How to Erase Appropriation Art

Fine Art News has an interesting pro-copyright article by Brian Sherwin. Sherwin calls the post-Cariou copyright decision the birth of the “new art movement,” De-Appropriation Art. Funny and witty? Yes, but of further import is his representation of appropriation art works be de-appropriated. Take a look at the images here. It’s hard to argue that the de-appropriated versions of Garnett’s, Prince’s, and Fairey’s infringing works are not actually better, in every sense of the word.

The de-appropriated versions are much more poignant and critical not only of copyright law, but more so of the subject matter they represent: guerrilla movements, painting, and of course, the by now obvious vacuum that is Barack Obama. In Garnett’s and Prince’s de-appropriated version, direct — and insightful — connections can now be made to the work of Gerhard Richter and Robert Ryman. And in fact, the Obama “blank/white” image is very timely, signifying not only the empty rhetoric of the last two years, but more so the absence of any “hope.” What’s left in the empty blank/white image is nothing but a logo, a trademark referencing the services and products of a shell with no substance, and by fiat, the manipulation of a willfully ignorant consumer base.

Tags: fair use, infringement, intellectual property, joy garnett, Patrick Cariou, post modernism, Richard Prince