Situation Comedy: Humor in Recent Art

in Publications

Admit it: you’ve sometimes wanted to laugh at contemporary art. The leveling power of humor in Situation Comedy is used to break down the barriers of taste and question authority at every turn. The comedic approaches employed by the artists in this exhibition range from existential wit to ridiculous slapstick, often serving as a foil for more substantive questions about current events, the human condition, and the art world itself.

Including a selection of video and sound installations, paintings, sculptures, drawings, and photographs by artists such as Christian Jankowski, William Pope.L, and ICI’s 2011 Leo Award winner, John Waters, Situation Comedy is as intellectually stimulating as it is funny. The book also includes an excerpt from “Me Talk Pretty One Day” by author David Sedaris. So go ahead. Laugh at contemporary art. We won’t judge.

—Recommended by Mandy Sa, Former Communications Manager

STAFF PICK Molon, Dominic and Rooks, Michael, Situation Comedy: Humor in Recent Art. Independent Curators International (ICI), New York, 2005. 72 pages, 32 color illustrations, 8 x 10 in., softcover. ISBN 0-916365-72-7. $22.95

Essay by Dominic Molon and Michael Rooks. Excerpt by David Sedaris.

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