This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
ARCHITECTURE, DISPATCHES ART, MUSIC, ARCHITECTURE, FILM, SHOPPING, NEWS AND THINGS TO MAKE AND DO… ART, MUSIC, ARCHITECTURE, FILM, SHOPPING, NEWS AND TH
TALES FROM THE CITY: New York
words JONATHAN T.D. NEIL It is a dangerous thing, writing What you couldn’t do, what you can’t
about Martin Creed, and I can no do, Creedie or no, is ask what the
longer do it. I’m quitting Creed, and point of it is – mostly because that
I will tell you why. Celebration or needs to be sung, usually by Creed
dismissal would seem to offer the only himself (‘what’s the point of it’ being
safe havens for comment, given that the single lyric for the Variety Show’s
the artist’s entire activity thwarts opening number – that is, if you don’t
any kind of real intellectual prying. count as the actual opening number
Creed’s late-March visit to New York the stage lights going on and off for
for two performances of his Variety the half hour it took the audience
Show managed to confirm this fact. to get settled into seats). Loyal
(There were two performances because Creedies will of course recognise that
the first one sold out so quickly that everything I have mentioned thus far
the Public Art Fund, which produced as being part of the Variety Show has
the show, decided a second would be already appeared in one form or another
necessary to satisfy Creed’s rapidly as one of Creed’s numbered Works,
growing fan base, aka Creedies.) which is simply the straightforward
and serial manner in which Creed self-
consciously tracks his own oeuvre
(itself a tongue-in-cheek nod to the What can one say about
artist’s entire career as one ongoing
serial ‘piece’; this is a very Creedie Martin Creed that has
manoeuvre).
not been or will not The Show thus takes shape as an
elaborate vehicle of self-quotation, soon be said by Creed
a literal rehearsal of Creed’s previous
‘acts’, his ‘greatest hits’, designed, himself? It seems to me
as Creed himself stated during the
performance, to do nothing except the answer is nothing,
please the audience, which of course
it does. But I am now a recovering which means Creed can
Creedie. Once entertained, my system
can no longer take the unremitting pre-have no critics
emption. Asked by a not-quite-Creedie
seated at my side to offer a brief take
on his work, I called it reticent.
A good description, I thought, right
Now, as for the Show, you could up until that moment during the Show
either love it or hate it. I’m when Creed, addressing the audience
ambivalent about whether you could directly about his general discomfort
be ambivalent about it, but I think with addressing the audience directly,
most people loved it; it was a Creedie- described himself as reticent.
heavy crowd, after all (Gavin Brown, Feeling neither proud nor reaffirmed,
or Public Creedie Number One, was in I thought to myself, ‘What can one say
attendance, as were others high up about Creed that has not been or will
in the pecking order of Creediness, not soon be said by Creed himself?’
Matthew Higgs included). Once the show It seems to me the answer is nothing,
was over, you could debate whether or which means Creed can have no critics.
not the young woman who gets sick in Or rather, you cannot be a critic of
the short clip of Creed’s Sick Film Creed, let alone a Creedie too, because
(2006) could really be expelling, there will simply be nothing for you to
let alone housing, that much material; say, quod erat demonstrandum (I think;
you could question whether Creed’s are Creedies supposed to know Latin?).
stuttering, giggling and, to a Creedie, In other words: what’s the point of it?
mostly endearing delivery was simply
a stage persona, an ‘act’ – which of
course it was (wasn’t it?); you could
choose favourite songs – here is one
exchange I overheard while making my
way out of the theater: “I liked Fuck
Off.” “Of course you would.” “I liked
I Feel Blue.” “Of course you would.”
Typical Creedie banter.
ARTREVIEW five.linzero.lin
48-50 new.indd 4 9/5/07 14:29:15
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116 Page 117 Page 118 Page 119 Page 120 Page 121 Page 122 Page 123 Page 124 Page 125 Page 126 Page 127 Page 128 Page 129 Page 130 Page 131 Page 132 Page 133 Page 134 Page 135 Page 136 Page 137 Page 138 Page 139 Page 140 Page 141 Page 142 Page 143 Page 144 Page 145 Page 146 Page 147 Page 148 Page 149 Page 150 Page 151 Page 152 Page 153 Page 154 Page 155 Page 156 Page 157 Page 158 Page 159 Page 160 Page 161 Page 162 Page 163 Page 164 Page 165 Page 166 Page 167 Page 168 Page 169 Page 170