“Picasso Baby: A Performance Art Film”
Jay Z feeds his music into a fusion of institutional high art performance and democratic assembly. With famous artists such as Marina Abramovic, Kehinde Wiley, designer Jenna Lyons, and rapper Wale, Jay Z curates a one-on-one experience of his performance with artists from all calibers of great. He imparts a very singular, vulnerable moment of his raw live performance in direct company of high art gaze. He’s mentioned the album being about duality and authenticity, and I feel like it doesn’t get more bare-it-all than this performance. Hats off to his attempt to bridge a gap between institutional art and its cultural roots- though I wonder how long the impact of his Abramovic inspired performance will have? Will this change the pace of performance art? Does the feedback loop return to it’s roots? Can super celebrities make intimate, public art trendy?