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From: Sim Category: Exhibitions Date: 23 October 2006 Time: 08:01 AM Review: It's amusing but frustrating and strained curators imaginations are when it comes to shows and themes. I've been noticing for a long time now what appears to be increasing amounts of desperation. The usual and worse case examples are the familiar art block buster shows from a new angle. Monet's cats, his garden, his wife, trees, love of blue, green and yellow etc.. In the now the cracks are widening. There is the "me and my friends" type of show wherein a select group of art cronies amuse themselves to the delight of curators who indulge the school boy antics of the artist they esteem. Such shows could be something like Hurst and the Chapman brother's returning to school, painting a bus, giving money to the poor, painting their mothers. The faked thrill, danger exhibition. Five artists are invited to bomb The Tate bookshop and kidnap Nicholas Serrota (sponsored by HSB bank). Ten International artists are invited to urinate, scrawl graffiti and generally cause mayhem in the ICA's toilets as part of multi disciplinary, multi faith dialogue between disparate audiences, affected by issues of democratic expression. Then there is the obscure, similar to the above, where artists explore what it means to be an artist in the context of being an artist "engaged' in contemporary issues relating to art making. Anybody else had this experience? It's actually quite nice to see a show where you just see some art and you can make your mind up what's interesting. In the Pitt Rivers museum in Oxford the labeling is obscure and everything is crammed into Victorian style glass cases. But you open draws to see magical amulets, obscure religious objects and you feel thrilled to bits. Just some thoughts.