Flash Art January-February 2000 (pg. 48-9)

 

Liz-n-Val, Feted-n-Validated

Liz-n-Val have been regulars of the New York art scene for years, first attracting attention in the 1980’s with self-advertising graffiti tags accompanied by copyrights, as if someone might possibly infringe upon their claim to be the true “Liz-n-Val.”  In recent years, the art team has operated a Museum of Something and Nothing in their SoHo loft, showcasing their work for anyone who happened to ring the buzzer.

Last year, their perennial drive for attention led to a performance project called Woof in which a prestretched 4 x 6ft. canvas was attached to a leash and taken for walks.  As documented on video, Woof was petted, praised and derised by passers-by as Liz-n-Val dragged it around New York.  Most embarrassingly for the art world, Woof elicited vapid comments from hipsters at gallery openings who looked past the artists for anyone else to talk to.

The brief career of Woof will be on view in February at Jef Bourgeau’s Museum of New Art in Pontiac, Michigan, which describes itself as the smallest museum in the world (one wonders if they have seen the Museum of Something and Nothing). 

The tattered remnants of Woof will be accompanied by a video of its adventures with Liz-n-Val, who have since moved on to their next project: having conquered Pontiac, the duo prepares to take on Hollywood by suing Steven Spielberg because one of their copyrighted murals appears briefly in his film “Batteries Not Included.”  (Grady T. Turner)