Last night I came across one of those retarded fashion blogs littering the internet, and the most recent post featured this photo (used without permission, see below) with this accompanying blurb from the blog author :
"A rad new tee collection...The tees feature prints of [the artist's] landscapes and are then hand-distressed and tie-dyed. The final effect is a unique piece that feels like it has a story to tell. This one is one of my favorites."
It took me a moment to come up with a reaction to this. I just stared silently at the screen, the photo of a ratty t-shirt, probably priced at $50 or more, staring back at me.
That somebody has the nerve to put out a collection of tattered t-shirts for sale under the guise that it's art/fashion, with the suggestion that each t-shirt is "a unique piece with a story to tell" is pretentious hipster drivel. Assuming that others are truly dense enough to believe your lazy attempt at creativity should be applauded, is it?
My mom sometimes wears those t-shirts casually around the house back in KL when she’s cleaning, or when she goes to bed. The only difference is that she's had them for years, overusing each of those t-shirts as she went about her days, but would she ever wear them out of the house now in their tattered condition? No, because she’s not gonna make a mockery of poor people.
That would be a worn-out t-shirt with a story to tell vs “I bought it off a rack in this condition.”
Why has none of the artist's friends or close associates informed him that those t-shirts are stupid?
Why has no one, his girlfriend/boyfriend/mother taken him aside to gently suggest maybe going down a different career path? Is this an example of people encouraging their loved ones’ dreams because they don’t have the heart to tell them that sometimes you have to give up on your dreams? People try to pass off every stupid thing as art nowadays. And then a cult following still manages to build up as those who think anything that is repulsive and weird is beautiful and steeped with meaning because supporting it means you're deep. And this immediately sets you apart from all the boring, ordinary people.
And if you give your honest opinion and point out how bad a particular art piece is, they will respond with, "you don't get it, you just don't understand art."