The show may be called Work of Art: The Next Great Artist, but during last night’s second episode, it found the Next Great Nap-Taker. That would be Miles, the self-described installation artist who, puffy-eyed from lack of sleep, installed himself on the bed he’d made as part of the night’s art project and dozed quietly while the judges and a crowd of gallery-attendees strolled around him.
The task this week was to make art out of an “appliance graveyard” — contestants chose from mounds of discarded old TVs, computer monitors and keyboards, wooden boxes, wiring, and such. This was as different from last week’s challenge (painting a portrait) as possible, and promised to show the range of the contestants. Miles, who’d won last week’s competition, decided to use his insomnia as inspiration, fashioning a bed flanked on either side by what he called “two concrete a–holes,” and he wasn’t talking about getting a pair of BP oil executives to join him.
Far too many of the Work of Art folks glommed onto discarded television sets to make what Nicole so inelegantly said were “like, references [to] American culture.” Proving the age-old notion that artists should avoid trying to make art with a message and just concentrate on the art-making, we got a lot of installations or sculptures that tried to show the banality of TV culture: yawn. Trong, who’d been positioned as the New York art-world insider with the show’s coolest haircut, went remarkably limp in the creativity department. He slathered four TVs with white paint, wrote trite phrases on them such as “I Hate Reality TV!” and presented it to the judges as “television having a conversation with itself.” Oh, puh-leeze; as judge Jerry Saltz said, this was “self-referentiality up the wazoo.”
The guest judge was artist Jon Kessler, introduced by one of the contestants as “the man” when it comes to installation art and kinetic sculpture. Let’s look at a bit of his work, shall we?:
In the end, Miles and his gray a–holes won (second week in a row for the pleasingly eccentric Miles), and Trong got the boot. I’d say it was difficult to pick the worst. Certainly Jaime Lynn, with her prettily bright-colored painted vacuum that looked like a department-store window display, was a close second for banality. I guess it was Trong’s pretentiousness combined with his banality that was the determining damnation.
A few things are already becoming clear:
• Clearly, this show needs to be better edited. The biggest moment of drama was allowed to slip by almost unnoticed. During the judging, Miles inserted his own opinion of Trong’s piece among the judges’: “This piece is distractingly boring,” Miles moaned to Trong. Say what? When was the last time you saw a reality-show competitor condemn another’s work during the judges’ comments? Yet except for a few raised eyebrows, this moment went unremarked.
• Judge Saltz proved again this week he has the brains and the gumption to state his praise and his reservations in the clearest of language. Looking Jamie Lynn straight in her baby-blues, he said, “I actually think that you’re not creating art here.” And he was, of course, correct.
• “Mentor” Simon de Purey is no Tim Gunn, so far. He walked from artist to artist as they crafted their pieces and said, “What are you trying to do here?” Given the inevitably vague answer, he smiled and said some variation on, “You’ve got a lot of work to do!” or “Most fascinating!” If any bunch of reality show competitors needs to be told, “You’ve got to clarify your idea!” and “I don’t think that works at all,” it’s this group. Let’s put more meat in the mentoring, shall we, Simon?
What did you think of the second week of Work of Art?
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I noticed that comment with Miles too. It would have been great to see the other competitors have more to say about each others pieces. I went to art school and that’s what you do in a crit, talk about your work and each others work as well… although Miles comment seemed to be more of a insult than constructive criticism.
I thought he was going to excuse himself because he was ready to pass out or something when he kept raising his hand. He looked awful.
I was shocked. I kept saying “Can he do that?” I have never seen a contestant on one of these shows interrupt the judging before. If it is allowed, they should clarify that.
@KC In art school, it’s alright to critique eachother’s work. But I don’t think it’s appropriate in a competition. For all we know, Miles may have had a beef with Tron so he criticized his work due to a personal issue. Or, maybe Miles felt threatened by Tron so he wanted to get him eliminated. Either way–it’s still a bad idea. I don’t think Tron should’ve gone. IMO, I felt the old lady’s work was the weakest. But it appeared the judges were being easy on the old lady. I also felt that Miles’ work was not the best. I felt both his bed and the vacuum cleaner could’ve been placed in a department store display windows. I got nothing from Miles’ work. I actually thought the TV Grave was the best work of art.
I love Miles but that comment was just a tad harsh and inappropriately timed. I think Jamie Lynn should have been the one to go.
Don’t be so hard on Miles. He’s autistic and many autistic people are driven to be honest at all times. I think Miles lacks the ability to edit his reactions. He makes it true but not necessarily kind, to somewhat negate a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson. lol
I think you are both wrong. Miles is the kind of person who likes to take people off their pedestals. I think Miles saw Tron at being pretentious and trying too hard with his piece. Just like when he asked SJP who she was because she often is a known face. Also, everyone else was so excited for her being there… He most likely was feeling rebelious. I like that he doesnt seem to care if he wins or losses.
i was so uncomfortable when miles spoke up! it totally couldve been played out for more drama on the show. i was really surprised trong was cut because i felt like not only did he have a lot of potential but as a “character” on a reality show he was so interesting.
Having been in the art world, I can say that although Art is subjective, Miles should not have won. I really didn’t see ANYTHING from the junkyard in his piece, and the ONLY thing that piece said to me was that he wanted to take a nap. I think the tv archaeology project should have won (even Simon “got it” when he came in to see how they were doing and she wasn’t even close to completed.) I also think the old lady should have been booted. I didn’t like her first piece. She seems to have these “p*$$y” pieces as an ongoing theme and she shoe horned it into the first task when it really had NOTHING to do with the gal who she was supposed to be representing. And this time, it just looked like she arranged some wires on a table. It wasn’t sculpture, it was lazy…as was Miles’ piece.
Totally agreed.
I don’t see how the old chick’s “Proud Pu$$y” had nothing to do with that girl. She had no less than two different works clearly referencing her pu$$y
I like Miles’ piece, but I was thinking the same thing about not seeing anything from the junkyard.
I agree with you and am starting to question this show. Even before the first episode ran, I noticed that most of the commercials included a sound bite from Miles. I’m already predicting that he’s going to win the series because it seems like he can do no wrong in the judge’s eyes. I’m even starting to wonder if the show is rigged in his favor? If we’ll find out sometime long after the first season has ended that Miles’ agent was an exec producer for the show (something similar happened on the second season of Last Comic Standing)?
I also totally agree. I liked the TV Grave the best, and I liked the old lady’s work the least. As I said before, Miles’ bed was just like the vacuum and both could’ve been in a department store’s display windows. I got nothing from Miles’ work except that he was exhausted. Big deal. I liked the texture of the TV Grave.
the proud pu$$y thing is such a bad rip off of andy warhol’s own pu$$y series.
I think the judges made it Very clear that reality TV is not to be criticized. Trong’s piece was a direct challenge to the idea of the show and and its audience, so they shut him down. And it drove me crazy how they kept saying there wasn’t any of “him” in the piece. Not every work is a self-portrait. Why can’t they move beyond the portrait? I think most of the contestants need to go back to art school and take a sculpture class- it was pathetic.
That’s an excellent point! I’m betting it never occurred to Trong when he was creating his piece that he was in essence biting the hand that could feed him. And I DID get a sense of Trong in the piece, because it made me think he doesn’t personally care for reality TV shows. (Of course maybe Trong’s like me and distinguishes between shows like Work of Art, Project Runway and Top Chef, and reality shows like The Bachelor/Bachelorette, Big Brother, Real Housewives, etc.)
I don’t think Trong was challenging anybody including himself. He was being lazy and expecting to get by on his insider status. I liked Trong, but his piece was dismal and annoyingly “insider”.
I think Trong’s piece was too much of a “cheap shot” at the whole project of Work of Art. He really was rubbing it in the judges faces and they used their tools back at him…and in this context I don’t blame them. Plus his piece didn’t show much technical or artistic effort/skill.
Overall I would like to see more of what the other artists are doing as well.
I agree. I actually think Miles is petulant, self absorbed, calculating, narcissitic, and I’m not convinced he has OCD. How could he actually sleep in a strange place if he really did have OCD. You would not catch Howie Mandel sleeping, with all those germs floating around, no way. Now there’s a guy who becomes so uncomfortable with even fist bumps that he looks as if his skin will crawl.
No Miles is working the camera and the audience. Is he talented, yes, is he genius, no way. Is he a smart double A holed brat, yes. Even the comments he made to SJP, jerk, when you don’t know someone.
I too thought Trong kind of was saying Ki$$ this, alhtough he did it in a typically Asian way. Which is to not make too much hupla about the fact that he’s completely telling you #^$$#Q (#Q))#(#( and *#($*%##. You can tell when he said ‘Hey, people who get me get me, I’m going to just keep my dignity’.
Miles is busy show boating and getting a lot of attention for being loud, inconsiderate, and creating fumes to suffocate the rest of the contestants. While he wears a mask, now that is brilliant. Make sure the others expire and you’ve got it in the bag. At the very least chase them from the room where they are working or make them so high on toxic fumes that they paint brightly colored flat landscapes on vacum cleaners and walls.
b — You are confusing OCD with mysophobia. Howie Mandel has mysophobia which is a fear of germs. OCD on the other hand is short for “obsessive compulsive disorder” which is marked by obsessiving thinking and compulsive disorders. Such as the desire to straighten and alphebetize. A lot of people with OCD are also extremely anxious.
Still doesn’t explain why Miles feels the need to be such a d-bag.
Ally, contamination fears are one of the most common ailments among people with OCD — they often have to wash their hands every time they come in contact with something or someone, use paper towels to keep a barrier between them and anything they touch, and have to live in a completely untouched, rigidly-clean environment. OCD has many forms — the irrational thought that leads to the compulsive behavior can be about absolutely anything. Miles’ so-called “OCD” is about needing to organize, which doesn’t sound like OCD at all. His insomnia is something altogether different.
How can something be “distractingly” boring? I found Miles’ work to be aesthetically pleasing in a minimalist way (read: simple), which is probably why he keeps winning, as opposed to Nao’s goofy monstrosities. The judges like his stuff on a base, visual level, then BS their way to rationalize it as “good” art. There’s nothing that “reveals the artist” in that stupid pillow, apart from Miles’ own commentary. And using concrete forms with a screen print is completely avoiding the instructions of using junkyard objects to create a sculptural piece. As much as Trong’s falling back on artworld insiderism, Miles is falling back on his rote processes.
Eric, that is hilarious… “distractingly boring” is an oxymoron!
The mentor doesn’t seem to do much mentoring, but I LOVE the way he talks. It cracks me up. He looks like Ralph Fiennes with a combover!
And I thought it was quite funny when he walked them to the graveyard and said, “It’s nice to walk around and get some movement.” Like walking in the city is rare for him. 
i think this show is the biggest loser of them all. i actually feel sorry for the contestants including the golden boy, miles, for even thinking they have any sort of artistic gumption. grad schools are already filled with way too many of these types, believe me i graduated from one. this show is the biggest insult to the legitimate art world. i currently work for a well respected art institution in the midwest and work continually with well established artists and up and comers from around the world and hope that i never see any of them associated with this garbage heap of reality television. the show will offer no insight into the realities of what the real world/art world struggles are for most artists. for that, viewers should watch art 21 or just go to any non profit artist co-op. a friend of mine pointed out that fashion designers seem to like project runway and professional chefs seem to like top chef so why won’t artists like this show? he then answered his own question stating, “probably because it is not art.” i would go even further saying that not only are the contestants unaware and uninformed but more surprisingly the judges seems even less so. i could go on and on but it doesn’t seem productive at this point much like the show itself.
Maybe it will get better over time. Both project runway and top chef have consistently drawn better talent over time because people want the reward and recognition. I agree that this show is goofy.
i am ever pessimistic about this.
Patrick, it’s people like you and your condescending attitude that makes me hate “artists”. Seriously, just don’t watch. It’s that simple. I mean really….”garbage heap of reality TV”? I hope you and Trong are happy together.
ok. wait… no! i think i’m a fairly likable person if you get to know me. man, internet message boards can be so impersonal sometimes, kind of like lowest common denominator television programming. btw, i don’t know trong, never met him, so i can’t say if we’ll be happy together or not. judging by his bio and portfolio on the show’s website i’m guessing it’ll be the latter.
What I picked up on from Patrick’s comment was this line, “the show will offer no insight into the realities of what the real world/art world struggles are for most artists.” I can resonate with that. The show sort of celebrates something that isn’t “reality” for most artists and creative people, and glosses over the struggles that are part of the journey of being an artist. I wish the show could be more real, but it is what it is, and I hope that by recognizing art and artists in the way that they do, good things will come for the rest of the struggling artists out there.
@Kim That makes no sense. I don’t get the “struggle” of a cook when I watch Top Chef–especially since the majority of the contestants work at swanky restaurants like the Ritz-Carlton, etc. I think Work of Art has potential, but it’s not quite there. It needs 2 challenges like Top Chef (or Survivor): a short one and a long one. Right now it drags on for too long. But I remember when I saw the first season of Top Chef, I was bugged by that old lady who kept talking about her father who was dying from cancer. I felt bad for her but I was thinking–what does this have to do with a cooking competition?! So no reality show is perfect in its first season.
Agreed!!!
So far, my favorite is Abdi. I really liked his portrait from last week, and this week I loved the personality he managed to imbue within his TV-head “gameboy.”
I was amused by the judges’ comments about Miles’ “artwork.” They kept going on and on about his message and use of media and his bravery at allowing himself to be vulnerable. But in the entire episode, I never picked up on any “message” from Miles other than that he was exhausted and wanted to catch up on some sleep. His piece was certainly clever in that regard, but it didn’t seem very artistic to me.
I totally agree!! I’ve also liked both of Abdi’s pieces and felt he should have won both times. I like Miles but his OCD thing is starting to get a little old. It’s an interesting trait, but that doesn’t need to be such a big focus of every episode. Go Abdi!!!
The show is an absurd train wreck, but Abdi is clearly head and shoulders above this crowd. His work is strong, easily comprehensible, and he is focused an unpretentious. Breath of fresh air! Miles has talent, but please–I’m a college prof, and I’m more than a bit tired of dealing with all the entitled “special” millennial children. . . Suck it up, dude. Everybody else is a precious snowflake, too. Do what you need to do to focus and function, and get on with it. . .
Ditto on Abdi. Liked both his pieces and him as well. I enjoy his enthusiasm and sincerity.
Even though Im a printmaker/silkscreener…Im already over Miles. Totally in Camp Abdi and I think he got screwed out of the win both episodes. Miles is a pain in those a-holes he made
How did he get away with the win when he avoided anything to do with original task at hand? This show is going to get interesting and frustrating (= well played Bravo)
I love this show, and Miles’ comment yesterday was AWESOME! Miles doesn’t give a hoot what people think. He’s just doing his thing. The ones who care too much about the opinions of the judges are doomed.
And yet he meekly, hesitantly kept raising his hand up until the judges acknowledged and allowed him to make his douchey, I-don’t-care- what-anybody-else-thinks comment.
We’ve yet to really see if Miles is the kind of person who doesn’t care what people think. Let’s see how Miles is when he’s in the bottom 3 before we can comment how thick skinned he actually is. The way he made his comment was immature and not at all constructive. That kind of critiquing is lazy. Also the program is not set up so other artist to give their thoughts during the judging process. He should have been more respectful Kudos to Trong for not letting it bother him.
My favorite part of Miles’ comment was how they kept showing him trying to raise his hand until someone finally asked him if he had something to say. And he definitely had something to say.
while miles’ comment about trong’s work wasn’t necessarily incorrect, it could have equally been applied to his own piece. the judge who said, “i think it’s refreshing to see someone sleeping in the gallery” needs a reality check. it’s not refreshing or thought provoking at all. if you want to see someone sleeping in a gallery go to any major museum in the world and pay attention to the security guards.
Giving this show a chance as I work in the contemporary art field, but I fear the set-up and personalities are not working for me. It is difficult to harness something so esoteric into a contest with winners and losers. I miss TOP DESIGN. That worked better for me.
This show is surprisingly entertaining. I think the show is going to run into a problem with its contests, because while a photographer or painter can make a sculpture or any other type of project, it puts them at a disadvantage to do so in a competition against people who do it all the time (and vice versa). The disadvantage isn’t in creativity but in technical know-how. I’m curious how they will work this out in the future. Miles is obviously a talented guy, but he revels too much in the “quirky artist guy” thing. Dude, just keep your mouth shut. What he did to Trong was insulting, childish and petty. It was the ultimate look-at-me moment. He keeps talking about his OCD and his insomnia and blah, blah, blah. It seems like more of an act every time I hear it. I’m sure it works great to pick up girls in bars, but he should tone it down and focus on his art (and I definitely think what he made last night was overrated).
So true. He’s a brat, and while he may know things the others don’t, that does not mean he’s a great artist.
The act is really old.
Love the show. It’s got something original and interesting in each episode. The people on it are fun, Miles is crazy, and they’re all talented in their own ways. Can’t get enough of this style of reality show. Not about the drama, just about art
I had to keep looking for recycled electronics in Miles work – where were they????? a bed made from scatch – two bags of concrete????