Bling Bling Meets Joseph Cornell

This is about the new encountering the old. The Chihuahua is a metaphor for a section of society today that convey “I am over it” when presented with an older, established, refined and informed point of view. Alternatively, would Joseph Cornell use Bling in his wonderfully considered assemblages!?

Details

Dimensions 14 x 16 x 47cm

Materials: Ceramic, decals, bling

Finalist Ergon Energy Art Award 2008 - Purchased for the permanent collection Rockhampton City Art Gallery

Comments by awards Judge, Mr Glenn Cooke, Research Curator, Qld Heritage - Qld Art Gallery

Butler had been working with lustre glazes for more than twenty years and has progressed to more sculptural forms such as this work. The work is quite tongue in cheek as it comments about instant celebrity and the superficial world of the media — think of Paris Hilton and her much photographed Chihuahua, ‘Bluebell’ — what has happened to the little dog in recent months . . . is this its memorial? . ‘Bling’ has crept into our language recently as adding flash and sparkle to appearances and then doubling it as indicated by the bejewelled plinth. Joseph Cornell is a well known American artist who enshrines found objects and sometimes prints of paintings and containers of memory.