- Venue
- Royal Academy of Arts
- Location
In this autumn, London has two exhibitions of young American art: The Uncertain States of America at the Serpentine Gallery is followed by the USA Today at the Royal Academy of Arts. The Serpentine Gallery exhibition provided a chaotic and challenging picture of multiple art activities and forms of the young US generation of little known artists. It made me curious and I looked forward to seeing the USA Today which is the larger one of the exhibitions.
USA Today includes 40 artists and over 150 new works of art. It represents the post 9/11 generation of artists who share pessimism about the Bush administration and live in a divided nation that combines patriotism with rebellion and is in war against terrorism. The artists address a range of topics such as inequality, population migration, environmental concerns, Islamic and black politics, sex, violence and consumer culture. The exhibition introduces a number of new talents. Kelly Walker’s Scheme: Aquafresh plus Crest with Whitening Expressions (Regina Hall, 2006) whitens the actress Regina Hall’s black image to a wider [white] audience. Josephine Meckseper’s C-prints and installations encourage the viewer to reconsider a range of topics from middle class lifestyle to Middle Eastern politics. Huma Bhabha’s sculptures are made of found materials and combine the fear of abjection with the fear of the other.
According to the press release of the exhibition, the alternative title for USA Today could be ‘Mapping America’. As opposed to the Serpentine Gallery exhibition that acknowledges the difficulty of defining styles and ideas while they are still in process, USA Today aims at making a decisive statement. Choosing the grand Royal Academy as its venue, the exhibition recalls the renowned Sensation exhibition of 1997. Both exhibitions are based on Charles Saatchi’s collection and new purchases. The Sensation exhibition transformed the art world of the 1990s, making young British art widely acknowledged and highly desirable. Saatchi is now refocusing on American art. Last time this happened in the 1980s, when Saatchi exhibited artists such as Donald Judd and Jeff Koons and Andy Warhol – now all celebrated heroes of art history. USA Today proposes and promotes a new trend of US art.
However, this is not another Sensation exhibition. In spite of some talent and challenging themes, most of the work is non-sensational and uninteresting. The exhibition is jointly curated by Charles Saatchi and Norman Rosenthal, and reflects Saatchi’s personal taste. After innovative years of buying installations and experimental art, Saatchi has returned to painting. Although the exhibition includes a few sculptures, installations and photographs, it hardly represents a realistic picture of multiple art forms engaged by the American artists of today. Film is one of the neglected areas, which is disappointing, because the films in The Uncertain States of America exhibition provided the most interesting body of art.
Next few years will show whether US art will be the next big thing in the art world. The exhibition USA Today is a disappointment. Although it includes some new and interesting talent, there is more to be seen than what is on display in the Royal Academy.
