I am a big Bravo Reality Ho. If it's on Bravo and involves semi-real people, chances are I will be hopelessly devoted to watching it again and again and again (yes, even Watch What Happens with Andy Cohen who I wish was my Gay Husband or one of my kids' Gunkles - that Gay Uncles which is the only thing of any value that I have learned watching Tori and Dean implode). Yes, I can name all of the Real Housewives, about 80% of their husbands and kids and pretty much all of their dogs and cats. Yes, I know the lyrics to "Don't Be Tardy for the Party" and can hum a few bars of the Countess' new tracks. But somehow, because these shows are on Bravo, I don't feel as dirty when I watch as I do watching For the Love of Ray J or Flavor of Love on VH1.
I guess I cut these shows some slack because there are reality shows on Bravo that do require people to have some semblance of talent or actual skills, such as Top Chef and the dearly departed Project Runway. Although your charm and ability to B.S. your way through culinary disasters for a few episodes of Top Chef, with time, you will eventually hear the melodious voice of the beautiful Padma Lakshmi tell you to pack your knives and go. The taste buds will always win. I don't think there has been a season of Top Chef where I did not agree with the Judges' decision.
Think about last season of Top Chef Masters when our beloved Roy Yamaguchi imploded into a useless mess of day old loco moco gravy. It just killed me to see him so utterly inept and terrified of the clock. I mean, Roy is like the Starbucks of Pacific Rim Cuisine, right? Highly addictive, uber trendy and there seems to be one on every block. Yes, he went down in flames like Beggars Chicken at King Tsin.
So, in between promos for Bethany's Getting Married???? and Danielle tormenting poor loyal Jacqueline in New Jersey, here comes the newest Bravo reality competition show called Work of Art which pits 14 artists against each other. Like every other reality competition, there is an Asian guy with a strange haircut, a hapa-appearing "fluffy" girl (think Lee Ann on Top Chef), fat lovable guy who is self taught, black woman with lots of layers and big hoop earrings, black guy with the cap tilted to the side with baggy shorts and Nikes (the argyle socks kind of throw me), lots of preppy looking white guys, cute blonde girls and one kind of lesbian appearing older white lady. Wouldn't it be nice if Bravo switched these images once in a while? Can't we have an Asian guy without some trendy haircut?
What bothers me is that each of these artists specialize in different mediums - some are scuptors, some are painters, some are photographers, some are performing artists - so how can you compare one person's work against another? Artwork is so subjective - kind of like porn is. One person's turn on is another person's obscenity. Think about the Mapplethorpe image called "Piss Christ"? Liberals thought it was a profoundly political statement against organized materialistic Christianity like practices by Jim and Tammy Baker while Conservatives used it as a reason to slash federal arts funding. It's all in the eye of the beholder. It would be like pitting Van Gogh against Warhol. Who is the better artist? Which painting to you like better? Now throw in Laurie Anderson's Superman piece, Michelangelo's David and Christo's environmental works and try to figure out who is #1.
The whole premise of the show goes against the grain of what art is supposed to be. Art is personal and the expression of one's individuality, it is thought and imagination becoming imagery, it is the essence of the soul. Granted it has become a commodity in modern years but the creative process, one hopes, should be reward in itself. To me, it is very clear when a piece has been created for the sole purpose of self expression versus being made to please the masses and earn a buck. Sure, everyone loves black velvet paintings of big eyed kitties or poker playing dogs but they do not generate the same sense of humanity as Munch's The Scream.
Well, even after this diatribe, I will probably watch the show anyway - if just to cheer for the Asian guy with the bad hair cut.
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