|bravo's next great artist|

ohmygoshyouguys.

i'm so excited this show is back on tv. i remember when the first season was on, mr.c and i basically decided it was the dumbest thing cooked up by reality tv (yes, more dumb than even bridal-plasty) because we couldn't imagine a way an art show could be fairly judged or how it would be received since 1) how art is interpreted is so dependent on individual experience with a piece and 2) contemporary art isn't beloved by the masses. i'm an avid watcher of top chef because its a world i don't understand (unlike the world of an art kid) and wish i did. i wish that in 30 minutes i could conjure up an amuse-bouche that would win me five grand but whatever i made would be a joke. well, surprise, we started watching great artists because those smart tv executives put it in the time slot post-top chef.

it became hotly debated: stupid vs. brilliant, dribble vs. insightful. suddenly, i found great artist more entertaining than top chef. mr.c and i always had great conversation after the show about "what would we have made?" or "how could we have done it better?" or "why did that stupid piece of c#$* win?" the great thing about the show is everyone has a legitimately insane personality and one contestent in the first season played the game i know fine art undergrads play all the time: make the piece you want, fake the explanation later. the whole experience hit pretty close to home and we LOVE impersonating simon du pury, the artists very french mentor.

so the show is finally on again, after what seems like the longest hiatus ever. i was sure it was never going to make it to second season, it seemed to niche and obscure. like i said, contemporary art is a trip you have to really want to make and the judging is not black and white. i just found out that jerry saltz, a judge on the show and prominent art critic, actually recaps the show for ny mag online. he adressed the issue i had with the show originally which is how it seems too anti-art world:

"I’m trying to see if art-criticism can be more elastic and populist. I want to see if criticism can coherently be performed for audiences outside art-land, where we have weird ways of talking that many of us don’t actually understand. I’m trying to see if it’s possible to have what we always say we want: To have more people look at, appreciate, and be exposed to art, wherever it comes from, however it’s seen."

which in the end, would be really great if it works out. i had a history professor who said he was scared to visit galleries or go into art museums because of the general high society vibe and the majority of the class agreed. i was upset, obviously, because no one should feel that way. art is meant to be seen, even if it is on a bravo reality show.