You Can’t Hide — But You Can Make Art

A A A Comments By Keith Bowers Wednesday, Sep 22 2010

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Advertising: There’s no escape. If you spend any time using a computer or smartphone, the spam robots eventually find you. And they’re wily ― they send messages with nonsensical subject lines that get around the filters you set. If you tune out and go for a walk or a drive, billboards line your route. Like a set of all-seeing commercial gods, they bombard you with bright colors, excited faces, and alarming slogans. British artist Stanley Donwood was overwhelmed by this commercial barrage on his first trip to Los Angeles. So he decided to make art out of it. The result? An exhibition called “Over Normal.” His paintings use words such as Brain, Sex, Blood, Desire, Risk, Now, and Cheap. He backs these with the seven colors he most often observed in outdoor ads: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, black, and white. Donwood, who has done artwork for Radiohead, has also produced a 12-page newspaper to accompany the exhibit. He says he wanted to create an overwhelming atmosphere that is at once attractive and troubling, much like advertising. To our minds, he succeeded.
Wednesdays-Sundays. Starts: Sept. 2. Continues through Oct. 27, 2010

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