Be Unfashionable

My preliminary skim of the March issue of ArtForum was unpleasantly interrupted by full-page fashion ads. Seventy-five percent of the magazine are ads for galleries and museums. I’m used to this. These ads are almost the point of getting ArtForum to begin with. The ads are a way to get a feel of what’s happening and to make a list of what I want to see and don’t. Why all of a sudden are there ads for Tse, Marc Jacobs, Balenciaga, and some store that claims to be run like an artwork. I want ‘em out.

I’m going to be a purist here: I don’t want fashion designers near my art. Not in ArtForum, not in The New Yorker Style Issue. I know, I know. Advertising is what’s happening in our culture. And art is all about advertising and money and selling. It’s just a sign of the times that art and advertising mix. And yes, I know, art can even take this head on. But, please. Let’s have some decency here and just draw those lines, define those boundaries. Art for galleries and public performance is different from Art on bodies sold in stores.