Art has been about reproductions of thoughts and ideas ever since the counting days of modern society. Jay Z has just released Picasso Baby, from his latest album, Magna Carta… Holy Grail, in shape of an art film. In the film and the lyrics he briefly discusses performance art and where it relates to hip-hop, contemporary and modernist art.
The video is kind of a reproduction of the performance “The artist is present” by artist Marina Abramovic. Marina Abramovic created the performance as a part of a retrospect exhibition at Moma where other performance pieces where reproduced. “The artist is present” is a piece where the artist meets the audience. Marina met her audience one by one. They exchanged eye contact and not a single sound. The experience was described as naked, direct and emotional. The whole event was documented and put together in a documentary where the artist’s background and ideologies are depicted.
In the documentary Marina describes her new passion for the bling, expensive attire and plastic surgery. Her journey in life has taken her from poverty to richness. The richness is nothing to be ashamed of. Jay Z performed Picasso Baby, at a gallery. The “art film”, is a charade of posing and dance, a mix of acted and spontaneous moments. Jay Z has adopted some of Marina Abramovic’s ideas, and Marina herself is present in Jay Z’s project.
It’s the greatness of individual men that he is holding up to the spotlight, not the development of mankind doing great things together. The namedropping in this particular text is massive and provocative. It is about writing history and success in different forms. But in Jay Z’s case it is mostly by earning money, having a house, wife and a kid. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, that life can be a middleclass dream. In this dream, the most important thing is to be happy, full and satisfied as a human being.
Where Jay Z tries to establish respect for himself as a great hip-hop artist and art connoisseur, he also educates by namedropping a bunch of must know artists. This piece also opens interest in other aspects of cultural history and contemporary art as the special guests to this particular video have been credited.
Too bad, that this video, and the lyrics make me feel that there is a nonchalant view of art history and performance art, it just doesn’t feel real at all. It looks fun for those fortunate westerners being there at the set though, it must have been a great party.
I don’t get the point Jay Z is trying to evince, that music performance is art performances with direct energy that is created between the performer and audience. Why is he trying so hard to kick in this open door? I feel I must cure my eyes and ears, put on something else. Something that those musicians who still want to evolve as artists produce, not only for the sake of being accepted in an estranged environment with their new money.
Lolimwau is a writer and producer from Stockholm Sweden
