Let me first warn that these aren’t particularly pretty, but that isn’t the point. The point is that artist KATSU is remote-controlling a FLYING ROBOT that sprays paint!!!
Check out video clips of the process here.
For his current show at The Hole in New York, KATSU features a a vast range of work, including a grid of drone paintings titled “Marilyn” – a reference to Andy Warhol’s prints of the same name that also embrace errors of their production process (though in the drone works, that’s a bit of an understatement).
Installation view: KATSU, Remember the Future, at The Hole
As if to transform the gallery into his personal playground, the entire floor has been covered with a few inches of black rubber chips.
Marilyn 10, 2014
Marilyn 4, 2014
Marilyn 11, 2014
Marilyn 2, 2014
dronescape 3 (day), 2014
Two landscapes (or “dronescapes”) join the portraits like sloppier robot-controlled versions of Impressionist paintings.
Ceramic drone swarm, 2014-2015, with Vape sculpture, 2015
In the back of the gallery, a swarm of ceramic drone sculptures hang motionless from the ceiling. Every few minutes, a puff of fog shoots from the wall to form an indoor cloud that lingers mysteriously before dispersing throughout the gallery.
Ceramic drone swarm (detail) 2014-2015, with Vape sculpture, 2015
Now before the comment section explodes with arguments of whether or not this is a valid way to paint (or even “art” at all), consider two things:
First, if like me, you are under 60, you were born after Jackson Pollock died. I’m not saying that KATSU is the next Jackson Pollock, but I am saying that I’m too young to be offended or surprised by Pollock’s paintings. These drone paintings give me a chance to feel that uneasy mix of emotions: simultaneously fascinated by the future of the process (just imagine what this will do to graffiti) and yet I admit I’m a little irked by the idea of robo-collaboration and a greater divide between the painter and the canvas. And that’s really cool, because I can now stand in front of a Pollock, or Warhol, or Monet and really understand that “hey you can’t do that!” feeling.
Second, KATSU has a wicked sense of humor. He is famous for faking this video of himself vandalizing a famous Picasso painting at the Museum of Modern Art (yes, fake). Other works in the show include 3D printed handguns, portraits made with human feces, and a live feed of a video game he’s playing RIGHT NOW from an undisclosed location. And again, this is all viewed while standing on a rubber “playground” floor. My point is that this show will certainly change the world… but I wouldn’t take it too seriously.
What: KATSU: Remembering the Future
Where: The Hole, 312 Bowery, NYC
When: January 8 – February 22, 2015
Title image courtesy of The Hole, New York. All other images photographed by the author.
