The Exhibit: Finding the Next Great Artist

This has to be the top show in its genre (vs Lego, play doh etc). It's marvelous to see such talented artist producing work with such speed, and while I rarely agree with the judging, It is nevertheless fascinating. To have such a diverse group of artists compete for what is a marvelous opportunity ( and a relatively small sum of money, considering the amounts art is auctioned for) is such diverse mediums is astonishing. Fabric vs print vs sculpture vs painting is incredible to watch, and I find myself without loyalty to any one artist, but to each individual work. Watch this if you get a chance, you will not be disappointed.

This is not the first series that has ever tried to "find the next great artist." Indeed, if you take the word "artists" in its broadest meaning, fashion competition shows could be included in this category, and it's that subgenre that this program most resembles. The focus is more on personality than art itself, and when art is highlighted, it's usually in the context of "message" and "concept," with beauty and craftsmanship relegated to the back of the room. Not that I think art has to be saccharine or oh-so-pretty. It can have an edge, certainly. It can challenge or unsettle rather than comfort, to be sure. But it should possess primal power and be well-excecuted. Most of the pieces produced here fail to provide either. The artists are, for the most part, third-rate or below; I thought only two of them -- and maybe a third -- produced work that was worth anyone's time. Three other participants were, if anything, caricatures. The judging is absurd, for the most part, and the lead host is the epitome of shallow pretention.