Cult of Celebrity
ROOM 2
The focus of the second hall is the cult of celebrity and how people became and were turned into brands. Historically the artists painted gods and rulers, those who had power and/or money. Andy Warhol, King of Pop art innovatively started depicting the stars of his era, the actresses Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor and singers such as Elvis Presley using bright colours, silkscreen printing and rather big format. The seriality is directly linked to the consumer society and Warhol had his own studio called The Factory where with the help of his assistants, he made sure that the artworks reached as many people as any other goods did. Warhol himself was and is a brand and he is considered to be the first influencer as with his wigs he had a striking look, he was constantly in the public and he collaborated with different companies. Marilyn Monroe was already a famous actress and sex symbol, Warhol turned her into an immortal Pop art icon depicting her straight after her death. Warhol's Marilyns are facing artworks by Estonian artist Mall Nukke. Her Norma was made specifically for the PoCo museum and it stresses through the use of collage technique how the media turned an individual named Norma into a celebrity called Marilyn. Every generation looks up to celebrities in a sense, however the true feelings and thoughts of the person and the extent to which they reflect the image of the celebrity, are unknown.
Teise saali fookus on staarikultus ning see kuidas inimesed muutusid ja muudeti kaubamärkideks. Ajalooliselt maalisid kunstnikud jumalaid ja valitsejaid, neid kelle käes oli võim ja/või raha. Popkunsti kuningas Andy Warhol hakkas aga esmakordselt kujutama oma ajastu staare, näitlejaid nagu Marilyn Monroe ja Elizabeth Taylor ning lauljaid nagu näiteks Elvis Presley kasutades erksaid värve, siiditrüki tehnikat ja pigem suurt formaati. Teoste seriaalsus on otseselt seotud tarbimiskultuuriga ning Warholil oli oma kunstistuudio The Factory, kus ta abiliste toel tagas selle, et kunstiteosed kui kaup jõuaksid võimalikult paljude inimesteni. Warhol ise oli ja on kaubamärk ning teda peetakse esimeseks suunamudijaks kuna tal oli parukaid kandes silmatorkav välimus, ta oli pidevalt pildis ning ta tegi koostööd erinevate firmadega. Marilyn Monroe oli juba kuulus näitleja ja seksisümbol, Warhol muutis ta surematuks popkunsti ikooniks kujutades näitlejannat vahetult pärast tema surma. Warholi Marilynid on silmitsi kahe Mall Nukke teosega Marilynist. Mall Nukke “Norma” valmis spetsiaalselt PoCo muuseumi jaoks ning see rõhutab kollaažitehnika abil seda, kuidas meedia sünninimega Norma kurikuulsaks Marilyniks muutis. Iga generatsioon vaatab oma kuulsustele teatud mõttes alt üles, iseasi on see, kui palju on teada nende inimeste tegelikest mõtetest ja tunnetest ning mil määral peegeldavad nad staari kuvandit.
