‘Jack*%ss,’ From the Annals of TV History
Nick Haramis
May 06, 2008
In the 1970s, performance artist Chris Burden (pictured left) ordered his assistant to shoot him in the arm with a loaded rifle. It was an experiment that positioned pain and personal expression as bed partners. Almost three decades later, Johnny Knoxville made a name for himself by betraying his balls, and those of his idiot friends. Despite the masochism inherent in both of their performances, Burden and Knoxville are incongruous. Gallery owner Susan Inglett, however, might not agree.
Her New York art space will be unveiling “Jack*%ss” later this month. Its press release reads, “Lifted from the annals of MTV History, ‘Jack*%ss’ takes its title from the eponymous American television program featuring the stunts and pranks of a cast led by pop impresario Johnny Knoxville.” Somewhere, deep in the bowels of the Inglett Gallery, Susan and company are laughing about the “annals” of TV history. (And now, after reading this, they’re probably chuckling over “bowels.")
But, for Inglett, the exhibition cannot be reduced to a simple stunt pairing. On the contrary, her show explores the well-worn adage that genuine artists must suffer for their art. Featuring works by controversial shock artists like Burden, Vito Acconci, and the Bruce High Quality Foundation, “Jack*%ss,” not unlike its namesake, sure to please some and repulse others.
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