Con Artist

The art world is crazy. Art is one of those things that’s entirely subjective; at least to me it is (heh). And then there’s that idea of whether the art is actually the art or the act of creating the art is the real art. Like I said, it’s crazy. What’s art anyway? It’s clear that if you look around at the world today, everything you see is designed. EVERYTHING. No matter what it is, it was designed by someone, but does that mean that everything is art? Can art be manufactured? If an artist hires someone to come up with an idea for a painting and then hires someone else to paint it, is he the artist because he made it happen? I’m sure these things are greatly debated in the art world and there will never be an answer. So it goes back to subjectivity, because art is whatever you accept it to be.

The documentary “Con Artist,” follows the career of artist Mark Kostabi. Kostabi is one of the most contradictory characters I’ve ever seen, and he is really fascinating. He was a talented artist who was part of an artistic scene in the 80’s in New York. The most famous artist to come out of that scene was Jean-Michel Basquiat. But undoubtedly Kostabi was the most adept at understanding how to sell art. The commoditization of art just makes everything that much more ludicrous, and Kostabi understood the persona he needed to create to be able to sell paintings. One of the people interviewed in the film describes the cloak of irony that envelops Kostabi, until you don’t know where the persona ends and the real person begins. After major success, Kostabi developed the concept that he really need not be the person to actually create his own art, and somehow he can still claim it if he facilitates it. But soon enough he loses everything, and the film seems to capture him as he tries any way he can to reclaim his fame and his money… but more importantly his fame.

I found this film to be exceedingly interesting to think about. As the film transitions from his early success to the present it gets a little muddled, but the subject is so eccentric that it constantly keeps you guessing as to who this man really is. I did like how director chose to use a plastic backdrop during his interviews, as if what the people said would be so damning he needed to protect the things in the background. This film reminds me of another film called “The Art of Failure,” although they are almost polar opposites. But they are really two sides of the same Art coin. I would love to see a double feature with these two films back to back. This film really manages to capture the essence of this artist, even if what you perceive is only what Kostabi himself wants you to perceive. I’m not sure what the fate of this film will be, but it’s something worth seeing if you have any interest in art. If you hear about a screening, you should see it, and I imagine it will be out on DVD eventually and you can rent it. Maybe if the Ovation channel hears about it I can get that double feature I want so badly.