Art N' About

Author: LAUREN SMITH

As an American studying in London for several months last year, I was exposed to harassment from my flatmates on everything from Bush's questionable relationship with Tony Blair to the way that American institutions like McDonalds and Burger King have made their way across the ocean. After a conversation on yet another negative aspect of American society, a particularly abusive flatmate practically ordered me to attend an exhibit of Paul McCarthy's work at the Whitechapel Gallery in southeast London. When I asked why, he mischievously replied, "You'll see."

And I did see. I saw detailed charcoal drawings of pirates who looked curiously like the ones on "The Pirates of the Caribbean" ride at Disney World wielding swords and genitalia in some sort of drunken orgy. I saw a life-size replica of the artist himself laid out on a lawn chair with no pants on, looking like the neighborhood pervert. After perusing the exhibit with alternate feelings of horror and amusement, I realized why I had been sent here. Under the guise of masturbating pirates, McCarthy was making a statement on America, or rather, the dark side of our consumer culture.

Paul McCarthy (b. 1945) is widely considered to be one of the most groundbreaking artists of this century. He first became known in the 1970s for his performance and film work, but during the 1990s, he extended his practice into sculptural figures and installations, which he continues today at his studio in Altadena, Calif. Most recently this translated into a much talked - about series of large inflatable sculptures outside the Tate Modern, featuring the face of Disney's Pinocchio - only with a phallus for his famous nose.

The exhibit "Lala Land Parody Paradise" uses the American myth of the heroic pirate popularized by such stories as Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean" to explore American expansionism, greed and extreme conservatism by depicting America as a drunken, sexually perverse pirate who rapes and pillages. The exhibit, which ended Jan. 8, used drawings, sculpture and film to explore this theme.

This is not the first time McCarthy has used his work to critique American culture. In 2003, he exhibited in London at the commercial gallery Huaser and Wirth. He filmed a video in the gallery in which he wore an oversized "Dubya" novelty head and a new suit spotted with stains and food. After several minutes of nonsensical antics, he loses his head, which comes bouncing downstairs to the basement. There, "Bush" takes off his trousers and begins to use a power tool, only not in the way most of us would. One can guess what this act must signify.

Americans living in this decade face some pretty harsh criticisms, especially when traveling outside of the country. Perhaps my flatmate had bad intentions when he told me to see the exhibit, but I left the Whitechapel gallery quite satisfied. Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself when things get tough, and I think that's exactly what McCarthy has done in his recent work.