ART FROM MONA with really brilliant titles

1 ART FROM MONA with really brilliant titles isn’t a really brilliant title. It isn’t a really brilliant idea, either. But we are pretty sure we’re on to something, nevertheless. You’re reading it, after all. We’ve printed lots of beautiful, classy books with essays by people with vastly more insight that me, but you didn’t buy those, did you?

You cheap bastard, you bought the fifteen-dollar souvenir instead of the classy eighty-dollar tome. Well the joke’s on you. We have bugger- all margin on the eighty-dollar tome, but this one cost us only a buck to print. And I think you’ve figured out already that it isn’t going to change art history. Nevertheless, you’ve shelled out the dough, so I have to write something.

As I said before ART FROM MONA with really brilliant titles isn’t a really brilliant title, but ART FROM MONA with really fucking brilliant titles would be a really fucking brilliant title. Unfortunately, no one would using ‘fucking’ in a title. Except Jon Pylypchuk (a really brilliant title). Jon’s work is called

it’s your obsession with fucking time machines that’s ruining our marriage. I with really brilliant titles would have loved a title like that. It would have given everyone the shits. ART FROM MONA

But I’m too polite.

I know what you’re thinking. I’ve been ripped off fifteen dollars, I’ve read this far, and all I get is this lame shit about being too polite to use a really fucking brilliant title. But if you’ve been to Mona before, you should know what to expect. All our lives we’ve given you nothing (except for a bit of plagiarism) and still you ask for more? Now Gilbert & George’s ALL MY LIFE I GIVE YOU NOTHING AND STILL YOU ASK FOR MORE has a really brilliant title. That’s why it’s in this book, obviously. I’ve bought artworks for the title (like it’s your obsession with fucking time machines that’s ruining our marriage) but I didn’t buy ALL MY LIFE I ALL MY LIFE I GIVE YOU NOTHING GIVE YOU NOTHING AND STILL YOU ASK FOR AND STILL YOU ASK FOR MORE, 1970 Gilbert & George MORE. That’s not because I’m not willing to buy art just because of the title. I am. It’s because I DON’T LIKE IT’S YOUR OBSESSION WITH FUCKING TIME MACHINES THAT IS RUINING OUR CAPITALS (neither does Pylypchuk). MARRIAGE, 2006 Jon Pylypchuk I think they’re impolite.

2 3 So Gilbert & George can stick ALL MY LIFE I GIVE YOU NOTHING AND STILL YOU ASK FOR MORE up their collective arse. I’ll take My Mind Made Me Do It (Again!) any day. Check out the delightful mix of capitals and lowercase in the title. What a really fucking brilliant artist. But I didn’t buy it just because of the title. I bought it because Sam Porritt (the fucking brilliant artist) is a really nice guy––he lent us some stuff for an exhibition (with a not particularly brilliant title ––The Red Queen––but a nice use of capitals) and he was crying poor. I don’t feel sorry for anyone else, but I felt sorry for Sam.

He is too polite.

I also feel sorry for you. You grubbed out of our eighty-dollar really fucking brilliant book and got lumbered with this chintzy piece of shit. We robbed

you blind. We should have called this rag A book from with really brilliant titles ART FROM MONA

Mona designed to exploit ignorant tourists looking for a rock-bottom priced but worth diddly-squat token to prove they’ve been to that lame flash-in-the-pan MY MIND MADE ME DO IT called Mona. Now that would have been a really (AGAIN!), 2010 fucking brilliant title (with bad capitals). You should

ART FROM MONA Sam Porritt with really brilliant titles complain, maybe bring in consumer protection, or ASIO (also with bad capitals) . . .

But you’re too polite.

—David Walsh

4 5 Sam Porritt MY MIND MADE ME DO IT (AGAIN!), 2010

6 7 Richard Wilson 20:50, 1987

8 9 EDUCATION DE TRICHOPTÈRE (THE OF THE CADDIS WORM) ( Hubert Duprat Hubert still ), 1998

10 11 12 13 – 20 Previous: Ryoji Ikeda Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes SUPERSYMMETRY [EXPEREINCE], 2014 ESTO ES PEOR (THIS IS WORSE), 1810

14 16 17 ), 1994 detail ), 2017

interior view Previous: James Turrell UNSEEN SEEN ( GREAT DEEDS AGAINST THE DEAD (

18 19

Jeff Gabel GOING TO STAY IN WILL BE DISCRETE ABOUT HIS BILL IF HE DECIDES PAY FOR PORN ON THEIR TV, 2007 ABOUT TAX CUTS IS PLAYING UP ON THE TV HIS WAY TO COUSIN’S WEDDING WHERE HE HAS BE AN USHER, EXPERTS OR SOMETHING, AND THEY ALL THINK THEY’RE COMEDIANS TOO, HE’S WONDERING IF THE HOTEL A GUY SITTING THERE AT THE AIRPORT BAR GETTING DRUNK DURING 4 HOUR LAYOVER WHILE SOME PROPAGANDA AD AND A BUNCH OF FUCKIN FRAT BOYS BEHIND HIM ARE TALKING LOUD & OUT TURN ABOUT BASKETBALL LIKE THEY’RE

20 21 – 93 Next: Wilfredo Prieto , 1988 UNTITLED (WHITE LIBRARY), 2008

22 23 24 25 YOU ASKED ME TO COME AND SEE YOUR ROUTINE, CALL THIS A FUCKING ROUTINE? BEAUTIFUL MIS-SHAPEN PURITY CLASHING EXCITEDLY OUTWARDS PAINTING, 1995 Jon Pylypchuk 2006

26 27

), 2006 Simon Starling CYCLOBOROS AUTOXYLOPYRO ​​​​​ ( stills

28 29 Cassandra Laing DARWIN’S GIRLS, 2006

30 31 ONE AND THREE BROOMS, 1965 Joseph Kosuth

32 33 BABYLONIA, 2005 Callum Morton

34 35 CLOACA PROFESSIONAL, 2010 Wim Delvoye

36 37 ALL MY LIFE I GIVE YOU NOTHING AND STILL ASK FOR MORE, 1970 Gilbert and George Gilbert

38 39

), 2008 detail Stephen J Shanabrook ON THE ROAD TO HEAVEN THE HIGHWAY TO HELL ( ON THE ROAD TO HEAVEN

40 41 – 7 Stephen J Shanabrook THE MOTH COLLECTION, 2003

42 43 Jeff Gabel LIFE, HAS BEEN LOST, IS STILL IN THE CRAPPER, 2012 AT DIRECTION & OUTLOOK SHIFT, SERIOUS ADJUSTMENTS AS WELL PRODUCTIVE CRISES AND PERIODS OF DESPAIR, OPPOSITE, AND BY NO MEANS ALONE, STILL NOW, AFTER MANY ATTEMPTS, SOME SUCCESSFUL, THROUGH THE YEARS FINDS THAT HIS LIFE, NOW LONG AFTER THIS PHOTO, LIKE SO MANY OTHER THREADS TO PARTS OF HE LOOKS, BOTH HERE IN THE PHOTO AND STILL TODAY, HAS NEVER REALLY BEEN UNLUCKY, ACTUALLY MUCH A SORRY FUCKER ON AN OLD, ABOUT 30-YR.OLD, MAYBE 1979, 80, 81? PHOTO, WHO, THOUGH NOT NEARLY AS STUPID

44 – 60 IN THE REALMS OF UNREAL, 1950 also known as Henry Darger WAR STORM, CAUSED BY THE CHILD SLAVE REBELLION: WAR STORM, CAUSED BY THE CHILD SLAVE THE STORY OF VIVIAN GIRLS, IN WHAT IS KNOWN AS REALMS UNREAL, GLANDECO-ANGELINNIAN

46 47 MATRIX, 1999

48 49 ), 1975 still Next: gelitin Marina Abramović LOCUS FOCUS, 2010 ART MUST BE BEAUTIFUL, ARTIST BEAUTIFUL (

50 51 52 53 MEMORIAL TO THE SACRED WIND Jean Tinguely or THE TOMB OF A KAMIKAZE, 1969

54 55 Nell EVERYDAY HAPPINESS, 2010

56 57 Marina Abramović / Jake and Dinos Chapman / Mat Collishaw / Henry Darger / Wim Delvoye / Hubert Duprat / Jeff Gabel / gelitin / Gilbert & George / Damien Hirst / Ryoji Ikeda /

Joseph Kosuth / Cassandra Laing / Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes / ART FROM MONA with really brilliant titles Callum Morton / Nell / Sam Porritt / Wilfredo Prieto / Jon Pylypchuk / Jenny Saville / Stephen J Shanabrook / Simon Starling / Jean Tinguely / James Turrell / Richard Wilson

58 59 LIST OF WORKS 2015.010 Mona 1/16 Pigment inkonpaper,edition where helivesandworks Born 1979,,England, Sam Porritt 2010 (AGAIN!) MY MINDMADEMEDOIT 7 60 Private collection 193 x73cm;cm Mixed media,twopanels London, England England; liveandworkin Tor, Italyand1942inPlymouth, de Born 1943inSanMartin andGeorge Gilbert 1970 ASK FORMORE NOTHING ANDSTILLYOU ALL MYLIFEIGIVEYOU 3, 38–39 2007.163 Mona 43 x45cm Mixed media Angeles, CA,USA Canada; livesandworksinLos Born 1972,Winnipeg,MB, Jon Pylypchuk 2006 MARRIAGE THAT ISRUININGOUR FUCKING TIMEMACHINES IT’S YOUROBSESSIONWITH 2 2013.006 Mona Etching Bordeaux, France Aragón, Spain;died1826, Born 1746,Fuendetodos, Lucientes Francisco JosédeGoyay 1810–20 (‘The DisastersofWar’ as ‘LosDesastresdelaGuerra’ Plate 37fromtheseriesknown WORSE) ESTO ESPEOR(THISIS 15 2015.066 Mona Room 400x12002500cm computers, loudspeakers 40 DLPprojectors,41 Kyoto, Japan and worksinParis,France Born 1966,Gifu,Japan;lives Ryoji Ikeda 2014 [EXPERIENCE] SUPERSYMMETRY 12–13 oftheartist Courtesy Length ofthecase2.5cm Gold, opal,pearls and worksinClaret,France Born 1957,Nérac,France;lives Duprat Hubert 1980–1994 ITS CASE (TRICHOPTERA LARVAWITH d’exposition) AVEC SON ÉTUI LARVE DETRICHOPTÈRES COVER, 10–11 2015.071 Mona Dimensions variable Used sumpoil,steel where helivesandworks Born 1953,London,England, Richard Wilson 1987 20:50 8–9 [exhibitionview]) (vue ) 2017.066 Mona Sphere diameter600cm program and metal,LEDlightaudio Meditation sphere:fibreglass Flagstaff, AZ,USA USA; livesandworksnear Born 1943,LosAngeles,CA, James Turrell 2017 (interior view) UNSEEN SEEN 16–17 277 x244152cm Mixed media and workinLondon,England England and1962,London;live Born 1966,Cheltenham, Jake andDinosChapman 1994 DEAD ( GREAT DEEDSAGAINSTTHE 18–19 detail )

2007.157 Mona hardboard) Pencil onclayboard(primed USA lives andworksinBrooklyn,NY, OR,USA; Born 1968,Portland, Jeff Gabel 2007 FOR PORNONTHEIRTV BILL IFHEDECIDESTOPAY WILL BE DISCRETE ABOUT HIS HE’S GOINGTOSTAYIN WONDERING IFTHEHOTEL COMEDIANS TOO,ANDHE’S THEY ALLTHINKTHEY’RE OR SOMETHING,AND LIKE THEY’REEXPERTS TURN ABOUTBASKETBALL TALKING LOUD&OUTOF FRAT BOYSBEHINDHIMARE AND ABUNCHOFFUCKIN HE HASTOBEANUSHER, COUSIN’S WEDDINGWHERE THE TVONHISWAYTO TAX CUTSISPLAYINGUPON PROPAGANDA ADABOUT LAYOVER WHILESOME DRUNK DURINGA4HOUR THE AIRPORTBARGETTING A GUYSITTINGTHEREAT 21 2006.066 Mona 232.8 x31313.5cm boxes Cibachrome mountedon15light London, England England; livesandworksin Born 1966,Nottingham, Mat Collishaw 1988–93 BULLET HOLE 22–23 Diameter 366.5cm electric motor Gloss enamelpaintoncanvas, England andinBaja,Mexico Devon, England,inLondon, and worksnearCombeMartin, Born 1965,Bristol,England;lives Damien Hirst 1995 PAINTING EXCITEDLY OUTWARDS PURITY CLASHING BEAUTIFUL MIS-SHAPEN 27 2006.056 Mona Dimensions variable Mixed media Angeles, CA,USA Canada; livesandworksinLos Born 1972,Winnipeg,MB, Jon Pylypchuk 2006 ROUTINE? YOU CALLTHISAFUCKING AND SEEYOURROUTINE, YOU ASKEDMETOCOME 26–27 2008.024 Mona chairs newspapers, shelves,tablesand 5000 whitebooksand Cuba, andBarcelona,Spain Cuba; livesandworksinHavana, Born 1978,SanctiSpíritus, Wilfredo Prieto 2004–6 UNTITLED (WHITELIBRARY) 24–25 EA3.a-c-1979 Purchased 1979 Melbourne National GalleryofVictoria, and screenprint Gelatin silverphotograph,broom and London,England lives andworksinNewYork,USA Born 1945,Toledo,OH,USA; Joseph Kosuth 1965 ONE ANDTHREEBROOMS 32–33 2007.069 Mona 120 xcm charcoal onpaper Graphite (graphitestick)and Australia, where she died in 2007 Born 1968,Melbourne, Cassandra Laing 2006 DARWIN’S GIRLS 31 neugerriemschneider, Berlin and oftheartist Courtesy approximate duration00:04:00 slide projector; Götschmann medium-format 38 colourtransparencies, Denmark lives andworksinCopenhagen, Born 1967,Epsom,England; Simon Starling 2006 BOROS ( AUTOXYLOPYROCYCLO- 28–29 stills )

61

LIST OF WORKS OF LIST LIST OF WORKS 62 2008.065 Mona Dimensions variable edition 6/6 bomber castindarkchocolate, Remnants ofthesuicide Russia York, NY,USAandMoscow, USA; livesandworksinNew Born 1965,Cleveland,OH, Stephen JShanabrook 2008 (detail THE HIGHWAYTOHELL ON THEROADTOHEAVEN 40–41 2009.023 Mona Dimensions variable Mixed media lives and works in Ghent, Belgium Born 1965,Wervik,Belgium; Wim Delvoye 2010 CLOACA PROFESSIONAL 36–37 2006.037 Mona 320 x1300750cm and sound acrylic paint,light,carpet,mirror Wood, polystyrene,epoxyresin, Australia and worksinMelbourne, arrived 1967inAustralia;lives Born 1965,Montreal,Canada; Callum Morton 2005 BABYLONIA 34–35 )

2012.013 Mona Pencil onpaintedboard USA lives andworksinBrooklyn,NY, OR,USA; Born 1968,Portland, Jeff Gabel 2012 STILL INTHECRAPPER HIS LIFE,HASBEENLOST,IS SO MANYOTHERPARTSOF MANY OTHERTHREADSTO AFTER THISPHOTO,LIKESO THAT HISLIFE,NOWLONG PERIODS OFDESPAIR,FINDS PRODUCTIVE CRISESAND ADJUSTMENTS ASWELL OUTLOOK SHIFT,SERIOUS THE YEARSATDIRECTION& SUCCESSFUL, THROUGH MANY ATTEMPTS,SOME ALONE, STILLNOW,AFTER AND BYNOMEANS MUCH THEOPPOSITE, BEEN UNLUCKY,ACTUALLY AND HASNEVERREALLY PHOTO ANDSTILLTODAY, LOOKS, BOTHHEREINTHE NEARLY ASSTUPIDHE WHO, THOUGHNOT MAYBE 1979,80,81?PHOTO, OLD, ABOUT30-YR.OLD, A SORRYFUCKERONAN 45 2008.067 Mona 49 x61.55cm crack use Remnants fromheroinand Russia York, NY,USAandMoscow, USA; livesandworksinNew Born 1965,Cleveland,OH, Stephen JShanabrook 2003–7 THE MOTHCOLLECTION 42–43

Everything, London Collection oftheMuseum 45.7 x114.3cm paper, double-sided ink, pencilandcollageonpieced Watercolour, carbontracing, where hediedin1973 Born 1892,Chicago,IL,USA, Henry Darger 1950–60 sided page) OF THEUNREAL also knownas CHILD SLAVE REBELLION; WAR STORM,CAUSEDBYTHE GLANDECO-ANGELINNIAN OF THEUNREAL, KNOWN ASTHEREALMS VIVIAN GIRLS,INWHATIS THE STORYOF 46–47 2009.028 Mona Dimensions variable including lavatoryandmirrors Mixed mediainstallation live andworkinVienna,Austria born 1971,Munich,Germany;all Pölten, Austria;TobiasUrban, Florian Reither,born1970,St born 1970,Salzburg,Austria; Mistelbach, Austria;AliJanka, Wolfgang Gantner,born1968, gelitin 2010 LOCUS FOCUS 51 214 x304cm Oil oncanvas England andPalermo,Italy lives andworksinLondon, Born 1970,,England; Jenny Saville 1999 MATRIX 48–49 IN THEREALMS (onedouble-

Abramović Archives oftheMarina Courtesy 2008.078 Mona 1 Hour Copenhagen, Denmark Festival, Charlottenberg Art Performance New York,NY,USA (now Serbia);livesandworksin Born 1946,Belgrade,Yugoslavia Marina Abramović 1975 (still) ARTIST MUSTBEBEAUTIFUL ART MUSTBEBEAUTIFUL, 52–53 2010.028 Mona 9 x1310cm edition 1/5 Chrome-plated bronze, Sydney, Australia Australia; livesandworksin Born 1975,Maitland,NSW, Nell 2010 EVERYDAY HAPPINESS 56–57 WIND MEMORIAL TOTHESACRED 54–55 2015.021 Mona 190 x552321cm electric motors belts, metalwheelsandbars, Iron-plate base,wood,rubber Switzerland Switzerland; died1991,Bern, Born 1925,Fribourg, Jean Tinguely 1969 KAMIKAZE or THETOMBOFA

© Nell Tinguely. ADAGP/CopyrightAgency,2018;56–57 © gelitin;52–53MarinaAbramović;54–55Jean rights reserved.DACS/CopyrightAgency,2018;51 Copyright Agency2018;48–49©JennySaville.All 45 ©JeffGabel;46–47HenryDarger.ARS/ andGeorge;40–43©StephenJShanabrook; Gilbert 36–37©WimDelvoye;38–39 © CallumMorton; Joseph Kosuth.ARS/CopyrightAgency,2018;34–35 28–29 ©SimonStarling;31CassandraLaing;32–33 All rightsreserved,CopyrightAgency&DACS2018; © JonPylypchuk;27DamienHirstandScienceLtd. 23 ©MatCollishaw;24–25WilfredoPrieto;26–27 DACS/Copyright Agency,2018;21©JeffGabel;22– 16–17 ©JamesTurrell;19Jake&DinosChapman. Porritt; 8–9©RichardWilson;12–13RyojiIkeda; andGeorge;5,7©Sam Pylypchuk; 3©Gilbert Agency, 2018.Image:H.DelOlmo;2©Jon Duprat.ADAGP/Copyright Cover, 10–11©Hubert notobtained. inadvertently from anycopyrightholderwhompermissionwas publication. Thepublisherwelcomescommunication permission tousecopyrightmaterialinthis hasbeenmadetoobtain Every reasonableeffort

63 PICTURE CREDITS PICTURE ART FROM MONA with really brilliant titles 64 and subsequentamendments. under theCopyrightAct(1968) publisher, exceptaspermitted permission inwritingfromthe retrieval system,withoutprior other informationstorageand photocopying, recordingorany or mechanical,including form orbyanymeans,electronic reproduced ortransmittedinany of thispublicationmaybe All rightsreserved.Nopart All texts©theauthors ©theartists All artworks 2018 © MuseumofOldandNewArt mona.net.au Australia Tasmania 7011 655 MainRoad,Berriedale Museum ofOldandNewArt Published in2018by places. exhibition loansfromother for temporaryevents,orwere collection, werecommissioned collection, wereinMona’s that areinMona’spermanent This publicationincludesartworks Asia PacificOffset PRINTED INCHINABY Splitting ImageColourStudio COLOUR REPRODUCTION Peter Whyte Jesse Hunniford Remi Chauvin PHOTOGRAPHERS Linda Michael COPYEDITOR Olivier Varenne Jarrod Rawlins Elizabeth Pearce Jane Clark Nicole Durling CURATORS Siân Scott-Clash PUBLISHER David Campbell CONCEPT &DESIGN David Walsh GOD