I'm not a huge fan of reality tv. But I do find interest in Project Runway, and to a degree, Top Chef, and some interior and industrial design shows, because the art process is involved; they focus more on the creation of something. Bravo has put a show together called Work Of Art, a show devoted to finding "the Next Great Artist".
Watching the show brought me back to my art school days: critiques, assignments, deadlines, working alongside artists whose work I don't get, admiring artists whose work I do get, thinking I get the art when I completely miss the point, thinking something is awful when everyone else seems to gush over it, wishing I'd thought of that.. I can relate, as WoA showcased things I both love and hate about being an artist.
The format is similar to other reality competition programs; there are winners and there are eliminations. This week's elimination was Trong, whom I quickly sketched above. The challenge was to use found electronic devices to create a sculpture. Trong created a piece using four TV sets, painting ironic messages about "reality TV" on them. I thought his piece was clever. But what do I know? The judges considered it unrepresentative of him. Still, Trong left the show "with dignity", despite an non-sportsmanly, unwelcome (and surprisingly unacknowledged) interjection from a fellow contestant. Seems to me that Trong, being an established "fixture" in the art world, doesn't really need a reality show to advance as an artist. However, without the show, I would never have heard of him.
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