Art by men is often annoying. Sometimes it's good, but often it's not. And sometimes, it is truly a bastion of mediocrity. Especially when minimalist! As the saying goes, please Lord, give me the confidence of a man who paints a balloon on a piece of paper, calls it art, tears it up and calls it radical art. Or of a man who paints two different colored rectangles on a canvas as if testing a bathroom wall, and puts it in the Guggenheim. Or, of a man who makes a stainless steel child's balloon and sells it for nearly $100 million.
Do you remember the "XYZ celebrity as household object" meme format? Do you recall classics like "Hayley Williams as dish detergents," "Ariana Grande as drills," "Charli XCX as chips," or "Tyler, the Creator as Yankee candles"?
Well, have you ever considered the resemblance of certain artworks by men to mass produced cat toys? Art critic @claire_voon spotted some uncanny similarities between works by folks like Ai Weiwei, Donald Judd, Sol Lewitt and Isamu Noguchi and popular pet retailer Chewy's catalogue. Now, thanks to her, we have a visual aid to help expand our imaginations and healthy skepticism of the art world.
For each, please consider how you'd react if you saw it in Dia Beacon. Tell the truth.
Ai Weiwei's "F Size" as "Jackson Galaxy Holey Treat Ball"
art by men as @chewy cat toys, a thread https://t.co/jJoiKijaN5— claire voon 温美恩 (@claire voon 温美恩)1569520134.0
According to Paddle8, this piece, created "using woodworking techniques perfected during the Ming Dynasty," was quite literally inspired by one of Wewei's cat's toys (as well as Leonardo Da Vinci's notion of "Divine Proportions").
Robert Morris' "Untitled" as "SnugglyCat Ripple Rug Cat Activity Play Mat"
@Chewy https://t.co/FTMnByNXIK— claire voon 温美恩 (@claire voon 温美恩)1569520152.0
The side-by-side really emphasizes how "a morphology of geometric, predominantly rectangular forms has been accepted as a given premise."
Carsten Höller's "Test Site" as "Catit Design Senses Circuit Cat Toy" and 'Catit Treat Ball"
@Chewy https://t.co/XcrjaqI1Rm— claire voon 温美恩 (@claire voon 温美恩)1569520182.0
Höller has been called the "Willy Wonka of sculpture."
Isamu Noguchi's "Red Cube" as "HDP Pop Open Collapsible play Cube for Cats"
@Chewy :') https://t.co/D5vo6jJjfU— claire voon 温美恩 (@claire voon 温美恩)1569520209.0
What are we but large animals walking around cities enjoying the pleasing shapes and colors?
Sol Lewitt's "Modular Structure" as "Modern Cat Tree"
@Chewy kitties love seriality https://t.co/LmaVyy2Ico— claire voon 温美恩 (@claire voon 温美恩)1569520255.0
Your aesthete cat/boyfriend will love this piece.
Roy Lichtenstein's "Sweet Dreams, Baby!" as "Yeoww! Catnip My Cats Balls Cat Toy"
@Chewy yeowww! https://t.co/RptCZAuMiF— claire voon 温美恩 (@claire voon 温美恩)1569520334.0
For Warholian inclined kitties.
Claes Oldenberg's portfolio as any cat toy
@Chewy i mean every toy is basically an oldenburg https://t.co/GCyK9ol4gj— claire voon 温美恩 (@claire voon 温美恩)1569520382.0
Cats, like Oldenberg, enjoy the sensationalization of the everyday.
Donald Judd's "Untitled" as "SmartCat Cat Climber"
@Chewy let me have this one ok https://t.co/JWx7BrTUfN— claire voon 温美恩 (@claire voon 温美恩)1569520407.0
What I would give to see a herd of cats set loose on "100 Untitled Works in Mill Aluminum."
Joel Shapiro's "Untitled" as "PetFusion Branch-Out Cat Tree Add-On Kit"
@Chewy here the cat really activates the art https://t.co/bvuij5In0h— claire voon 温美恩 (@claire voon 温美恩)1569520504.0
Participatory art!
Photo via Twitter
