The Joke Is Funny, But I Didn't Laugh Out Loud. Jeremy Puren at blank
Thursday, March 06, 2008
On the one hand I really liked Jeremy Puren's opening at blank last night. It had many of the elements that charm me: humour, hipness, madness. He has a studio near mine, and to see him watering his art, had a dada absurdity to me that really hit the spot (the main part of his show was letters grown in grass). There was also the endearing patheticness of a few sad butternuts hanging around outside, uncertain sneers painted onto them.
On the other hand, the endearing patheticness maybe was overblown. Badly spelled handwritten signs and notes, along with (less obviously) badly painted fruit, is one of the easiest options to position yourself as an outsider. This can be an exceptionally funny strategy, as seen in David Shrigley's sad strange little man stuff. And it was funny in Jeremy's stuff too. But we've seen this strategy too many times, the cover has been blown. We know you have a university education, aren't pathetic and can afford to type signs and notes. Does positioning yourself as an outsider add any significant meaning to the work? The pure fun of letting 28 clockwork mice run into the space, of growing grass and painting fruit, had a fantastic farmyard aesthetic anyway. No need to push the point.
My killjoy criticism aside, this exhibition is said to be of the evolving kind, and I would recommend seeing what other bizarre jumps of the imagination Jeremy Puren has in store.
(ps. if you are interested in the authentic endearingly pathetic, and what happens to it when it is exposed and commercialised take a look at Daniel Johnston's site, the gentrification of a legendary figure should make us wary of using the strategy.)
Labels: Blank, jeremy puren
posted by Robert Sloon at 12:39 PM
3 Comments:
Jeremy really can't spell, it's no act, and as for typing, he pretty much sucks at that as well (if I remember correctly his mom actually typed his handwritten research article for him in his 4th yr at Stellenbosch University). Of all things that Jeremy tries to perform (lion tamer, gardener, man-sized pigeon etc.) outsider ain't one of them.
do we need a south african david shrigley?
hi my name is jeremy too and i also did not like his opening and i really liked the artical of RSloon. i personly think it was a fun opening to be at because of the flames of a flare. but was quite empty because of to much unfinnished extra fillers that emptied the room more than it filled it. and yes he can not spell that i can see but i cant aswell so thats if fine by me. but i dont know him so mabe he is faking it just to try and be funny and yes that would be lame.i rememberd that he said it will evolve and if letting it die it surely did. im not sure if that is his stradgy letting it die as part of his consept that. as soon as the viewers chatting in the back round leave, these kind of art just dies. which personly does not make sense to me. so yes it sounds like nonsence, but does it really makes my hart grow fonder.mabe if i see him as a clown punnishing him self with a pie in the face or some other phisical pain it starts to make sense in his nonsens.but do we need a nother clown? in south afrika?
thats alot of bubling that i just did ... if you read all of this you are really inpressive.good luck with your life and you future and may today be a great day for you.
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