oval armani via koons kostabi cremaster all under the vast stormcloud of duchamp (the flea)

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NOT the petty kind played on art world stages the world over. The politics
of Matthew Barney is known as Production. Let's call it Productionism. This
is an art form that values an expensive mold in which to cast a unique
trinket. Productionism was invented by Jeff Koons during the Reagan
administration. History now shows that Koons was in a fierce battle with
artist Mark Kostabi over who got more publicity for hiring other people to
do their art work. Koons could not defeat Kostabi by making "better" artwork
(critical criteria was dissolved years earlier) nor by getting more articles
in People Magazine (although the porn star wife helped a bit, until he had
to actually take her home). Koons became a more "famous" and "important"
artist than Kostabi by lowering the volume of his art output and raising the
cost to produce each item. So, while Kostabi was selling 500 paintings for
$7,000 each, Koons would sell a few giant "productions" for $3,500,000.
While their net was the same, the implication was that Koons was the more
"serious" artist.

Why? Here is art world logic for you: Since not every yuppie who had five
figures with which to shop could afford a Koons, the fact that he had
exactly the same theoretical approach to artmaking as Kostabi (that the
production of the aesthetic object could and should replace authorship) no
longer mattered.

Fast forward to February, 2000. You have a $1.7 million independent film
running at the "independent film" theater. No movie critics review it. But
this movie is "art." It is special. It is Matthew Barney's Cremaster 2. But
do not be fooled. This movie is Productionism, it is not art. It is the
expensive mold that produces and legitimizes brand-name tchotchkes. It goes
beyond any notion of whether Matthew Barney is or is not a genius.
Productionism insidiously requires artists to engage in very expensive
endeavors before they are taken seriously. You and Matthew Barney armed with
the same affordable video cameras would yield different results, but you
might be a better, more talented and clever artist. But your video is
already so crushed under the weight of all his cream, you don't bother
making the video, or the painting, or the art. You end up hating art and the
elite are happy you are now leaving their art world, could you please leave
the door open a smidge so that we may laugh at you some more as you walk
away.