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"Koons Is Great For Selfies," Declares Whitney Museum
By
Jen Carlson
Published Oct 21, 2014
Modified Oct 21, 2014
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Oct 21, 2014
Modified Oct 21, 2014
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via Aaron Kratch
Their Jeff Koons retrospective has now ended, but while it was going on the Whitney Museum was handing out cards that declared: "KOONS IS GREAT FOR SELFIES." (ALL CAPS emphasis theirs.) Well, at least Koons is "great" for something. The card also contains the words: "teen," "#artselfie," and "awesome." Selfies and art installations now go hand-in-selfie-stick, it's certainly nothing new... but promoting it as such is pretty cringe-inducing, Esteemed Museum.
The social mediazation of the art world centers around The Selfie, and as art tends to do, the Whitney's decision to pander to the social media generation has raised some questions, mainly: Are selfies ruining art? More specifically: Are museums' exhibit choices now being influenced by the draw of selfie-op art? Rhetorically: Should we blame the Rain Room? [Aaron Kratch via Gizmodo]
Tagged
art selfie
jeff koons
museum
selfie
selfie op
the whitney
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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