Sunday, February 17, 2013

Chod Caps Gallery Canvas from Annie Preece - and Returns it To the Streets




The history of this piece is absolutely fascinating, and is like nothing that has done before.  It all began when Chod went to a local LA gallery and purchased a painting by Annie Preece for $2,5000, paying cold hard cash for the piece.  Chod then took the painting and painted over it with a bright red cap with letters that say 'NONE OF THIS IS REAL'.  At this point, Chod took the modified painting and returned it to the streets by attaching it to a wall where both he and Annie had housed pieces previously.

Most street art in Los Angeles that isn't permanently attached, and even much of it that is (Examples 1-2-3) gets taken right away by aggressive street art hunters.  Overnight, the wall next to the Chod/Annie Preece piece got hit with graffiti tags, but even the next day, no one took the $2,500 painting.  Is that because the original painting was modified? Or because it wasn't worth the asking price to begin with?  After all, Hollywood is an area where old beaten up desks and dilapidated couches get scooped up by hustlers looking for whatever resale value they hope to get out of it.  The fact that it sat for an entire day does suggest that the general public does not recognize this as something with a value of $2,500.

A commentator has left a comment on the YouTube video saying that Annie herself took the modified painting off the street and plans to resell it.  Not sure if this is accurate or not, but if so it would be another rich chapter in the history of this painting.

This piece is seminal   It is something that challenges the way people look a street art in relation to institutions.  In a similar way to Banksy's invasion of museums, and the zoo, Chod does something that is similar but has never been done before, and his piece is a direct confrontation with the gallery itself, and a vicious attack on the value of street art.  What is the worth of a piece of 'street art' when taken out of context?

Or even put back in?

Click the jump for pics of the actual street piece











6 comments:

  1. Well played Chod, well played.

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  2. How the fuck is Chod trying to come up? Chod is coming up with genius ideas. None of this is real............ Much respect Chod keep on popping those rubber bands. Bandz will make Annie Preece MAD!!!!

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  3. Not the first time this has been done. Look at #1 on this list

    http://arrestedmotion.com/2011/09/banksy-top-25-most-expensive-works-ever/

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  4. Rich hipsters trying to be "street". Go get more money from mommy and daddy for all your little street art tools. Haha.

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    1. You sound ridiculous. The word hipster itself is just ridiculous. You don't know him. You don't know where or how he gets his money. It seems as though whenever you don't like something you don't understand you turn your uneducated opinions into facts and throw around the sayings -mommy & daddy and hipster. This may just be a class war and you're likely on the historically losing end.

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