Earlier I wrote a musing about how artist Shana Mabari‘s public art sculptures which cost the city of West Hollywood $24,000 dollars are probably shill advertising for corporate banks. I theorized this because the resemblance is uncanny and also because I have this gnawing notion that banks are increasingly looking to mark their presence wherever possible, and sometimes that extends to paying artists and cities to prod at citizens.
Since it was a slow Monday I called Shana and she got super defensive, insisted she had “No Comment” and then referred me to her publicist.
Her publicist also had “No Comment” outside of the fact that Shana is a “Great artist” and then hung up.
If you are marinating on some illuminati theories and then call your subjects to question them and are met with extremely nervous hostility, it kind of just makes you think you’re right. There would be no other reason to be defensive if you’re innocent, in fact you’d be more than happy to laugh off Ralson’s crackpot theories.
“Great Artist” is a subjective term. To me, Mabari’s sculptures look like some blocks of plastic. Of course, art is inherently subjective. At least that’s what some of the lamer artists go on.
In truth, really great art isn’t subjective. There’s awesome shit and shit that’s subjective.
For example, this is awesome:
Drawn in pencil (Paul Cadden.)
This is subjective:
(Some asshole.)
This is awesome:
This is kind of more subjective:
Mabari’s publicist threatening to sue me confirms my worst fears. The city of West Hollywood is either knowingly or unknowingly paying someone to advertise for the banks.
If you think about it, a public artist is prime game for payoffs. How do you even get to that position? Clearly you have to know somebody, because if I approached City Hall and told them I wanted to get paid to put some fucking legos on the median they’d call security. Public artists are like those NFL sideline reporters. Anyone can do that, you must know somebody.
In this case, somebody with some coin.
I will continue following up on this, and let me say there is a strong chance I am wrong.
Let me also say that your threat of lawsuits will not scare me. If I can handle a coked up monkey rapist and his Miracle Mile lawyers I can handle anything.
I do think you protest too much.
More to come.