Paul McCarthy's Dirty White Snow - Discretion Advised

Excuse me if I'm somewhat reluctant to post on this one but I don't get to choose the news. -- OK I do, but I wouldn't be reporting responsibly if I didn't at least wave you all in the direction of the fairy tale elephant in the newsroom of the New York Times...

No, I didn't get my titles backward. This is Snow White as portrayed by "transgressive artist Paul McCarthy" in the Park Avenue Armory. Just to be clear, we're talking a shock-value, XXX rated, large scale installation of a disturbing interpretation of (interestingly, Disney's version) of Snow White.

I'm really not interested in the "what" here but the "why". Why Snow White? Why like this? Why on such a HUGE scale??

I'm just going to give you some quotes, add some brief commentary, upload some family friendly pics then let you go follow the links if you're interested in seeing more.

Excerpted from gothamist.com:

...The show, called WS, "weaves together a fantastical forest and a three-quarter-scale house modeled after McCarthy’s own childhood home, with multi-channel video projections to immerse visitors in a world of fantasy and depravity."

Sounds really interesting, right up to the last word... 

"WS is a true Gesamtkunstwerk," says Alex Poots, Artistic Director of the Armory.

Wow - that actually sounds pretty great. I wish I wanted to see it. *blink* (Irony strikes while the shoes are hot.)

[Note from Wikipedia: A Gesamtkunstwerk (translated as total work of art, ideal work of art, universal artwork, synthesis of the arts, comprehensive artwork, all-embracing art form or total artwork) is a work of art that makes use of all or many art forms or strives to do so. The term is a German word which has come to be accepted in English as a term in aesthetics.]

"It is an overwhelming creation born out of the original Brothers Grimm fairytale and the subsequent popular interpretations that became iconic American symbols in the 20th century. Going far beyond the confines of the story, it explores the vast and at times distressingly dark corners of the human psyche."

Again: Why Snow White to explore this? Is it because she's supposed to be so innocent and free of vice that's it's all nudge-nudge, wink-wink? Isn't that a little simplistic for "high art"? The one thing that catches my eye is he includes a Walt character in the "shenanigans-is-too-nice-a-word". There are certainly more than a few people who have issues with how Mr. Disney portrayed women but I'm not even sure that's even one of the aims of the display here.

WS is an evolving work-in-progress which will continue to change during the course of the exhibit, which opens to the public tomorrow and continues through August 4th. The first thing you'll see upon entering the drill hall is a massive artificial forest filled with towering 30-foot tall trees and colorful, oversized flowers that extend across a raised lush landscape. Nestled at the center of the installation is an 8,800-square foot yellow ranch-style (haunted?) house (a three-quarter-scale exact replica of McCarthy’s childhood home), where the project’s video performances were filmed. 

(From the NYPost:)“right down to the stains in the bathroom sink,” as Damon McCarthy, the artist’s son and collaborator, put it.

Do we need to know that? I guess we do... *would not be surprised to see a portrait gallery of therapists lining the walls of one of the rooms* 

 Note: "A seven-hour video of performances shot in and around a massive set is part of the work."

7 ???! Hours!

Thanks to descriptions supplied by the NYPost I have one positive expectation from this: considering the use of roast chicken during the exhibition, there's a good chance viewers will turn vegan (or at least anti-chicken). Ick.

From the Armory press release:

Surrounding the installation, large-scale video projections feature scenes from a subversive and explicit alternative fairytale in which the character Walt Paul—played by McCarthy as an amalgam of himself and the archetypes of a movie producer, artist, father and other roles—cavorts with a cast of characters including White Snow, a figure who represents both the archetypal virgin and vixen, a daughter as well as a fairytale princess. Dwarves, the Prince, and doubles for Walt Paul and White Snow are part of the action. Drawing loosely upon the classic story and interweaving references to the history of art, the performance becomes a bacchanal.

• Is it news? Yes. (To deny this is to deny the fairy tale elephant in the press room this week!) 
• Is it big? YES! (All seem to agree that the size of this is... big.)
• Is it amazing? Probably.
• Is it an achievement? Yyyeee...sss? (Depends on what you're trying to achieve... All the giant trees, food and sprinkles splatter, sound a little large-scale hokey to me, as do the shock-factor antics - but, of course, to give props, that takes work too... *wonders about funding, realize I don't want to know*)
• Is it necessary? Not for me.
• Is it Art? ...(please fill in the blank)...

I'll leave you with one more thing: this is the most thoughtful (and useful to fairy tale people) quote I found, wading through all the splashy-splashy, snicker-snort, avant-garde-kowtowing, shock-horror, how-dare-he-sully-Snow! extremes of coverage today. (I should preface it by telling you the article first makes it clear just how depraved some of the acts are, that viewers pay to see. Discretion advised if you go look them up. Seriously.) 
From Vulture.com:

There's a long history of fairy tales being not just scary but actually sexual, involving adult romps, cannibalism, chaos, torture — the whole nine-yards of our twisted inner lives. McCarthy is trying to tap into that. He always has, sometimes fantastically well. This time, that drilling down didn't strike the darkness...

One very tony Upper East Side lady pulled me aside at the opening and whispered, "What's shocking about all this is how un-shocking it is. It's just standard clowning around." She’s right.

And now the ELEPHANT has been acknowledged. 

From here on, I can blog happily, ever after.

- The End -

(I'm wishing...)

Herakut: "My What Big Tales You Have!"

"The little giants & the goddess of dreams" - 2nd mural in Lexington KY, USA

Herakut are taking their new fairy tale to the streets, then leaving it there, one chapter at a time...


 The Giant Storybook Project by German street artist-duo Herakut is one of my coolest discoveries of late. The artists are creating a new children's book (chock-full of fairy tale themes), wall by wall around the world.

Waking the Giant from The Giant Storybook Project - Montreal, Canada

The project began in September 2012 and is continuing throughout 2013 so we can watch as the story of Lily, Jay and two giants unfolds (if you're lucky and live in a town they will be painting in - literally!) in murals and on buildings (from warehouses to monasteries) around the globe. Check HERE for some very cool pics on the development of a few different paintings. There is also a fantastic and beautiful promo video below which shows some of the process too.

The Giant Story Book Project - Trailer

If you aren't familiar with Herakut here's a little background from Inspire Me:

1st mural "Lily & the silly monkeys" also in Lexington, KY USA

Herakut is comprised of Hera, a classically trained painter who “creates gestural, emotional figures in a freestyle manner using numerous tools including spray cans, brushes, and her hands.” and Akut, a completely self-taught yet skilled painter, creating hyper-realistic images of animals and flesh using only a spray can. 

Their pieces range from traditional canvases to urban decay art installations / murals and can be seen clear across Europe. Their pieces are loaded with symbolism and context and you’d be hard pressed to stand before their work and not feel a piece of you reach out in appreciation or possibly discomfort. (More on their work, book releases and projects at the Inspire Me link above.)

I've also created a Pinterest board dedicated to their artwork - which includes a number of The Giant Storybook Project pieces - and chose pieces that display their use of symbolism, metaphor, animal people and fairy tale themes in images and words, painted in unexpected urban places. You can see that board HERE.

Miami FL, USA - 8th mural of The Giant Storybook Project

You can follow The Giant Storybook Project (and Herakut) on Facebook HERE, on Pinterest HERE and on Tumblr HERE.

Here's their description from Facebook:

"I am different" painted on side of a monastery in Eresing, Germany

We are Giants and Children and Monkeys and Chameleons. Come along and see our story...

The Giant Storybook Project will follow the creation of a new children's book being created by the internationally-renowned street artist duo Herakut. Launched in September 2012 and continuing through 2013, the project follows the artists as they introduce the story's characters on murals that they are painting around the world. If you're in one of the cities where we're painting, come on by! If not, follow the progress through this (Facebook) page. Either way, get to know Lily, Jay (her brother), the giants, and the other interesting characters as they reveal more of themselves over the coming months!

Jay's Creative Spirit - The Giant Storybook Project installment in Leslieville, Toronto, Canada

And here's an excerpt from Chapter 1; the first draft, of Herakut's Giant Storybook:

They were also involved in the (crazy-popular music event) Coachella, teaming up with Poetic Kinetics Inc. this year in April with their giant (seriously giant!) snail Helix, to help promote their project and spread inspiration.

Helix in the sunset at Coachella 2013

Currently they have completed eleven storybook page murals (I believe Helix's paint does not count as a storybook page) and are working on fundraising projects (via some truly beautiful looking prints, among other things) before they continue traveling, painting, storytelling and inspiring...

"Will power always consume the ones that seek it?"
Possible children´s-book-version of our wall in Rochester, NY.

Here's a list of where the The Giant Storybook Project murals are so far:

Lily & Jay meet up in Kathmandu, Nepal

• Lexington KY, USA (murals 1 & 2)
• Eresing, Germany (3)
• Montreal, Canada (4)
• Toronto, Ontario, Canada (5)
• Rochester NY, USA (6)
• San Francisco CA, USA (7)
• Miami FL, USA (8)
• Melbourne VIC, Australia (9)
• Kathmandu, Nepal (10)
• Lily at Coachella (on Helix) Indio CA, USA (no notes on where Helix can be seen sorry)
• Bad Vilbel, Germany (11)

Print of Lily for fundraising*

Oh and YES! 

There will definitely be a book of The Giant Storybook Project (on the various pages I've linked to, you can see Herakut making mock-ups of how a mural could be adapted for print as a page or double-page spread for a book). It is yet to be named although, really, The Giant Storybook Project seems just fine. :)

The release date is, understandably, yet to be announced. 

"How you do something reveals your talent. Why you do something reveals your character." Lily uses her gift to make gifts. June 2, 2013 - The Giant Storybook Project latest installment: Bad Vilbel, Germany

*The print is (adorably) titled "You know there is something wrong with you if you don't even get along with your imaginary friends."