A few nice celebrity images images I found:
Andy Warhol - rejected from the RomaEuropaWebFactory Prize
Image by xdxd_vs_xdxd "I am Andy Warhol. I could not participate to RomaEuropaWebFactory. A fake, a fake, what is a fake, anyway? Nothing is real, the only real things are the ones that you can reproduce, and make millions of them. Take a thing everybody knows, change it a bit, and claim it as yours. This is what our world is about. We can do it! This is what we should do. I am Andy Warhol. I could not participate to RomaEuropaWebFactory. Noone cares about originality. Originality is just too hard to define. Go to a supermarket, buy one of everything, and expose it in a gallery. This is what we should do. I am Andy Warhol. I could not participate to RomaEuropaWebFactory." Andy Warhol's appropriations of the images and of the media, performed by mechanically reproducing commercial products and celebrity images in silkscreens, smooth paintings and facsimiles, poetically expressed some of the most striking and relevant approaches to art of the 20th century. Andy Warhol's video was rejected from the videoart section of the RomaEuropa Web Factory. "This is not original work!" was the scream of the Jury. Andy Warhol now joined RomaEuropaFAKEFactory, here: www.romaeuropa.org
The Celebrity Persona
Image by vasta Anyone in whose daily commute takes them through the BCE Place Galleria in the Financial District has undoubtedly had the opportunity to see the wonderful photo exhibition, The Celebrity Persona, presented by Ryerson University as part of Contact 2007. Presenting digital reproductions of photos in Ryerson's Black Star Historical Black & White Photography Collection, The Celebrity Persona showcases images of famous icons throughout history that are unmediated and natural. In a society where celebrity is 'constructed' through premeditated photo-ops and unquestioned airbrushing, the exhibit is refreshing in the way it captures celebrities in an unprocessed and genuine manner. There were two things that resonated with me while experiencing the exhibit: the first, obviously, was the raw nature of the photographs. While all the photos were well-taken and professionally crafted, there was a sense of genuineness and unpretentiousness that permeated from the exhibit. Instead of standard biographical excerpts about each celebrity, the blurbs that accompanied the photos reflected the content of the photo itself and told me a bit about the personality of each of the pictured icons. The second thing that piqued my interest was how the exhibit dealt with the concept of celebrity itself. Instead of simply putting forward photos of the Lindsay Lohans and Paris Hiltons of the time, the exhibit meshed together scientists, politicians, actors, singers, royalty, inventors, dancers, painters, and authors from various time periods over the past century. Names like Janis Joplin and Erno Rubik sat next to Ernest Hemingway and Jacques Cousteau, making the conception of celebrity one that is fluid and diverse; The Celebrity Persona not only recognizes the difficulty in identifying what exactly makes a famous person, but forces the viewer to consider the question as well. Next time you're heading for a quick dinner at Richtree Market Restaurant or just passing through the district to visit your bank, be sure to check out the exhibit. The Celebrity Persona Allen Lambert Galleria at BCE Place 181 Bay Street, Toronto April 30 - May 25, 2007 Daily 8AM - 10PM
