Coitus Interruptus

I promised (to whom, I'm not sure) that I would continue blogging about sex and art. But I got interrupted. Would that be coitus interruptus? The newly appointed MOCA director, Jeffrey Deitch, was the culprit that stymied my sex talk. After reading the deluge of ink on his new position here in the Los Angeles art world, I am reserving the right to wait and see. My previous blog was highly skeptical, but after the MOCA press conference, and his phone call to me, I've become somewhat sedated. Maybe it's not a bad thing after all. The one thing that has convinced me to not jump to conclusions, is the fact that Deitch is giving up an awful lot to come to LA. He had quite a lucrative thing going, and that won't be the case as much. Being the director of MOCA I'm sure comes with a few perks (understatement of the world), but his monthly income will surely be substantially lower. And do I really care? Of course not. But I'm impressed that he was willing to part with some of his millions for us, here in LA. I mean, that's sort of a sacrifice in this day and age — in our age of avarice and lust for attention.

So, we shall wait and see. On another completely different note. I will be going to Madrid, for the ARCO Los Angeles art fair. It was a complete surprise for me, but it's happening. I just learned of this news a couple of days ago, and I'm still reeling from it. 

Money Talks

I was going to blog yesterday what a farce it would be if Jeffrey Deitch ended up being MOCA's new director, but I can now blog in present tense. 

This must be the result of Eli Broad's strong-arming. This is highly unprecedented, for a top gallery owner to become a museum director. The conflict-of-interest factor is sky-high. Jeff Poe was quoted in the LA Times as welcoming Deitch with "open arms." Duh!! How about open bank account. 

Another aspect of this circus, is the Hollywoodizing of our museums. Deitch is an art celebrity. Have you ever heard of the two other candidates? No. But EVERYONE has heard of Jeffrey Deitch. California just can't help themselves. It's in our blood.

So, along with our state government, we now have a celebrity for our city's contemporary art museum. Do you think Jeffrey Deitch is a Republican? No matter.

I'm just having a gut reaction now, and once I calm down, maybe I will spread my arms wide for Jeffrey Deitch, but I doubt it.

More later. This needs to be processed.

Welcome to LA Mr. Deitch. We hope you like our weather.

 

Another Artillery issue is out. For some reason, this was particularly hard to complete. I think working through the holidays was the challenging factor. But, it's out there now, and I'm damn proud of it. It's our sex issue, and what could be more fun. 

While putting the issue together (and I talk about this in my editor's letter), I began to notice an infinity of sexual material in the art world. And I see it more and more now. When it was decided to do the sex issue, it seemed hard-pressed to find artists working with sex now. My contributors came to me with the usual suspects: Tom of Finland, Annie Sprinkle, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Paul McCarthy. Those were no-brainers.  Now, with the sex issue out, it's like a sexual revolution, in the art world.

I'd like to ponder on sex in art for a while now. It's been a subject I've been attracted to for some time. I did a lecture on pornography and art in my graduate seminar. I've included sexual content in my own work. But I abandoned it because of embarrassment. No one else was doing it at the time (at least in my circle), and my professors were flummoxed (imagine!). And I'm not talking the Stone Ages people. I'm talking late '80s. 

To be continued. And pick up a new copy of Artillery.