Andy Warhol had it right…the notion of celebrity speaks volumes about our culture and VoCA thinks it’s important to be aware of the implications. How will this change our culture in future?

Michael Jackson by Andy Warhol made the cover of Time. Image: timeinc.net

Some interesting notes:

Aside from whether heart attack or impending media pressure killed Michael Jackson, it took 18 minutes (!!!) for the story of his death to break. Jackson died at 2.26pm, LA time. At 2.44pm, TMZ informed the world of his death (more on that HERE.)

Click HERE for a slide show of Michael Jackson immortalized in art.

We have a celebrity American president whose officially sanctioned campaign poster by graffiti artist Shephard Fairey blurred the line between art, advertising and public relations, and artists who are fully fledged celebrities themselves (hello, Damien Hirst).

Shephard Fairey’s Obama Hope poster. Image: emilyhenderson.com

We have Toronto artist Jason Kronenwald, who shows with Le Gallery and whose celebrity portraits made from chewing gum are now part of an ad campaign…

Jason Kronenwald’s Gum Blonde is on the left. Image: marketingmag.ca

….And ad campaigns that resemble works by VoCA favorite Claes Oldenberg or the Happenings of Alan Kaprow and others….

2 advertising campaigns that bring ‘art’ into the world. Images: marketingmag.ca

Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Spoonbridge and Cherry, 1985-88.
Image: blogs.walkerart.org
1985-1988