"The Decline and Fall of the Art World, Parts i and II came about after ruminating on how much dysfunction exists in this galaxy, which I had sensed and experienced for years, as a gallerist, artist, and observer of the spectacle. There was an overriding feeling of discomfort, frustration, ennui - maybe even corruption - at every level of the industry: from the countless debt-ridden MFA students just leaving art schools, whom I had spoken to during stints as visiting critic, to mid-career artists, landlocked and mired in lack of financial and critical success, to even successful artists behaving like trained seals for the art-circus; from bewildered collectors no longer sure of what or why to acquire, to disillusioned gallery owners who had shuttered their doors after the recent (and perhaps ongoing) recession. No different than many other industries, the art world was showing signs of wear and tear, of existential angst and real self-destruction. Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold... The best lack all conviction, and the worst are full of passionate intensity. Yeats words still ringing true today (from "The Second Coming," 1919).
Part I: The One-Percenters featuring Karen Finley, Alex Gingrow, Loren Munk, Michael Scoggins, WIlliam Powhida & Jade Townsend
Part II: The Other 99% featuring Damien Crisp, Noah Lyon, Cristina de Miguel, and Laurina Paperina