We always wanted to work on a public art project with Rob Pruitt: his work is sophisticated yet hysterical, art historically complex yet totally accessible. So when Sotheby's recently invited Art Production Fund to bring art onto the street by commissioning an artist to create a site-specific project in the front windows of their York Avenue NYC headquarters, we embraced the opportunity. The goal was to select an artist for this public project who would reflect the theme of "Divine Comedy," the exhibition that would launch concurrently. This show encompasses art from antiquity to the present, dealing rather specifically with renditions of Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise - but all with a slight comic twist - irreverent, wry, and often dark humor.
When passing American churches, we have all noticed the evangelical signs that are hilarious, jarring and often offensive. These messages that succeed in getting our attention were embraced fully by Pruitt for his "Holy Crap" series. Rob drove around and shot many of the signs then traveled virtually on the internet to gather the remaining hundreds. Until now, these poignant pictures they have only lived in his book, Holy Crap, that launched last June in Basel and was published by 38th Street Publishers, run by fellow artist Josh Smith. On the subject of these lit, plastic, freestanding billboards, Pruitt says: "I love multitasking, like driving and having a religious experience at the same time. I love jokes. I love advertising and billboards. I love Jenny Holzer. I love advice and rules and adages and reminders and lists, like the 10 commandments. I love big bold larger than life characters like God and Satan. I love horror movies and stories of the supernatural and high drama narratives distilled into a handful of words, like "He died for your sins." But what follows is a whole new testament."
People that walk regularly on this high-trafficked street and frequent visitors to Sotheby's are accustomed to seeing super-graphics of the upcoming auction's top inventory ranging from impressionist and modern art to magnificent Jewels to fine European furniture. In the same spot now resides "Holy Crap," the blown-up images of signs from Pruitt's book. This provocative work is sure to catch your attention. It's an installation that is a courageously bold step for Sotheby's, and demonstrates their commitment to bringing art to the public. Through Pruitt's work, we at Art Production Fund hope you contemplate these signs in a completely new context, and as is our mission, expand awareness through contemporary art.
"Divine Comedy" and "Holy Crap": September 30- October 19, 2010, Sotheby's, 72nd & York, NYC.
PS: don't miss Rob Pruitt's extraordinary concurrent solo show, "Pattern and Degradation" September 11- October 23, 2010, Gavin Brown's enterprise, 620 Greenwich St. & Maccarone, 630 Greenwich St. NYC.