Wizened skin pulled taut, shiny and plump with silicone. Rows of suburban McMansions, their halls lined with paper-thin sheets of white marble. A precocious child reciting one-liners in front of the camera, having been force-fed these zingers by their momager just moments before. These are a few things that scare and fascinate John Waters.
Beverly Hills John, the legendary artist and cult filmmaker’s latest exhibition at Chelsea's Marianne Boesky Gallery, is the 68-year-old's attempt to understand the dark side to fame, aging, show business, and wealth. The exhibition itself is sprawling and ambitious, its pieces ranging from photography to sculpture to a 74-minute remake of the artist’s 1972 comedy Pink Flamingos (entitled Kiddie Flamingos, with the original cast, including the infamous Divine aka "The Filthiest Person Alive," replaced by children). A terrifyingly Photoshopped image of Waters, a mock-up of what the artist would look like if he had a complete plastic surgery overhaul, is reminiscent of the portraits by artist Cindy Sherman: a creature straight from the uncanny valley. (Of course, Waters' pencil-thin 'stache is still intact.)
In the show, Waters’ distorted book covers, like the one for the sensational '30s Southern novel, God's Little Acre, are fashioned after their real-life versions. What's more, the artist created splashy tabloid front pages that give respected modern icons the scrutiny of young starlets (think a a “250-pound” depiction of writer Joan Didion, clutching a sandwich on the beach, in “shocking new photos!”).
In spite of all his poking fun at literary circle and Hollywood alike, the artist turns the finger back on himself—trying to figure out his place in pop culture by both looking back at his previous works and jokingly considering his “next move.” In these musings, however, Waters solidifies the role he has always held with unwavering aplomb: an American icon whose POV is as biting as ever.
Beverly Hills John is on view at Marianne Boesky Gallery until February 14
Marianne Boesky Gallery
509 West 24th Street
New York, NY 10011
MAP![]()
Beverly Hills John, 2012. Photos courtesy of the artist and Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York © John Waters![]()
Library Science #8, 2014
![]()
Brainiac, 2014
![]()
Mom and Dad, 2014
Beverly Hills John, the legendary artist and cult filmmaker’s latest exhibition at Chelsea's Marianne Boesky Gallery, is the 68-year-old's attempt to understand the dark side to fame, aging, show business, and wealth. The exhibition itself is sprawling and ambitious, its pieces ranging from photography to sculpture to a 74-minute remake of the artist’s 1972 comedy Pink Flamingos (entitled Kiddie Flamingos, with the original cast, including the infamous Divine aka "The Filthiest Person Alive," replaced by children). A terrifyingly Photoshopped image of Waters, a mock-up of what the artist would look like if he had a complete plastic surgery overhaul, is reminiscent of the portraits by artist Cindy Sherman: a creature straight from the uncanny valley. (Of course, Waters' pencil-thin 'stache is still intact.)
In the show, Waters’ distorted book covers, like the one for the sensational '30s Southern novel, God's Little Acre, are fashioned after their real-life versions. What's more, the artist created splashy tabloid front pages that give respected modern icons the scrutiny of young starlets (think a a “250-pound” depiction of writer Joan Didion, clutching a sandwich on the beach, in “shocking new photos!”).
In spite of all his poking fun at literary circle and Hollywood alike, the artist turns the finger back on himself—trying to figure out his place in pop culture by both looking back at his previous works and jokingly considering his “next move.” In these musings, however, Waters solidifies the role he has always held with unwavering aplomb: an American icon whose POV is as biting as ever.
Beverly Hills John is on view at Marianne Boesky Gallery until February 14
Marianne Boesky Gallery
509 West 24th Street
New York, NY 10011
MAP
Beverly Hills John, 2012. Photos courtesy of the artist and Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York © John Waters
Library Science #8, 2014
Brainiac, 2014
Mom and Dad, 2014