Sunday, May 18th, 11:15am – 12pm in Pao Hall Room 1111

Rosanne Altstatt

Come on, you know you’ve daydreamed about it. Standing on stage, swaying in front of the microphone like Steve Tyler. Playing the keys like Alicia. Bustin’ Rhymes. Vogueing Madonna with Justin Timberlake. Getting notoriously B-I-G. What, too cool for that in your electronic noise existence? No way. This is pop music and there is no escaping it. It started burrowing its way into your psyche during your pre-pubescent days of bubble gum and the melodies that go with it. You may only hear it now on the car radio or while shopping, but whether it grates on you or not, it will always feel comfortably familiar because you internalized it long ago. Yes, it’s market-driven, repetitive and exhibitionist. But so is the art world. And there is also a lot of love involved in both.
Artists Candice Breitz, Christian Jankowski and Bettina Pousttchi show that love and still save their and our pride as serious participants in the art world. By taping a video for Karaoke bars with a famous Korean actress (Jankowski), mobilizing Jamaican fans to sing Bob Marley’s entire album “Legend” (Breitz) or letting neighbors lip-sync and air guitar their faves (Pousttchi), these artists tap into our inner pop celebrity wannabes and let them shine like the stars they should be. Don’t be a hater. Embrace it.

Christian Jankowski
No One Better Than You
single-channel video
2004
3:01 min.