Art Envy and Balloons
February 10, 2007
On Monday Johann Hari took a mighty swipe at the Chapman brothers and their "transgressive" art. On Tuesday Jake Chapman replied, peevishly. Grandiose theory aside, it seems to me that what the Chapmans produce is essentially kitsch. It's not immediately obvious what distinguishes 'art' objects like, say, Fuck Face from things like this. There's nothing wrong with kitsch, of course. I quite like kitsch. But kitsch doesn't make me feel the way these balloons do. Which is to say, captivated and strangely elevated. And maybe that's really why Jake is so upset.
More time-lapse here.