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Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines kitsch as 1 : something that appeals to popular or lowbrow taste and is often of poor quality or 2 : a tacky or lowbrow quality or condition. Thus the category of kitsch includes mass-produced tourist curios in imitation of honest folk styles, beanie babies, much patriotic art, the funerary sculpture of California’s Forest Lawn Cemetery, Graceland, Neverland and all manner of religious reproductions and souvenirs. According to Tomas Kulka, the standard kitsch work must be instantly identifiable as depicting “an object or theme which is generally considered to be beautiful or highly charged with stock emotions.” For the month of May, Tangent Gallery is featuring a group show of artist’s interpretations for the theme, “KITSCH.” Although the term has been around for a long time, the meaning of ‘kitsch’ has morphed throughout history. During the 18th and 19th century “Kitsch” was coined by the culturally elite of Munich Germany to describe the art acquired by the Noveau Riche. (recently wealthy) The bourgeoisie class, in an attempt to appear of high class status, embellished their homes with art inferior in quality and lacking in originality. During WWII art critics used the term “Kitsch” to describe art that was sentimental and referred to pathos. They cited Hitler and Mussolini’s aversion for the avant-guarde and their total embracement of the past as examples of kitsch aesthetic. In more recent times, Thomas Kinkade, Painter of Light™, reaped more than $50 million in royalties from his prints and licensed product lines between the years 1997 and 2005. His images of cottages and sunsets adorn air fresheners, night lights, teddy bears, toys, tote bags, pillows, umbrellas, La-Z-Boy loungers and have even inspired a housing development within 80 miles of where you are standing right now. Kinkade may call himself the most collected living artist in history, but contemporary British artist, Damien Hirst is certainly the wealthiest living artist. Just last September he caused yet another sensation in the international art world when he sold 223 pieces, mostly animals preserved in large tanks of formaldehyde, for a sum of $198 million at Sotheby’s. This was also notable in that it was the first time the auction house has sold brand new work. Today, artists find themselves caught in the spinning wheels of post-modernism and the term “kitsch” now refers to art that is reproduced, “knock-offs,” campy and/or cheesy. The line between high brow and low brow gets ever more blurry as kitsch overlaps with Pop Art, Conceptual Art and Street Art, much of which incorporate images from popular culture, consumerism and art generally embraced by the masses. Generally however, contemporary artists that reference kitsch are attempting to be humorous and ironic, thus not actually creating kitsch. Writer/Philosopher Dennis Dutton once wrote, “Like forgery, kitsch is an inevitable feature of an art world in which money and desire are spread more widely that taste and knowledge”. Art historian, Whitney Rugg adds, “Kitsch is easy to market and effortless to consume”. These current dark economic times are the perfect opportunity to reconsider our cultural consumption patterns, the role of education in culture production/appreciation and the possibility that we’ve earned the art of our time, from Kinkade to Hirst and back again. We hope you will enjoy what these artists have added to the dialogue. KITSCH
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