The MAXXI Gallery, Spinning Vaginas, Over Rated Biro and Blood Doodles, and Francesco Vezzoli

So I recently went to the MAXXI 21st Century Art Museum I  Rome, unfortunately contemporary art doesn't always float my boat, the main example being 'Happy Moms', by Daniele Puppi, which I think is just ridiculous, crude, and unimaginative (and unnecessary). I'll add a video when I can, I'm having technical difficulties at the moment, but if you want to see some spinning vagina's and ass holes, feel free and youtube it, just not up my street.  I also wasn't that impressed by Jan Fabre either, his exhibition was called 'StigMata' yet it seems very self inflicted, and he just seems to be provocative for provocativeness's sake, and lacking any actual skill. He spend a few days locked in a Dutch gallery doodling on himself and surfaces, in biro pen and called it 'bic-art', and they were shite doodles anyway. Maybe he's done loads of other really great art, but at this particular exhibition, I didn't see it. Ahaha don't hold back mate!

During his 'money-performances' he burned money and wrote the word 'MONEY' with the ashes. In 1977 he renames the street where he lives to "Jan Fabre street" and fixes a commemorative plaque "Here lives and works Jan Fabre" to the house of his parents, by analogy to the commemorative plate on the house of Vincent Van Gogh in the same street. In 1978 he makes drawings with his own blood during the solo performance 'My body, my blood, my landscape'. In 1980 'The Bic-Art Room' he had himself locked up for three days and three nights in a white cube full of objects, drawing with blue Bic ballpoint pens as an alternative to Big art Established in 1986. Plus there was this long video of him sand papering his legs, whilst in a pinstripe suit. Anonymous doesn't like him either...

Fortunately, I did find one artist that I really did like, and that was Francesco Vezzoli.

This is a series of 'self portraits' that he did, where he took iconic statues  or busts, and the did a mirror of himself, I loved the use of mixed media, and the humour  I also think that it's nod to the past and use of actual skill is refreshing also. I'm a big fan of Raphael's comics, and my fave artist is Klimt, so I'm more into art where your like 'wow, this persons skilled'  as opposed to 'this is saying something (supposedly) about modern society', and it's proper depressing . You don't have to do it in blood for it to be 'edgy'.. looking at you Jan

He also does a lot of embroidery  having discovered the lost art as a student at Central Saint Martins, he uses a lot of golden age Hollywood film stars (Liz Taylor)

Loving the embroidered tears

I also enjoyed his use of classic religious imagery.

This is another self portrait, however, here he is changing sexes.

Just as Marcel Duchamp created Belle Haleine: Eau de Voilette in 1921 using a Rigaud perfume bottle with an altered label, Francesco Vezzoli has created a signature perfume for the contemporary moment. Greed's label features Vezzoli in drag, photographed by Francesco Scavullo, where Duchamp appeared on his perfume bottle as Rrose Sélavy, photographed by Man Ray. The bottle of perfume is accompanied by a 60-second commercial for the perfume -- directed by Roman Polanski and starring Natalie Portman and Michelle Williams -- as well as a new series of needlework portraits of leading female figures in art history – including Tamara de Lempicka, Eva Hesse, Leonor Fini – as immortalized endorsements of Vezzoli's fragrance. Below is said advert.

More statue mimic self portraits