This is an easy game called “Is it art or advertising?”. Simply review the images and decide if you believe the projects shown to be art or advertising (or both).

Sometimes there may be only art, sometimes there may be only advertising, and sometimes one of each.

This game is inspired by the growing merger of aesthetics and commerce. As I realize that I am a targeted demographic for commercials using re-edited Roxy Music songs and Target ads that remind me of last years gallery shows, I begin to feel slightly uncomfortable. Is this is a mutually beneficial relationship for all involved? Is it bad to be inundated with higher level design and conceptual imagery on our billboards and buses even if its for corporate gain? What impact can public art projects have in taking over public spaces if their audiences can’t tell the difference between art and advertising? I can’t help but feel co-opted but maybe its just aesthetic evolution?

image via http://runway.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/09/in-the-raw/

image by George Heinrich

“Answers” will be listed in the comment section of this post next week.

Answers:

Image number one is… ART, although leads to an interesting collaboration between Juergen Teller and Marc Jacobs, an example of the cross pollination between the art world and fashion. Jacobs has been recently featuring ads with photographers and other collaborations from the likes of Juerger Teller and Cindy Sherman. Also in this category of art & fashion is the Chanel Mobil Art Project ( http://www.chanel-mobileart.com/ ). Part temporary installation, part gallery, part architecture, and part Chanel ad?

Image two…ART. This is an image from a recent project by Nancy Ann Coyne called Speaking of Home ( http://www.speakingofhome.org/ ). It was the first project of this scale to be exhibited in the Minneapolis skyway system. The project consists of a number of photographs contributed by recent immigrants. Coyne had the images printed on a beautiful translucent fabric (also a first for her fabricator) and mounted them along both sides of a commercial skyway along with text from the participants. The result was a thoughtful space in the midst of urban chaos, although I did ask a group of college students for their response to the piece and a few wondered from the street if it was some kind of new ad campaign for Benetton.