Review of David Yarrow’s art exhibition in Oslo, 2023.
The gallery show opening tonight has given me pause to think — once I got out of the overcrowded space packed with hundreds of visitors, sweating from the heat and lack of air circulation, feet and back aching from standing for almost two hours …
The art was impressive, the gallery’s presentation was commendable, the art photography books being sold were beautiful — blah blah blah and all that blah. But I had the feeling of being in a luxury IKEA store for photo art of wild animals and privileged famous persons in staged photo settings. « Iconic » was overdone in these oversized portraits at up to $45,000 a shot.
Will many of these works last for years on a wall in a lived-in private home or apartment, competing for precious space in an ever-changing environment? My favorite is the wolf on Wall Street — the wolf was apparently flown across the US to NYC with the first class section all to itself. But that too is a cliché — reminiscent of the film of the same name.
Are we not soon done with buying up signed photo art popular to the masses in « limited editions »? Are we not tired of chasing after celebrities, copying their wardrobes … and pinning their images onto our walls? Are we not soon tired of all the memes which have replaced our critical thinking? Is it perhaps in « bad taste » to spend so much money on a framed and signed photograph when so many persons are experiencing financial hardship — regardless of how nice it is to us at the time of purchase?
I am a fan and a collector of art photography, as well as of paintings, statues, ceramic art etc. And I have tremendous respect for Mr. Yarrow’s art and occupation. But sometimes less is actually more, and modesty in choosing models is perhaps more intriguing and relevant than using supermodels and celebrities as props in storytelling. Just.my.opinion.
The fame-making machine is now sputtering and beginning to falter. Prediction: slut-shaming fame whores will become the next “high Art” form. There is no where else to go with this except, God forbid, a return to Art for art’s sake rather than for ego-gratification, fame and lots of money.
— Adam Donaldson Powell
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