Check out this boundary breaking performance art piece.
Jay-Z brings street art into the gallery space in this 10 minute clip. Some find it pretentious, others think it’s genius. What do you think? Leave us a comment and let us know.
To me, his rap takes backstage to the interactions with people, some of whom really seemed to blow his mind in the moment. It was all he could do to hold his own with Marina Abramovic (such a powerful presence she has!) and the radiant, self-assured sexuality of Sandra Gering totally threw him off his game! I imagine his brain totally short-circuited when he realized he was about to get a huge stiffy from a sexy old white lady. 🙂
I’m wondering that as well. Maybe I’m just reading it differently but I didn’t see any effort on his part to over power Abramovic (or any of the people he interacted) with but more as an effort to get a response and bring something out of him. There’s not much to interactive art of one person just looks at the other as they perform. The dancing, the posing, the announcing of presence, singing, mutual touching. All signs of interaction with the artist. And I’m not sure that was “radiant self assured sexuality” from Sandra Gering that threw him off. If… Read more »
Totally agree about Abramovic! That was incredible to watch. She’s so amazing.
Guest
Brian Purnell
10 years ago
Art for art’s sake and all that.
But the rhymes were just not that good, no? Come on, this from the person who gave us Reasonable Doubt. He’s just coasting.
You can dress this up all you won’t – the rhymes and free style are still a little wack. Now?
Guest
disappointed :(
10 years ago
So Jay Z performs (yet another) self-aggrandizing “song” in an art gallery filled with a couple dozen pre-screened, apparently affluent (mostly white) people that he maybe does or doesn’t know and a few of his friends and calls it “performance art.” I’ve seen genuine performance artists who put their heart and soul into their work and truly interact with the public in a meaningful and soul-touching way, even putting themselves at risk of assault and degradation. This felt contrived and insincere. I wonder what viewers were supposed to take away from this piece? It seemed like the only thing being… Read more »
I am in 100% agreement with you. Clearly these people are just the regular crowd. I think I saw a couple actors and fashion designers.
Why doesn’t he stand in the muesum one day and rap on and off, not telling anyone he’s going to be there that day or when the next performance is and the people who are actually visiting the muesum that day get to see him or don’t. And he interacts with the public in a more real way instead of something that to me, comes of contrived and carefuly selected for the “elite”.
Guest
Paul
10 years ago
I’m reminded of what Lloyd Bentsen said to Dan Quayle: “Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senator,_you're_no_Jack_Kennedy In the same vein, Shawn Carter is no Pablo Picasso. Seriously, folks…it was fun to watch and all. But 100, or 50 or even 25 years from now, will anybody be thinking about Shawn Carter for even a minute? Personally, I doubt it. We can have a long discussion about why, but the fact is that rap/hip hop music has a very short half life. Add to… Read more »
Why would Shawn Carter even be trying to be Picasso? I don’t think that’s the point at all. I think, as he says, the rapping/hip hop is performance art – and it can and should be influenced by those around you.
He’s Picasso, Baby because he’s an artist. But that doesn’t mean he’s literally “the same as” Picasso. I don’t think that’s the point.
Picasso also was brutally violent toward women, so I’ll take Jay-Z any day.
I think this is brilliant as performance art + brilliant as a marketing strategy. It connects various media together (along with their respective artists), reconnects them momentarily while simultaneously staking out cultural space for hip-hop. Amazing + fun to watch.
Guest
Amanda
10 years ago
Sam, I was thinking the exact same thing.
Guest
sam
10 years ago
that 10 minute clip has 2 minutes of credits. looks fun but i am wondering what they were actually doing, it’s edited like a music video but i want to see what they were really doing in the room on the day, not the highlight reel of all the smiles and hoots. was he rapping the whole time? did the other artists take turns performing? who was invited and who was off the street?
There is a good bit going on here. Yes you can say its a publicity stunt but at the same time we have to realize that Jay-Z has, how do you say, pretty much done all that can be done in the rap industry. He’s climbed from the bottom and reached the top. With that in mind you could just as easily say that he is just looking for the “next big thing” to get into as you could say that he is simply trying to find a way to give something back. As he was saying in the early… Read more »
I couldn’t stop starting at it. I loved seeing all the different types of artists… Yes, it’s a publicity stunt, however, it’s also a way of Jay-Z paying a certain homage to the art world. He’s becoming a pretty serious collector himself.
I loved how Marina Abramovic wouldn’t back down from him, was visually showing power over him, and showed how that affected him. And then that art dealer who, with one smile, just totally messed him up. I thought it was awesome.
To me, his rap takes backstage to the interactions with people, some of whom really seemed to blow his mind in the moment. It was all he could do to hold his own with Marina Abramovic (such a powerful presence she has!) and the radiant, self-assured sexuality of Sandra Gering totally threw him off his game! I imagine his brain totally short-circuited when he realized he was about to get a huge stiffy from a sexy old white lady. 🙂
Oh so you talked to Jay-Z yourself and knew what was going on in his head? Or you saw visable signs of a “huge stiffy”?
I’m wondering that as well. Maybe I’m just reading it differently but I didn’t see any effort on his part to over power Abramovic (or any of the people he interacted) with but more as an effort to get a response and bring something out of him. There’s not much to interactive art of one person just looks at the other as they perform. The dancing, the posing, the announcing of presence, singing, mutual touching. All signs of interaction with the artist. And I’m not sure that was “radiant self assured sexuality” from Sandra Gering that threw him off. If… Read more »
Totally agree about Abramovic! That was incredible to watch. She’s so amazing.
Art for art’s sake and all that.
But the rhymes were just not that good, no? Come on, this from the person who gave us Reasonable Doubt. He’s just coasting.
You can dress this up all you won’t – the rhymes and free style are still a little wack. Now?
So Jay Z performs (yet another) self-aggrandizing “song” in an art gallery filled with a couple dozen pre-screened, apparently affluent (mostly white) people that he maybe does or doesn’t know and a few of his friends and calls it “performance art.” I’ve seen genuine performance artists who put their heart and soul into their work and truly interact with the public in a meaningful and soul-touching way, even putting themselves at risk of assault and degradation. This felt contrived and insincere. I wonder what viewers were supposed to take away from this piece? It seemed like the only thing being… Read more »
I am in 100% agreement with you. Clearly these people are just the regular crowd. I think I saw a couple actors and fashion designers.
Why doesn’t he stand in the muesum one day and rap on and off, not telling anyone he’s going to be there that day or when the next performance is and the people who are actually visiting the muesum that day get to see him or don’t. And he interacts with the public in a more real way instead of something that to me, comes of contrived and carefuly selected for the “elite”.
I’m reminded of what Lloyd Bentsen said to Dan Quayle: “Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senator,_you're_no_Jack_Kennedy In the same vein, Shawn Carter is no Pablo Picasso. Seriously, folks…it was fun to watch and all. But 100, or 50 or even 25 years from now, will anybody be thinking about Shawn Carter for even a minute? Personally, I doubt it. We can have a long discussion about why, but the fact is that rap/hip hop music has a very short half life. Add to… Read more »
Why would Shawn Carter even be trying to be Picasso? I don’t think that’s the point at all. I think, as he says, the rapping/hip hop is performance art – and it can and should be influenced by those around you.
He’s Picasso, Baby because he’s an artist. But that doesn’t mean he’s literally “the same as” Picasso. I don’t think that’s the point.
Picasso also was brutally violent toward women, so I’ll take Jay-Z any day.
I think this is brilliant as performance art + brilliant as a marketing strategy. It connects various media together (along with their respective artists), reconnects them momentarily while simultaneously staking out cultural space for hip-hop. Amazing + fun to watch.
Sam, I was thinking the exact same thing.
that 10 minute clip has 2 minutes of credits. looks fun but i am wondering what they were actually doing, it’s edited like a music video but i want to see what they were really doing in the room on the day, not the highlight reel of all the smiles and hoots. was he rapping the whole time? did the other artists take turns performing? who was invited and who was off the street?
There is a good bit going on here. Yes you can say its a publicity stunt but at the same time we have to realize that Jay-Z has, how do you say, pretty much done all that can be done in the rap industry. He’s climbed from the bottom and reached the top. With that in mind you could just as easily say that he is just looking for the “next big thing” to get into as you could say that he is simply trying to find a way to give something back. As he was saying in the early… Read more »
I LOVE IT!
I couldn’t stop starting at it. I loved seeing all the different types of artists… Yes, it’s a publicity stunt, however, it’s also a way of Jay-Z paying a certain homage to the art world. He’s becoming a pretty serious collector himself.
I loved how Marina Abramovic wouldn’t back down from him, was visually showing power over him, and showed how that affected him. And then that art dealer who, with one smile, just totally messed him up. I thought it was awesome.