Saturday, June 6, 2015

Renzo Martens and The Institute for Human Activities at Fons Welters

Renzo Martens and The Institute for Human Activities at Fons Welters
(link)

The fathomless villainy and flippancy with which Marten's conjured evil out of hats of kindness in Enjoy Poverty - in the end making us almost delight in the ability to manifest evil with ease and invert altruism to encompass its antithesis in a way even Ayn Rand never could - made him a nefarious star so dark that he himself, the handsomest bad boy on the block, competing with Wolfson for a mire of intentionality, couldn't handle it. And so in another reversal - not quite as spectacular as those that made Enjoy Poverty - Martens attempts a "gentrification" of the plantation wound he once salted. Like Tim Rollins and KOS the power of art as therapy expressive as well the as the monetary redirection it produces is used as a moral sword brandished, and good for everyone. But after Marten's toppling the altruism of everyone else he sets himself up here for the same, and you could use Marten's own premises, you could, say, recall the segment explaining horror sells better than happiness, and present the grimaces here, and raise your eyebrows high, you could and but who really wants to be that bad of a guy.