24 June - Art Again

We're on the street eating something and millionaire ex TV person now visual artist ex colleague of Toph goes past and stops for a hello. Upon enquiring about what he's up to, he says he's off to Venice with his work. So Toph asks 'For the Biennale?' and GF says yes.
I'm thinking surely not, it's G&G who are the UK entry (or was that two years ago? and it's Tracey Emin now) but certainl ynot GF. I'll check later but Biennale my arse, maybe he's exhibiting in Venice DURING Biennale, but why give the impression you’re part of it? It's a major distinction he should make.

Toph comments he bought his way in perhaps and that’s what happens if you’re heir to a supermarket fortune and then become a visual artist? I say, you're right, and why resent nepotism or what money can buy you if you have some to use? After all for all I know Mr top Dentist in the whole of Dulwich is probably busy making it easy for his son to become the next top dentist. Toph and I (and a large proportion of our friends) have got to stop resenting the fact we didn't have anyone to pick up the phone for us at crucial times and say 'Give my boy a job will ya? I'll pay you back the favour or here's a wad of money just don't tell him that's the reason he's getting the job or his pride will be hurt'.

Later that evening we're in Hoxton for an art show that's been sold to us thus 'You must come, something something Schnabel, and Kate Moss will be there and all manner of gossip pages model fodder'. Who's the artist I asked... 'can't remember' was the reply. But since it's an opportunity to catch up with Shoreditch friends since we can extend the invitation, we're going.
Upon arrival it all makes sense. It's not Julian Schnabel anything, but it's his son, Vito who's presenting/representing this young New Yorker who paints and makes sculptures of the scatological humorous variety and sells from between £3 to £25k. Which is not unreasonable. Turns out he's the son of a famous NY art critic. But I still can't remember his name. I like some of them, mini scenes a la Lachapelle, full of details and irony but the 12 year old son of a friend finds the turd ones funnier. But of course.

No Kate Moss that I can see but maybe she came and went since that paparazzo something Young is on hand with his camera. But there's Alice Dellal and her brother. Oh wait, it says here that the gallery is owned by their millionaire property developer dad. So no wonder it's well attended and there's that guy who runs the Royal Academy these days.
So it's a classic example of something that in Italy goes under the following category 'They make it and they eat it'. Meaning the whole shebang is self supporting from within a very close circle of people. I wonder how my friend I asked along, curator of shows where art sells for £100, feels about all this, since w/o being able to phone magazines etc and mentioning the list of names that will draw any attention to you (schnabel/moss/dellal in London or Schnabel/Wintour/Keef Richards' daughters in NYC, who's going to come to your show? and if the press don't record it, it's like it neve happened? and if your name doesn't link to other names, why buy you?

Later on I do go and check the Biennale site extensively for traces of our millionaire visual artist and I find none. It was ... exhausting, since I started going off on tangents to see who the entry was for Japan, for Croatia and so on. In our limited 16 hour lives one can only really go into one subject or two. Brain/time not enough to cross over many. I simply have to give up spending time on Art since I'll never really care enough. And cinema. I just have more than a passing knowledge in the field of music and that's that.