October 21. 2010

The art of Facebook

Michael H. Hodges / Detroit News Arts Writer

Of the two shows up at Pontiac's Museum of New Art, the saucy-sounding "New Media, Sex, and Culture in the 21st Century" might be what gets you in the door. (It's well worth a peek.)

But what's likely to anchor you in place for a time is "The Facebook Show," a sprawling collage of 600 Facebook profile shots printed on paper the size of Post-it notes that's going to be a permanent installation.

MONA director Jef Bourgeau has populated this wall with friends, artists, gallery owners and a surprising number of big national names.

"Ordinarily, I would never approach someone like Damien Hirst," Bourgeau says of the celebrated British artist. But on Facebook, getting the right to use someone's picture was as easy as sending them a note or "friending" them — a strategy that also succeeded with art superstars David Hockney and Jeff Koons.

In other cases, Bourgeau approached perfect strangers whose profile pics grabbed him.

The result is a kaleidoscopic assemblage that has an intriguingly gossipy feel, each portrait seeming to open a window into a specific personality — a perfect metaphor for the new world of social media, in which we're all inclined to reveal far too much.

Who sits next to whom mostly had to do with chance, Bourgeau says, or with what looked good with what. But as MONA's mission is to exhibit local artists alongside national names, Bourgeau has done much the same here.

Hence, Detroit painter Taurus Burns hangs right next to Patrick Painter, one of the most important gallerists in Los Angeles — from a young artist's point of view, a most hopeful pairing.

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