Facebook – The Art Machine

FBonFB — Screen shot from the Family Business Facebook page with Family Business photo and comments.

It’s been madness from the start. Hennessy Youngman was chosen by curating guest art photographer Marilyn Minter who has been putting together a series of “Virgin” shows in the Massimilano Gioni / Maurizio Catallan pop-up, Family Business.

Called “Virgins” the shows were intended to feature works by artists who have not yet had solo shows.

But Jayson Musson decided to hand his alter-ego Hennessy’s slot over to any and all artists who wanted to drop stuff off before the show, which he dubbed “It’s a Small Small World.”

This, he thought, would be a gesture of gratitude —a way to “give back” to the arts community that has lent so much love and loyalty to Hennessy and his YouTube series, Art Thoughtz.

But as it turns out, Jayson Musson’s generosity has caused the walk-in-closet sized gallery an epic headache: flooded, as could only have been anticipated, by artwork from adoring fans and artists hungry for some wall time, the gallery was forced, today, to close it’s doors. Family Business had been scheduled to accept work through Sunday but the gallery is now saying that they will not take any work tomorrow.

And this is pretty damned sad.

Musson has changed the title of the show to “It’s a Clusterfuck”

Meantime, Musson’s NY debut will take place at Postmasters: “Through a Glass Darkly,” will feature Musson’s “BLM” (Black Like Me) posters and a Hennessy Art Thoughtz video. “Through a Glass Darkly also features work by artists Oasa DuVerney, and Julia Kul.

I first discovered Pablo Helguera when I came upon his book, The Pablo Helguera Manual of Contemporary Art/ Style in a museum giftshop. I found it charming and witty, if rather poorly edited, and, imagining he needed a better editor, I decided to look him up and offer my services. I found him on facebook, mind you and, I found that he was a very serious artist with some very ambitious artistic goals. So heavy seemed his agenda, that I was intimidated and did not offer my services.

After friending him and communicating a little, I found that he was putting together an incredibly audacioius book of cartoons about the artworld. The book, Published in 2009, is ARTOONS and it is a perfect gem. There will be a sequel.

Mr. Helguera has, in fact, published many books, produced numerous lectures and essays, put on many ambitious performance and interdisciplinary art shows, and is, in fact, an all around artist’s artist.

His latest endeavor, which he posted today on facebook, is The Juvenal Players, Helguera’s latest experiment with merging performance art and theatre. Taking his marching orders from Juvenal, who’s satire exposed the hypocracies of Roman society and politics, Helguera’s play seeks to “interrogate our current cultural, political, and social moment and the role of art-making within it.”