Rrose Selavy

Prepare yourself for a totally un-related to PC rant.

I had an unfortunate run-in with this yesterday. At an exhibition entitled 'Inside/Out' held by SHOP at SHOWstudio.com, Lady Gaga decided it was her place to contribute an original piece to an exhibition that focused on 'the idea of seeing inside ourselves, using body parts and internal organs as visual imagery'. By simple description of this show's expectations, it seemed appropriate enough Gaga could contribute some wack-a-doodle something-or-other with enough shock value to satisfy the press. However, she decided to tread on dangerous territory, one close to my heart.

Gaga took it upon herself to mimic and/or mock my favourite artist of the 20th century, a one Marcel Duchamp. Duchamp was a driving force behind the Dada movement, which thrived around the time of the first World War, roughly 1916-1922. An artistic, social, and cultural phenomena which was mostly labelled as irrational, illogical, and anti-art, was in my opinion, largely underestimated in it's intelligence and wit, Duchamp displaying both these qualities at their finest.

Though The Fountain of 1917 was never my favourite Duchamp piece ('The Bride Stripped Bare of Her Bachelors, Even' of 1915-23 (one which he wrote an extraordinary book analyzing) and 'Etant Donnes' of 1946-66 would hold that honour), the role it played in identifying what made art art, was crucial to what would come after it. By taking an everyday urinal, turning it on it's side and choosing to have it serve a different purpose, gave it it's freedom to become something else entirely. In his own words:

"Whether Mr Mutt made the fountain with his own hands or not has no importance. He CHOSE it. He took an article of life, placed it so that its useful significance disappeared under the new title and point of view – created a new thought for that object." - Marcel Duchamp, 1917

The historical importance of it's creation was the most significant definition of art qualification until Brancusi's 'Golden Bird' of 1926. In short, Brancusi's sculpture had been sent to a buyer in America and was highly taxed due to it being deemed an import of raw material rather than a tax-free import of art. Thus, igniting a further dialogue of what qualifies art as being art. A mission Duchamp fought for the duration of his career.

So, as long winded as my point may be, for Lady Gaga to have the self-righteous arrogance to write 'I'm not fucking Duchamp but I love pissing with you' on the side of rotated urinal is just ridiculous. What's more frustrating is to think that if it had been someone else, anyone else really, Duchamp may have gotten a kick out of it himself. He was a fan of manipulating other's work after all -L.H.O.O.Q of 1919 - but this dumb pop-star I'm sure knows nothing of his career besides this single shocker, which I'm sure she's only seen on a postcard in a gift shop somewhere. I'll refer you to a few posts back when I displayed another one of her 'inspired' references.

Anyway, listen here Gaga, stick to your music. Keep dancing around in malleable pvc, making out with Alexander Skarsgard, and dying your hair until most of it seeps into your brain. I'm down with that. Just leave physical art out of it. It's not your forte. Leave my Marcel alone. Thank you.

Gaga's poor interpretation

Duchamp's The Fountain - 1917