Sometimes just chalking stuff up to “pop culture” isn’t enough. We do that with reality TV, comic-book movie sequels and Justin Bieber.
But nothing really prepares us for what’s hitting town–actually St. Petersburg–next month under the guise of an art exhibition. A new gallery–Cory Allen Contemporary Art–is planning a show that will feature Los Angeles “artist” Jeff Hamilton’s (aka XVALA) prints on canvas of recently hacked celebrity photos.
Here’s gallery owner Allen’s take. “We’re not trying to do anything illegal, not posting or sharing or leaking. It was all found on Google. We don’t condone hacking. We have a message … it’s a dialogue about stolen property and privacy … This is a commentary on who we are today.”
Call it the art of exploitation–and disingenuousness. It’s who at least some of us are today.