Jay-Z, not content to let James Franco get all the "i'm not a ___, I'm actually an artist!" action, recently performed his new single "Picasso Baby" at MoMA for six hours (with breaks) as invited guests like art world giants, cool dancers, and several actors (Alan Cumming, Jemima Kirke, Adam Driver, Rosie Perez, etcetera) sat down across from him or stood on the sidelines to watch. The "art piece" (i.e. single / music video) really ought to have a "Jay-Z. Featuring Marina Abramovic" style byline since the rapper owes the basics of the concept to the performance artist who enters barefoot and touches heads with him. At least he gives her lots of footage in the video by way of homage.
Jay-Z with Marina Abramovic. Many artists are present.
Those of you who saw her in New York or caught last year's documentary Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present already know the gist of her most famous piece. [More...]
She sat in a chair for days on end, and museum visitors were invited to sit across from her one by one and stare into her eyes. People waited in line for hours upon hours for a minute or two with her.
It's unnerving to look a complete stranger in the eyes without speaking or blinking and the piece really moved people sparking conversations about intimacy and vulnerability and silence and more. But watching someone perform a song is a far more mundane pleasure; we do this every day!
In normal life when you drop marquee names into guest lists, conversations and personal anecdotes, it's considered slightly desperate or boastful. But weirdly celebrities are usually celebrated for doing the same. The chief takeaway of "Picasso Baby" for me is 'Look how many famous art world people and celebrities Jay-Z can summon on a (carefully orchestrated) whim!' The celebrities are numerous and they even get title cards to help remind you that they're famous. It's a public service announcement for fame... but reminds us that music videos, even the artistic or artfully minded ones are commercials for new releases you can purchase. When Tilda sleeps in a box or Marina lets strangers stare into her soul for hundreds of hours, you're not purchasing anything. That's performance as art, not advertisement.
But I don't want to sound grumpy since the end product has good group energy and I'm all for the not remotely new but delicious assertion that we are our own works of art. (I'm not sure about the song, though, which I haven't parsed lyrically but for noticing there's a bit of political discourse about institutional racism mixed in with traditional hip hop boasting about wealth and possessions.) In the videos cutest most inclusive move (for what was an invite-only event -- another way in which this isn't exactly art. Marina didn't handpick the people who stared her down) a couple of little kids get credits too "9th grader" and "superhero"
My runner up favorite of the cameos is Judd Apatow who pretends to take a phone call (puncturing the pretense with self-deprecation). The clear "I'm fabulous" winner is Taraji P Henson. She broadly swoons, she kicks her legs in joy, she feigns prudish shock at a lyric about cock, she dances.
It's not Performance Art either, but it sure is Sassy Correspondence.
Dear Everyone, remember me? I'm fabulous!"
Rosie Perez gets less air time but sends the same message. Can someone please build a buddy movie around the two of them right now?