The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction can be a tricky task. From the time a piece of art was able to be mechanically and technically reproduced in mass for an economic end, artists have forever been struggling with the ethics and implications of art for commodity sake. Tom Wolfe addressed the idea of commodification of modern art in his book The Painted Word, discussing the cycle of commodification as first a “boho dance,” where the artist shows his work among his community as if not caring about museum curators or cultural elite. The “boho dance” leads to “the consummation,” where the culturati hand-pick the most exciting artists to shower “with all the rewards of celebrity.” Which is to say, in short, Wolfe saw the high-art community and the faux avant-garde postwar modern art movement as an elaborate dance between those pretending to care about their art and those willing to sell themselves for it.
In his self-directed video for “Water Water, Money, Power,” Toronto based artist Shan Vincent de Paul presents images of gluttony and commodification in a delicate, abstract manner (de Paul’s direction was influenced by filmmakers such as Michele Gondry and Wes Anderson). Issues of economic precarity are expressed through images of a man trapped in a fish-bowl being doused in gasoline, surrounded by a lavish but cavernous red shrine to material. The song’s production itself is minimal and free jazz inspired, drawing attention to de Paul’s emotive, clever voice. As if reading the title of the song wasn’t enough to solidify the anti-corporate greed message, the capturer’s dinner table is framed by a behemoth painting of Donald Trump. Artists all over the world are catching on to how our political system, built and influenced by mass amounts of lobbying and corporate election dollars, needs to get its shit together.
In one particularly jarring verse, de Paul raps over a sparse drum pattern and a flaring trumpet:
“It’s vital that we stay sharp now more than ever/ That’s the only way to stay afloat with the sharks in this industry with walls made of cardboard and feathers/ You can’t make out the source of the message/ From what’s paid for by corporate investments/ They’ll sell you a ringtone disguised in a song that comes with the lifestyle in the form of a beverage…”
The song doesn’t shy away from being overtly political in lyricism, even when paired with visual abstractions representing greed. Is it an elaborate “boho dance”? I don’t think so. Have a look for yourself. Shan Vincent de Paul and the SIDEWAYS crew are definitely artists to keep an eye on going into 2016.
