Work In Progress

One of the pet peeves I have about The Art World is its vampiric and fetishistic approach to “youth”. This ridiculous blog post, and show Younger than Jesus featured in the NYTimes is emblematic of this attitude. First let me just say, I am in the age range featured in the show “Younger than Jesus”. Lest you all think I am an old lady curmudgeon, indignantly clutching at my Eileen Fisher cardigan.

This approach is ultimately a shallow marketing ploy: the hip young things, the sort of anti-intellectual, and flippant yet not terribly provocative invoking of the lord’s name etc. As a woman I will admit that I am more sensitive about aging. Everyday I am told I am pretty much worthless past the prime of my youth. My own father frets about my marriageability and empty womb. While I embrace my early grays and fine-lines I am also acutely aware that my years as a cute sexy young artist will sooner rather than later be over. So yes I resent shows that objectify hot young artists! Am I so idealistically naïve that I truly believe that its about the art dude!?

In the real world I work with and admire artists of all ages. I like it that way. In fact crazily enough most artists are over the age of 30. You can only be under 30 for so long and then you’re really stuck with the rest of your life. At some point Younger than Jesus artist Ryan Trecartin (whose videos I truly love) is going to be stuck with his hyper-crazy florescent soapy videos well into his 30s. Will the value of his work just immediately plummet? Possibly. Its been known to happen if you come up too young and too fast.

Luckily for me I’ve always been a cranky old lady.