Foolishness, and the deflating sensation that a culture that once encouraged sublime beauty now only permits dopey jokes, is Mr. Cattelan’s stock in trade. But perhaps you will find more to appreciate in Mr. Cattelan’s work if you take note of two points: one formal, one social. Suspension via duct tape, in particular, has a history in Mr. Cattelan’s art. The banana should be seen in the context of this earlier work, which places the art market itself on the wall, drooping and pitiful. In which case you have already anticipated my second point: Mr. Cattelan directs these barbs at art from inside the art world, rather than lobbing insults from some cynical distance.

Source: International New York Times December 08, 2019 21:22 UTC