Hello CIA.
Dash Snow (July 27, 1981 - July 13, 2009) was maybe a conceptual artist, although certainly not according to the criteria Sol Lewitt laid out for conceptual art. Snow did not rigorously “conceptualize” his projects. He created with a vision stoked by spontaneity, with scant regard for “art” that did not result as a side-effect of living. In this sense the art objects themselves are mere residues.
Snow began his art career as a juvenile delinquent. Despite being born into art royalty (note his his De Menil pedigree: http://www.menil.org/) Snow ran away at a young age to maraud the streets of downtown New York. His first notable art exploits were made as a member of the IRAK graffiti crew. He also began taking Polaroids (with a camera he stole) so that he could remember what he did and where he had been the night before. As he gained recognition — at sometime, somehow being considered an artist (I don’t really know the story that well) - his work became more traditionlly conceptual and one might argue more object oriented; the object being to create “actual” art — commodifiable, desirble to collectors and gallerists, and relevant within the context of the art institution. For instance, he ejculated on front pages of the New York Post and sprinkled them with glitter; he also turned a gallery into a “nest,” shredding hundreds of phone books, hauling random shit in to the space, tagging the walls, and throwing a party there.
Snow’s works aquire their cache in relation to the myth that has developed around the life of Dash Snow: his pedigree, his fellow art star friends (Ryan McGinley, Dan Colen, Agathe Snow), youth, drugs. The conversion of a mere human life into a myth is arguably the most substantial conceptual project of all, and many consider it to be Snow’s greatest accomplishment. In fact, many people think Snow is an overhyped, no talent drug addict, and product of nepotism and myth. Whatever. Maybe. It doesn’t make him or his work (two continuous things?) any less interesting in my opinion.
Here are reader’s comments I took from an online article written about Snow in New York Magazine:
Any artist who would steal another artist’s work out of a gallery deserves to be blacklisted, not glorified… especially when the young female gallery owner was injured trying to save the artwork.
Apparently pedigree can still buy great press coverage…. if a poor minority guy did these lovable, whacky, free-spirited artist things, he would be incarcerated, and wouldn’t get a mention on page 30, much less a 6 page article in New York Magazine.
Report
By louisakath on 01/15/2008 at 10:57pm
Just a bunch of lame trust fund pansies sure to die of an OD or AIDS. Meh!
Report
By BatAttaK on 04/20/2008 at 3:35am
Yawn…so horribly boring.
Report
By leighton98 on 05/27/2008 at 3:13pm
Crap. Honestly, this has been done before in the 60/70’s and better. His pedigree and web of connections are more interesting.
Report
By atticblue7 on 08/31/2008 at 2:11am
…and this is why the art world is poop, now. Especially New York’s. Did anyone else keep count of how much the word “scene” popped up in this article? Since Warhol, art is all about individuality in the sense of a persona, not of creativity and unique ideas. Snow is an interesting character, no doubt. But come on - the guys cuts out magazine clipping and jizzes on them. I’m surprised someone like Ryan McGinley, an actual person of talent and substance, would associate with this dumbass. Snow is nothing more than an aging, angsty pre-teen with a rich daddy. This is basically what makes up the art world, hence the “freaky celebrity culture” McGinley refers to. Unhappy hipsters.
I wish people would focus more on communities with great, honest art coming out of them. Oakland, CA has a really great thing going on.
Report
By allthebigtrees on 05/18/2009 at 2:14pm
HAHA, Dash Snow is the fucking Paris Hilton of the art world. If I ever run into him out in the Lower East Side Im going to take a giant shit on his face.
Report
By Carmine_Minetta on 06/18/2009 at 3:33pm
Dash Snow RIP. Your energy will be missed. Carry on where ever you are.
Report
By lalodila on 07/14/2009 at 7:16pm
i’m sad he’s dead but i always though he was a media ploy. like they were desperately trying to make an artist out this mediocre kid. his art was not original or shocking really, but someone was definitely trying to make money off of him. his backstory and real life were way more interesting than his art - and how exciting is it to see another rich kid act up?
Report
By jimorrissey on 07/15/2009 at 2:53pm
And a link to his work: http://www.tinyvices.com/blog/2009/07/14/dash/
