By Regina Suárez del Real Sanchez De Tagle
In 1917 Marcel Duchamp took the art world by storm with the presentation of Fountain, a piece that has been considered one of the most debatable works of art for the past century. Fountain presented a clear challenge to its audience, begging the simple question: Is it really art? Or, alternatively, does it hold any value? It is with this same questions that the visitors of Art Basel Miami 2019 find themselves confronted with, this time inspired by Maurizio Catellan’s Comedian. Comedian has triggered a worldwide reaction, making headlines in some of the world’s most important newspapers and art news outlets such as Artsy, Artnet, and even The Guardian.
Just as Duchamp’s Fountain did in 1917, Catellan’s Comedian has left many wondering what the value of an artwork really is. Contemporary art is no stranger to this debate, though: in almost any biennale, exhibition or contemporary art fair, one will surely find oneself exposed to pieces that can only be partially conceived of as art and partially as ‘ready-made’ pieces, that is to say, an assemblage of already existing objects.
However, when considering contemporary art, it is important to remember one of the main reasons why art exists: to communicate ideas. Simply put, throughout history, art has served mankind as a platform on which universal concepts such as death, love, and in many cases pressing social or political issues, are debated and discussed. Just as Picasso did with Guernica and Diego Rivera with Man at the Crossroads, many contemporary artists seek to create art that serves as a reflection and even a confrontation of today’s most pressing and relevant ideas and movements.
This edition of Art Basel Miami has given many artists and gallerists the opportunity to put forward works that stress the importance of topics such as social media, climate change, migration, and consumerism, among others.
While many viewers have failed to extract any significance from Comedian, some have pointed out the author’s clear pun towards today’s trend for blind consumerism. Catellan’s message was only reinforced by the fact that the piece was sold for over a 100K, a value that the piece clearly does not hold.
If Cattelan’s Comedian is viewed as an embodiment of an artist’s pure intention to create confrontation and discussion, then in a world filled with non-stop consumerism, one could argue that Catellan has successfully achieved his goal. By demonstrating that in art (just as in anything else) value is not held by an object itself, but rather the by the significance placed upon it. Consequently, with something so simple as a banana duct-taped to an art fair wall, Catellan has probably taught this world the lesson it just might desperately need.
Editor:
Born and raised in Querétaro, México, Regina Suárez del Real holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Creation and Development. With experience working at photography festivals and volunteering at temporary exhibitions for museums such as Museo de Memoria y Tolerancia in MX City. Passionate reader, writer and traveller @reginasrst
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