Paul McCarthy: Rites of Masculinity
PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art, May Spring 2001, v. 23, no. 2, pp. 10-17
On the occasion of a 2000-2001 retrospective of Paul McCarthy's performance and installation work, the author reconsiders McCarthy's importance as a figure in contemporary art. Several of McCarthy's transgressive performances are discussed (e.g., Santa Chocolate Shop, in which Santa's elves "appear to be feeding/eating shit"), and McCarthy's creation of performances for stand-alone video works is addressed. The author evaluates McCarthy's darkly humorous and disturbing play with food, excrement, masculinity, and Disney iconography.
ITEM 2001.129 – available for viewing in the Research Centre
Videos, Artworks and Artists Cited
The Garden – Paul McCarthy
Sailor's Meat – Paul McCarthy
Santa Chocolate Shop – Paul McCarthy
Bossy Burger – Paul McCarthy
Mountain Bowling – Paul McCarthy
Whipping a Wall and Window with Paint – Paul McCarthy
Spit Face – Paul McCarthy
Class Fool – Paul McCarthy
Hot Dog – Paul McCarthy
Painter – Paul McCarthy
Heidi – Paul McCarthy
Pinocchio Pipenose Householddilemma – Paul McCarthy