Monday, December 22, 2008

Tired of just "untitled"?


I'm always frustrated looking at art work with "untitled" titles. I compare it to buying a puppy, naming the little dog is the best part! So I constantly fail to comprehend why artists, after all the blood, sweat, and tears put into their piece, don't even bother to throw a title line on their work. They certainly can't use the excuse, "I'm not really creative."




I'm not sure if Mark Kostabi has an inability to name his works, but he certainly has a fun way of doing it. You may not have heard of this American artist before but you may have seen his work on several commercialized products. He designed album covers for Rolling Stones and the Ramones and numerous products such as a Swatch watch, limited-edition vases, espresso cups, computer accessories and a Giro d'Italia pink jersey. He's been a leader of the Lower East Side art scene for many years and has just taken the leap into the TV Scene in his show, Title This.

Plain and simple, Title This, is a tv show hosted by Mark Kostabi in which he invited celebrity contestants to compete in creating titles for his works for cash rewards. Now before you think Hulk Hogan and Ryan Seacrest are dueling it out renaming Mona Lisa, this is not your typical reality tv contest. By celebrity, I mean well-known art critics, dealers, jounralists and such. Although us Delawareans are unable to watch Title This live every Wednesday, as it's only broadcasted in Manhattan, you can watch any episode on their web-site. (Thank you You-Tube). Depending on your humor personality, you may or may not appreciate Title This. It's intellectual sarcasm at its finest, but i see it as wit at its best. Who doesn't love a good tag line anyways?

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