LG Williams 'Meant' What He Said About Art
This 2010 press release turns a political-news controversy template into an art-world brawl over whether Williams "meant" what he said about art. In response to a blogger, Williams doubles down on the totalizing claim that everything in his art is about everything, including absurd cosmic incantations and the collapse of the art world into a vacuum. The piece mocks outrage culture, ideological point-scoring, and the speed with which art commentary translates provocation into scandal. Paul McCarthy becomes a touchstone for calling the critic a blockhead, while galleries and museums are cast as engines of biased crap. The result is a miniature manifesto of defiance: no clarification, no apology, only escalation.
- DATE:
- January 15, 2010
- DOCUMENT TYPE:
- Essay / Critique
- NAMED ARTISTS / FIGURES:
- LG Williams; Andy Barr; Paul McCarthy
- INSTITUTIONS / VENUES:
- The Estate of LG Williams; Waikiki; Yahoo-style political news; art blogs; galleries; museums
- KEYWORDS:
- art-world controversy template; whether Williams meant it; political news grammar for studio; scandal management for avant-garde; press conference as art form; meaning demanded and refused