Consumerism gets a regular kicking from artists, often painted as a social ill that reeks of greed, shallowness and manipulation. In the face of such critiques, the corporations responsible for pushing their goods down our throats cry all the way to the bank, as the saying goes, but they aren’t usually the real target of artistic snark anyway. That’s you and me, for being stupid enough to buy into the whole circus.
Tom Sachs is an artist who has a few sharp points to make about our love of consumption, but as he cheerfully concedes, he’s as complicit in the whole thing as the next man. “I eat at McDonalds,” he says. “I shop at Chanel. My girlfriend looks gorgeous in Chanel. There’s nothing like it. I love these places as much as I hate them for wrecking our world.” One can sympathise as regards women made more beautiful by a beautiful dress, although I fail to see what McDonalds adds to the world on any level. But the point is this: the more we are made aware of our behaviour, the more we can avoid becoming a victim of it. The New York artist is currently showing a selection of his sculpture at Lora Reynolds Gallery in Austin, Texas, which not only speaks to the issues of consumerism, but also showcase his fun-loving and accessible approach to art through pop and youth culture. Closing date for the show, entitled Nuggets, is 23 May.
Sachs fans will also appreciate his ode to the boombox,
the artist’s exploration of USA iconography,
and this space-inspired Nike collaboration.
Tom Sachs
Model Twenty Six, 2012
mixed media
20 x 47-5/8 x 12-1/2 inches
Tom Sachs
Untitled (‘I loved my sister’s Barbie so very much. My parents, afraid that I’d turn out gay,
encouraged carpentry. In secrecy, I made my own. It wasn’t love, only lust.’), 2013
plywood, hardwood, and Vectran
11-1/2 x 3-1/4 x 1-5/8 inches
Tom Sachs
Micro Boom, 2015
mixed media
12 x 10-1/2 x 4-1/8 inches
Tom Sachs
Brave, 2015
mixed media
11-3/4 x 22-3/4 x 10-1/2 inches
Tom Sachs
African American Express, 2015
titanium, porcelain, and mixed media
6-5/8 x 2-1/8 x 1 inches
Tom Sachs
Penguin, 2014
synthetic polymer paint, steel, plywood
34 x 30 inches
