Going bananas over art

| Read time: 5 minute(s)

Art column
By Kinjal Trivedi

Mourizio Cattelan and his Hyper Realistic Sculptures Banana stuck on the wall with a duct tape is Art! And the first two sold for $120,000 (approximately Rs 86,00,000) whereas the third one was for $150000 (approximately Rs 1,00,00,000). To understand this idea we must go back to the style of this particular artist. Born on September 21, 1960 in Padua, Italy, Cattelan originally worked as a furniture maker in Forlì before embarking on his art career. He went on to participate in the 1993, 1997, 1999, 2002, and 2011 Venice Biennales as well the 2004 Whitney Biennial, and was the subject of a 2011 retrospective titled “All” at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, hanging a massive chandelier arrangement of his works from the center of the building’s famous rotunda. The artist lives and works between Milan and New York. Cattelan expresses his art through sculptures by taking real objects and placing them at a place where it originally does not belong to. He portrays that when we take a real object in its fundamental surrounding, it is extremely useful and serves its purpose to the fullest. Now, when you are done using the real object and place it some place where it does not belong, it loses its value and you could say it does not serve us any purpose. This depiction derives a shock value from its observers. We see an elephant covered in a white sheet with its curious eyes peering out from two cut holes. His work alludes to a sense of failure or shame through psychological projection, and has at times sparked controversy for their irreverence towards normally revered figures. His previous art pieces have been: A man duct taped on a wall. This hyperrealistic installation was called ‘A perfect day’. Canvas cut in intentional strokes to create positive and negative space. This piece is called ‘Zoro’. A toilet made out of pure gold. ‘Comedian’ The Controversial banana art. Most of us when we read the news everyday or live our usual lives, we are quite immune to experiencing the good, the bad and the ugly. What would actually take our attention and make us talk about it when it’s not in our periphery? The Shock Value is what takes our attention. This could be an absurd thought or action done by your friend or if someone says something out of character. It takes our attention and makes us think about what it really is. This banana stuck on the wall with a duct tape has definitely become controversial but why is a certain idea becoming the talk of the world!? It's always ideal to go to the root of the subject and realize the intention behind the act.

Mourizio Cattelan and his Hyper Realistic Sculptures

Banana stuck on the wall with a duct tape is Art!

And the first two sold for $120,000 (approximately Rs 86,00,000) whereas the third one was for $150000 (approximately Rs 1,00,00,000). 

To understand this idea we must go back to the style of this particular artist.

Born on September 21, 1960 in Padua, Italy, Cattelan originally worked as a furniture maker in Forlì before embarking on his art career. He went on to participate in the 1993, 1997, 1999, 2002, and 2011 Venice Biennales as well the 2004 Whitney Biennial, and was the subject of a 2011 retrospective titled “All” at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, hanging a massive chandelier arrangement of his works from the center of the building’s famous rotunda. The artist lives and works between Milan and New York.

Cattelan expresses his art through sculptures by taking real objects and placing them at a place where it originally does not belong to. He portrays that when we take a real object in its fundamental surrounding, it is extremely useful and serves its purpose to the fullest. Now, when you are done using the real object and place it some place where it does not belong, it loses its value and you could say it does not serve us any purpose. This depiction derives a shock value from its observers. We see an elephant covered in a white sheet with its curious eyes peering out from two cut holes. His work alludes to a sense of failure or shame through psychological projection, and has at times sparked controversy for their irreverence towards normally revered figures.

His previous art pieces have been:

A man duct taped on a wall. This hyperrealistic installation was called ‘A perfect day’.

Canvas cut in intentional strokes to create positive and negative space. This piece is called ‘Zoro’.

A toilet made out of pure gold.

‘Comedian’ The Controversial banana art.

Most of us when we read the news everyday or live our usual lives, we are quite immune to experiencing the good, the bad and the ugly. What would actually take our attention and make us talk about it when it’s not in our periphery?

The Shock Value is what takes our attention.

This could be an absurd thought or action done by your friend or if someone says something out of character. It takes our attention and makes us think about what it really is.

This banana stuck on the wall with a duct tape has definitely become controversial but why is a certain idea becoming the talk of the world!? It’s always ideal to go to the root of the subject and realize the intention behind the act.


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