Great icons from the entertainment world are increasingly projecting their creative sensitivity beyond the classic borders, by deciding to interact more with the contemporary art environment. A recent example is given by Grimes, the Canadian singer who officially unveiled her talent as a visual artist.
Entitled "Selling Out", the online exhibition of Grimes will be viewable on the Maccarone Gallery sites and on the new digital platform Galleryplatform.LA - a project of the Gallery Association which is committed to giving visibility to galleries based in Los Angels. The focus of the exhibition will be a series of original drawings, prints, photographs, and moreover a conceptual work aptly called "Selling Out" - which inspired the show's title - a dark note that consists of a legal document in which Grimes declares to sell her own soul. As stated by the artist on Bloomberg: "I made art 10, 12 years before I ever touched a keyboard [..] I see myself as a visual artist first and foremost, and I've always felt strange that people know me for music [ ..] Also, I really wanted to collaborate with my lawyer on art. The idea of fantastical art in the form of legal documents just seems very intriguing to me. "
Her stylistic references are varied, from Japanese anime to comic artists such as Charles Burns and Daniel Clowes. In addition, Grimes created the covers of all the albums, her illustrations were already shown in various exhibitions at galleries and museums, including the Guggenheim in Bilbao. Grimes said that her intentions, before the Covid-19 emergency, would be to sell the soul's piece for 10 million but because of the times, she decided to sell it "At the best offer".
The online exhibition will also mark as the debut of Grimes' digital avatar, Warnymph, scanned from her body and created by analyzing the avatars of social channels. During the promotion of the fifth studio album, Miss Anthropocene, Grimes thought how it would be if an avatar could replace her presence on the stage. Created with her brother, Warnymph has his own Instagram and Twitter profiles and the artist plans to age him, kill him and regenerate him over time. Avatar prints range from $ 5,000 to $ 15,000, depending on size.
The famous gallerist Michele Maccarone, who founded the Maccarone Gallery in Los Angels in 2001, said that the price is related to the production costs: «I have evaluated the price logically, considering that the artist in question is emerging and is unprecedented in terms of sales ". Limited edition prints cost $ 500, ink drawings from $ 2,000 to $ 3,000. The works are not signed but a certificate of authenticity is provided. The exhibition is currently on view at Gallery Platform Los Angeles until June 3, and at Maccarone Los Angeles through August 31.