flick or people on fire', he has said.

Pause for thought

And then, in the Turbine Hall, was a massive installation by Miroslaw Balka called the "Box of Darkness". We all walked inside, no lights, and clearly we were in a cavernous space from the rather dead sounds within. People walking in could see nothing until they hit the wall. Then, turning around, we could see a dimly lit entrance. A disorienting space, which, if taken slowly, also led to moment of reflection. Here's my own version of the experience.

To quote Tom Lubbock of the Independent newspaper, "It's like a mouth of hell. Or rather – as surely everyone feels – the association is not with the old metaphysical hell, but with the recent historical hell. I mean the Holocaust, that ultimate nightmare vision which is now available at any moment. That's what this void of annihilation calls up."

So why blog about this? Simply that we, in the world of business, apparently spend far to little time thinking about the Arts and their impact on Society - yet it seems artists have commerce on the top of their agenda. Time to redress that?

Posted via web from mick's posterous