On April 14, Art Nouveau Magazine presented Want To See A Sad Boy Smile? Pay Him, the debut solo exhibition by artist/designer GreatEclectic at Studio 900 in Atlanta, GA. GreatEclectic gave viewers a glimpse into his elaborate rants and musings on fame, power, money, love, the rise and the fall and our generation’s obsession with celebrity. His signature aesthetic evokes a unique combination of pop culture semiotics and art history paired with a vibrant narrative. Works in the exhibition range from mixed media collages, to drawings, paintings and photography.
Want To See A Sad Boy Smile? Pay Him is arduous. It is bright. It is delusional. It is hidden in prismatic view. It is seeing roses through Reagan-colored sunglasses. It is waking up to the first Pink Friday after Sunday mourning. It is the scene sweet-tooth before and beneath the staid urban decay. It is everything in one place, in distorted focus, for no other reason than for you to see it; because we’ve been blinded by the guided light, because we need to throw shade if only to stargaze again.
“Money is my Bitch.”
The show began with looking at the idea of money across social, political and personal landscapes. Upon entry, viewers were bombarded with my affection for all things mass produced as the almighty dollar followed them throughout the exhibition. A constant reminder sitting heavy on their shoulders.
Viewers were lead from this room to a room featuring personal works that feature myself in situations I’ve been in the past three years. From life to love, from near death to love loss, this is my life. I look at it like a visual postcard from the crazy life I’ve led.
“Want To See A Sad Boy Smile? Pay Attention.”
Looking at money from a personal stand point, whether it be motivation to prove old flames I still have a trick or two up my sleeve or to satisfy urges I have, money and fame became intrinsically involved with one another. This moved into questioning why money evades most and is seemingly an exclusive handout for a handful of greedy individuals. I began to look at the idea of money, and specifically what one will do for it. I couldn’t decide if politicians or celebrities would go to the lowest extremes to get ahead.
“Give Me Pound, Give Me Pound, Give Me Euro, Give Me Yen.”
I’m no Debbie Downer. I consider my best friend to be Benjamin Franklin. Money like most things, has it’s good and bad qualities. Like everything else, it all depends on what you’re willing to sacrifice for a goal. The main room was a look at the idea of money and it’s connection to fame. In the main room, celebrities run amok in bright landscapes. Whether it’s looking at the bright side (a youthful gold teethed Jay-Z smirking like he just made his first million) or the dark side (Britney Spears, half of her head shaven, slapped across the phrase ‘Rich People Don’t Get Sad’), this is my visual representation of our generation’s obsession with fame.
These days, fame is something you can achieve from behind a computer screen. If you have a Twitter of Facebook page, you’re famous. So how do you discern what is talent in a scary time when Snooki from Jersey Shore makes more in speaking engagements fees than Nobel Prize Winner Toni Morrison. How do you discern celebrity when a sex-tape with Brandy’s brother can make you famous and be the start to your career as a pop singer? #OOMF is not thinking right. And Want To See A Sad Boy Smile? Pay Him was my attempt to make sense of the muddled concrete jungle that is our popular culture.
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GREATeclectic aka Kendrick Daye is a DJ, artist and the Editor of Art Nouveau Magazine. As a freelance journalist and photographer his work has been featured in the NY Times Magazine, Ebony Magazine, Upscale Magazine, Creative Loafing, Honeymag.com & Yo-Raps.com.
