Hasta La Ideas

It’s Friday, so here’s a good one to end this writer’s day on before he hands you over to our capable co-pilot Stephanie Murg. A recent debate has flared up surrounding the Waikato Museum in Hamilton, New Zeland after they handed out their annual Waikato National Contemporary Art Award. The prize, which includes $15,000, went to the German artist Dane Mitchell for his piece “Collateral,” which comprised of a collection of detritus from all the other entries (envelopes, packaging materials, tape, etc.) swept up into a small pile. That Mitchell’s winning entry was created from trash has left several other finalists very upset, calling his piece, the judging, and the award itself a “sad mockery of us all and an embarrassment to the arts community.” Personally, we enjoyed Mitchell’s work, particularly after we read a description of it on the Waikato’s site, explaining that the artist regularly “focuses on the mapping of the space of the art world and relations within it.” Plus, if it gets people this upset about the entirely-subjective nature of art awards, then clearly its doing what art is supposed to do, right? But all of that is just intellectualizing this too much. Best part of the whole thing are the outraged quotes by the other artists, including our favorite:

Another entrant, Mark Hayes, said he spent 26 hours “cutting, welding and grinding”‘ for his Domestic Violence is Not Okay sculpture, but probably should not have bothered.

“Contemporary art needs to say something to you and make you think. I am sorry but I just cannot see the ‘clever’ and ‘cheeky’ in the winning sculpture,” he said. “Is someone trying to make Trust Waikato look like a joke?”

Apologies for poking fun, as we don’t know Hayes nor his work, but isn’t his piece’s title just about the worst thing ever? Is it a follow-up to his earlier work “Apartheid is Just Totally Whack”?

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