The New York Museum of Modern Art is super fun on a Friday night. I asked a security guard if the trend I have noticed in Indonesia of of taking pictures of yourself or your friends in front of famous or cool paintings is big in NY. (See image below – Van Gogh’s Starry Night was a media capture mosh-pit). I asked a security guard for details…
‘Yes’ she answered. ‘But these people don’t really appreciate art – they just want to show they were next to a famous painting. I tell them we should get the painter to come and paint their face into the artwork, then they would be in it. People who appreciate art don’t use a camera, they just look and then store it in here’ she said and tapped her head. ‘Has this photo taking been on the increase?” I asked. “yes, in the past three years I have worked here, its been getting more and more popular” the guard replied, and rolled her eyes good naturedly. “We are the line between them and damaging art, and we have to work hard to be polite” she smiled and went back to shepherding the hundreds of art-crazed art-fans mobbing the paintings to create Facebook fodder, sexy selfies and Twitty Tweets.
Thanks to Kate Fielding for the images.
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