Art as spectacles

A teenager who left a pair of glasses on the floor of one of America’s biggest art galleries fooled scores of visitors into thinking it was an important work of postmodernist art. T.J. Khayatan, 17, and a group of his friends were visiting the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art last week when it struck them that while many of the works on show were impressive, a number were decidedly underwhelming – yet were being gazed at reverentially all the same. To test the theory that people will take anything seriously if it’s put on display in a major gallery, Khayatan took off his spectacles, left them on the floor and walked away. Soon, other visitors began to gather around the “work”, leaving a respectful distance as they pondered what…

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The Week United Kingdom (Digital) - 1 Issue, V. 1076

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