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The Art of Voyeurism
If we wore our clothes inside out, human beings would eventually achieve world peace because the entire human population would look so damn vulnerable, floppy and clownish, went Carson's theory. This hasn't happened yet but Carson continued to refine his idea
In 1995, he persuaded clothing designers to sketch for Mirabella magazine their visions for a new kind of hospital gown. He recalls Todd Oldham saying that doctors dress "in a commanding glamorous way, while patients are dressed for surrender. Where is the glamour for the patient?"
The closet portraits reflect a lifelong preoccupation with "fashion physics" but, after Carson graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in 1968 and arrived in New York, his debut sculpture didn't speak directly to fashion. "I had a Plexiglas sculpture called Moon Man Fountain that was about 8 feet by 7, big enough to contain two people. It was in my workspace on the RISD campus. I came to New York and showed it to Andy Warhol. I don't know another artist in New York City who would say 'Bring your gigantic work and put it in my space.' That's unheard of, but Andy allowed me to keep it in his loft until I found a gallery."
Carson has some useful advice for emerging artists arriving in post-Warhol New York. "I always thought you had to be as far ahead as possible, but if you're too far ahead, like Buckminster Fuller or Thelonious Monk, it takes too long for people to catch up. You really need to be three years ahead and two years behind. Then you'll be right on time."
Plus: Check out Art Beast, for galleries, interviews with artists, and photos from the hottest parties.
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Mary Magdalene and Me
Tracy Quan's latest novel is Diary of a Jetsetting Call Girl, set in Provence and praised in The Nation as a "deft account of occupational rigors and anxieties before the crash." Tracy's debut, Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl, and the sequel, Diary of a Married Call Girl, are international bestsellers. A regular columnist for The Guardian, she has written for many publications including Cosmopolitan, The Financial Times, and The New York Times.
Bedding the Boss
Tracy Quan's latest novel is Diary of a Jetsetting Call Girl, set in Provence and praised in The Nation as a "deft account of occupational rigors and anxieties before the crash." Tracy's debut, Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl, and the sequel, Diary of a Married Call Girl, are international bestsellers. A regular columnist for The Guardian, she has written for many publications including Cosmopolitan, The Financial Times, and The New York Times.
Bernie Made Off With My Wife
Tracy Quan's latest novel is Diary of a Jetsetting Call Girl, set in Provence and praised in The Nation as a "deft account of occupational rigors and anxieties before the crash." Tracy's debut, Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl, and the sequel, Diary of a Married Call Girl, are international bestsellers. A regular columnist for The Guardian, she has written for many publications including Cosmopolitan, The Financial Times, and The New York Times.
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B-O-R-I-N-G. All closets look pretty much the same.
I enjoyed the piece very much. Nice whiff of decadence (an enticing odor of mild decay). Couple of pithy comments about paranoia and innocence. I would say "womb" rather than "vaginal" references, with the entrance into the closet as the return to the womb. More ho hum no doubt.
Mr. Carson has a unique flair that surfaces with flourish in his work. Those in attendance at last night's opening enjoyed an aspect of the works somehow missed in the article above, an underlying unpretentious wittiness that was infectious, and a creative view that was rewarding to say the least. BRAVO
Neke !!!
Thank you for both the article and the images. Quality art, in my opinion, escorts my perception of "ordinary objects" down new corridors (or closets!). Very enjoyable journey, this one!
Neke Carson is to art what Tiny Tim was to music.
When your claim to fame is a paint brush up your ass and meeting Andy Warhol, it pretty much says it all. What he does deserve credit for is his tireless and unabashed self promotion
and infinite bad taste,
Thank you.
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