Work of Art The Next Great Artist (2010) s02e03 Episode Script
Make it Pop
ripped and upped by thesulac - we're just sitting around, just waiting, And then, finally, the door opens.
Who lost? - mm-hmm.
- and we find out that kathryn is the one That got sent home from the motion challenge.
- the entire thing was brutal with kathryn.
- I mean, she was, like, crying hysterically.
- [crying.]
- your work of art didn't work for us.
It's time for you to go.
- they loved bayete's piece.
- congratulations, bayete.
You're the winner of this challenge And you will receive immunity next week.
- it feels really great to go from being on the bottom To being on the top.
They appreciated the fact that I responded To their criticism last time.
- I was on the bottom.
- really? - the critique of my piece Didn't really go very well.
- so you think it's a successful piece? - I do.
Yeah.
- wow.
- [bleep.]
it.
Maybe there's something I'm not seeing.
Going into the next challenge, I need to get back to my roots, Which is street art.
Every day is a battle, you know? - at stake for the winner: a solo show At the world-famous brooklyn museum, A cover story in bluecanvas magazine, And $100,000, furnished by the 2012 fiat 500.
This is work of art: the next great artist.
[upbeat music.]
- what if it's just a physical challenge, And we have to compete? - they give us carabiners and mountain-climbing wire.
Being in the top And it's gonna be, like [plane crashing.]
This terrible nosedive.
- ready, you bums? It's time to go.
- let's get out of here.
- this morning, we're heading to simon's gallery.
Phillips de pury is one of the world's leading auction houses.
- oh, my god.
Look! Phillips de pury.
- it's weird going to simon's place.
It definitely feels like we're, I don't know, Dining with royalty or something.
I mean, he's kind of, you know, like, Up there in the art world.
[elevator bell rings.]
- I think we're supposed to follow these cans, guys.
- oh, yeah.
- we get out of the elevator, And there's this line of tin cans.
Hansel and gretel-style bread crumbs.
Come on tewz, blaze a trail.
[laughter.]
- I think we're all a little afraid Of what's at the end of the road.
- good morning, everyone.
Hope you enjoyed your trip following the tin can road, 'cause here is your reward.
Perhaps one of the most famous works of pop art ever.
Andy warhol's campbell's soup can.
- I can't believe it.
To see it in person, it's incredible.
- I've had the privilege, over the years, Of selling many extraordinary masterworks by andy warhol, And every time you see an image by andy warhol, It's so invigorating.
- I'm a huge andy warhol fan.
He inspires some of my artworks as well.
One of my recent performances was based on a series Of screen prints that he'd done of camouflage patterns.
So I hope that's gonna be an advantage.
- even an item as completely insignificant As a soup can Became the ultimate cultural phenomenon of its time.
- for your challenge, we would like you to create Your own piece of pop art.
We wanna know what you have to say About your moment in history.
- pop is bold.
Pop is brave.
Pop is sex! Pop is life! Pop is fun! Pop is brash! Pop is political! So make it pop.
- you have until midnight tonight, And only one hour tomorrow, to create your work.
I will see you at the gallery.
- shop 'til you drop.
- uh, jazz-minh, will you help me? - yeah.
What do you need? Yellow? - uh, yeah.
- I am as far from pop art as you could get.
I was raised a hippie, And I didn't grow up with a television.
I didn't know what was on the commercials, What I was supposed to own.
So this challenge is gonna be difficult for me.
- where's the store guy? So much of pop art deals with celebrity worship.
So I'm going to make this sort of fictitious product line Called "the winning collection," Based on charlie sheen's ramblings.
I'm going to have bottles of tiger blood, A few jars of warlock dust, And the centerpiece is going to be These dolls of action-goddesses.
I need some naked modeling.
Could I talk you into that? - I don't know.
- I need a sexy girl for my thing, And you're my first choice.
- yeah, yeah.
Okay, okay, probably.
- we'll talk about it.
- the sucklord? He's one of those boys that shouldn't be attractive, But, I don't know, [bleep.]
.
I just think he's cool.
- do you mind if I just slither past? - well, I'm trying to slither, too.
- all right, well, grease it up.
[laughter.]
- what's your definition of pop art? - pop is all about mass communication.
It's all about what everyone experiences together.
The whole idea of the campbell's soup can And, you know, coke, Is that, you know, everyone, from the queen of England to, Like, everyday street kids, drink it.
- see, and that's what I thought, And I thought that, like, I'm kind of dealing with that.
I definitely think that I could be a contender to win.
I grew up on nintendo and teenage mutant ninja turtles.
So pop culture's a big part of me.
My idea is to make this fedex truck, Except for I want it to be titled "fad-ex.
" I'm gonna make the entire back end of a truck, And then bust a tag on it.
It's, like, delivering pop - right.
- in a way.
- I'm going for more of, like, an advertisement look, But commentary on pollution, and, like, This mass-produced everyday object, Which is the water bottle, like, which is huge.
Pop art, to me, is about art That reels you in and tries to sell you something.
But has also a message within the piece.
My concept is the plastic water bottle.
It's an environmental piece highlighting this object That is supposed to distribute clean water, But it actually ends up polluting it in the end.
The nudity in the piece is very important, Because it's supposed to insinuate sex Trying to sell you a product.
- oh, no! - oh, come on! - that's kinda cool.
- what are you building? - you know, like, the little swivel thing That you put your tray in when you eat fast food, And it says "thank you" on the front? - yeah.
- I'm changing it.
It's gonna say, "how could you?" Fast food's always a popular culture topic, And it's kind of a personal subject, Because my father's had a heart attack more than once.
And so his health situation Reminds me that I've got a new baby, and, you know, I need to be around for her, So I need to take care of myself.
- it's gonna be brightly colored or what? - not really, it's gonna be kind of neutral.
- just stand by that wall.
I'm definitely attracted to lola.
You know, I have a girlfriend, and she's gonna watch this, And if I say the dumbest something wrong, She's literally gonna cut my balls off.
Well, what do you have under that? - a bra.
- oh, you can take your shirt off if you want.
- it's fine.
- okay.
- I'll do whatever.
Yes, I'm single and lonely.
- oh, no.
I'm getting turned on.
- [laughs.]
- [groans.]
[bleep.]
I'm good, thank you.
- when we get the challenge for pop art, I immediately think of american-owned companies, Like starbucks, facebook.
I get the idea to put these companies' logos On pieces of glass, With images of the american flag all over the canvas.
Those companies show the kinds of obsessions That are on our minds.
- grin at me, like, in a really, like-- Yes.
When I think of celebrity and pop culture, The first thing that pops to my mind Is this image of britney spears grimacing While the paparazzi swarms around.
I'm basing it off of this series Of marilyn portraits that warhol did.
I'm gonna contrast that with this one image Of what I wish britney spears would do.
I just wish she would-- I have, like, a secret tattoo.
- what does it say? - "bite me.
" [both laugh.]
My little sister, asia, has "epic as [bleep.]
" Tattooed on the inside of her bottom lip, And I decided that, in solidarity with asia, I was also gonna get a tattoo on the inside of my lip.
That's the statement That I wish britney spears had the power to make.
So that's what I'm doing, If the printer works.
- [laughs.]
- hey, dusty.
Can I borrow your camera? I don't know how to use this camera.
I want to keep doing well in the competition, But pop art is something that I don't work with ever.
My art is not really flashy or sexy, And trying to get to that place is really hard for me.
- I like that.
- it's kind of a neat picture.
So I've landed on the idea of taking a coca-cola zero can, Because it speaks about the warhol theme Of picking a product of today.
I'm hoping that that'll work.
I don't know.
Do you guys think that this is too derivative Of andy warhol? - yeah, it doesn't make any sense to update andy warhol.
I mean-- - that's what I'm sayin'.
- yeah, I know.
I don't know.
Michelle's been on the top twice, But it's not a good idea to just rip something off.
I mean, we know that it's referring to andy warhol, So I think she could be going home.
- coming up on work of art - artists, the bad news is - wow.
- it's like a ton of bricks just, like, Landed all over us.
- artists, Can I ask you all to gather around here? - yeah.
- simon's got somebody with him, So I know something's going on, And it makes me nervous.
- I would like to introduce you to jess cagle, Editor of entertainment weekly magazine.
- hello.
Entertainment weekly is all about what's happening In pop culture right now.
So I'm very excited to see your take on pop art.
I'm also excited to tell you, Because exposure is so important for any emerging artist, That the winner of this challenge Is going to receive a two-page spread In entertainment weekly magazine.
- ohh.
- and we're gonna get you and your work In front of 11 million readers.
- wow, that's truly amazing.
- why didn't you come in this morning? Come on! - I'm a fame whore, And exposure, especially on that level, It's very big.
That's 11 million potential customers.
- now, as so often is the case in life, After the good news, sometimes comes the bad news.
There will be no immunity for the winner of this challenge.
- that's not so bad.
- no, that's all right.
- and there's one more bit of news.
This is going to be a double elimination.
- wow.
- double elimination.
It's like a ton of bricks just, Like, landed all over all of us.
- and good luck to you all.
I can't wait to see it.
- thank you.
- I will be back, later on tonight, To check in on your progress On my studio visit.
Good luck.
- [screaming.]
- this is getting nerve-wracking.
- I'm so freaked out.
Like, the two people going home thing is, like-- I'm a very nervous person.
When I was younger, I was diagnosed With severe social anxiety disorder and panic disorder.
I'm gonna freak out.
Maybe I'm off, like, completely off.
And it got a lot worse when I was 15.
My father passed away in a jet-skiing accident.
I find him in the water just, like, face-up.
I didn't know what to do.
I think he had passed away already, But then I just waited there, Just, like, next to him, Forever, it seemed like.
It was just the most intense experience of my life.
I just always wonder if there was something I could have done.
He was artistic as well, So, like, I think he'd be extremely excited and happy To know that I followed, like, my dreams.
I feel like he's sort of watching over me in some way.
[laughs.]
sorry.
- sara, what are you trying to do? - I'm trying to make it look like this is a computer screen.
My idea is online dating, Because I feel like that's a new trend In pop culture.
I personally have never done it.
I've been dating my boyfriend for about a year and a half now.
But I have a lot of friends who have had success on it.
You don't have your remote, do you? - I do.
I do.
- this would be so much easier.
I start taking pictures of myself, And I want to go through every emotion I've ever experienced In a relationship.
Worry, Anxiety, Happy, Lust.
And the really sad was - got any big ideas, mr.
Safe-from-elimination? - I'm thinkin' of popular portraiture And portraiture of celebrities.
I have immunity, But I'm not really approaching it like, "oh, I have immunity.
I can slack off.
" The exposure's a great prize.
Having a win under my belt, I feel like, is giving me some good momentum.
You know how people will say "blasian" If someone's black and asian? - no, I haven't heard that.
- really? I tend to work with the theme of identity a lot, And, being multiethnic, That's something that's really heavily emphasized In pop culture right now.
My idea is taking a picture of sara j.
, Who's part asian, And kymia, who's part iranian and also russian, And combining their image into one face, Like a celebrity headshot that we often see In a magazine.
- that's [bleep.]
ing distracting.
I'm kind of surprised that kymia was willing to, You know, put her boobs out there like that.
She doesn't seem like the type, But I give her credit for doing it And they're nice-lookin' [bleep.]
.
You know, who I wish would do it Is sarah k.
She's, uh Got something going, I think, over there.
If you need any help, let me know.
[clears throat.]
- I was thinking that maybe I would have, Like, my text message.
- ohh.
- because the two phones are talking to each other Through the text.
- okay, cool - I'm feeling good about my piece, Because I'm tackling one of the biggest aspects Of pop culture: The way that we communicate.
I'm gonna make a sculpture of personal communication devices.
Social networking sites and communication via technology Is allowing people all over the world To change their lives And overthrow their dictators.
It's just really exciting.
Okay.
- I'm touching on the foreclosure crisis In my piece.
I live in cleveland, the foreclosure crisis Has just devastated a lot of my community.
My idea is actually to create kind of a fake sign That's gonna say, "sorry we're closed.
" This is something that's contemporary pop Because it's dealing with a contemporary issue.
It's a huge problem.
So what's your piece gonna be? - I made kind of this very poppy advertisement For prop 8, but not making a specific comment one way Or the other about, like, you know, repeal it or keep it.
Prop 8 is basically a proposition in california That was proposed to ban gay marriage, And, being a gay man myself, I'm completely opposed to this idea.
I know with this challenge, I want to do a billboard.
I've had my artwork turned into a billboard before, So I feel like I can use that idea now.
And I'm hoping to encourage people to interact with it By writing on the back of it.
Kinda funny how, like, pop, for a lot of people, Automatically equated to, like, political.
- hopefully it's not too dry and boring.
- [laughs.]
- I was trying to figure out how to, from memory, Paint the american flag.
Tewz.
- yo.
- do you know the american flag? - yeah.
- you have 13 stripes? - yes.
- and how many are on the top half And how many on the bottom half? - that's a good question.
- I'm puzzled.
They're all artists who live in the United States.
- ooh, that's a good question.
- nobody knew exactly the number.
- [laughing.]
I don't know that.
- it was astounding.
- how long has he lived in the United States? - 10 years.
11.
- don't they make you take a test? - [laughing.]
no.
- yeah, this is just one-half of my file.
- young's piece, I'm not into it.
Art about prop 8 is something That's everywhere in california, So it's kind of, like, "oh yeah? And?" - hello, everyone.
- hi, simon.
- and now, I'm ready for my studio visit.
- nice to see you.
- great to see you.
So what are you up to? - I am creating this pseudo-ad.
My everyday object I chose was the water bottle.
I'm sort of making environmental commentary About pollution and then sex Trying to sell the product.
- what's in the bottle? Because-- - it's garbage.
Did you notice that the water was dirty? - no, I didn't know at first If it was a pimm's no.
1, you know? It's this cocktail that the english drink during wimbledon, And--which has all sorts of stuff in it.
- I've never done photography before, So this was really weird for me.
- I think you're to be commended for having taken risks.
It was a bold move To photograph yourself, And it is something that you could see Possibly in a subway station.
So that's a good thing.
- okay.
Yeah, I appreciate your opinion and your time.
- good luck.
- I'm workin' on this bin that you see At a fast food restaurant, And it's supposed to reference, like, Making trash and also, The idea of the fast food That you're puttin' in your body.
- and what does it make it pop? - just that it references fast food and recycling, Which is a hot topic right now.
- I don't see it completely as being pop, quite frankly.
And I don't think it will look good In entertainment weekly.
I find it a bit simplistic.
- oh--I see what you mean.
Okay.
It-- [exhales.]
- I would be a little worried if I were you.
- all right, well, I appreciate it.
- good luck.
- this is a double elimination.
It's not a good feeling.
I'm not gonna have enough time to change ideas.
I switched from havin' a great day To a terrible day really quick.
Oh, boy.
- coming up on work of art - oh, my god! - dude.
- oh, my god.
I'm so sorry.
- hey, sucklord.
How are you doing? - good, sir.
I am doing "the winning collection," Which is based on charlie sheen's Very public meltdown.
And I have the, uh, goddess action figure.
That's sara, that's jazz-minh, that's lola.
They have to act as stand-ins for the actual goddesses.
- [laughs.]
yes.
- these bottles are gonna be filled with tiger blood, And then these little vials are going to be filled with, Uh, warlock dust.
- toy art is very much pop, And I do think it's current.
From my point of view, you are on the right track.
- well, I-I feel good.
Thank you, sir.
- so what are you doing? - when I think of celebrity, I think of this face that britney spears gets Where she's like-- So I photographed myself In what I consider to be that expression.
I saw warhol's marilyns - okay.
- and I'm making a template So that I can do them over and over again.
I'm gonna cut out this one-- - what does it say on your lips? - it says "bite me.
" - and that's what you really have? Really? Wow.
Quite something.
But when I look at these three pictures, I find it unbelievably boring.
Just very derivative Of what andy warhol did with marilyn monroe, Whereas the minute you showed me that photograph, I got excited.
That's much more like something that could look good In entertainment weekly.
This was going straight to elimination.
- [forced laugh.]
great.
Yeah, it is pretty ugly.
Okay.
- good luck.
- simon says that I should absolutely cease and desist, And I decide to use just the two photographs.
- hey, leon.
How are you? Great to see you.
- well, I'm making a canvas.
I'm gonna do, uh, an american flag with, uh, Many images copied around.
And there will be glass pieces With, uh, parts of the logos of worldwide companies, And they will be laying on top of the flag.
- on top of the flags? The american flag, I think, has been used so extensively.
In terms of originality, Uh, you're not scoring high on that front.
- I think the american flag goes with it because They're logos of this country's biggest companies.
- well, keep it simple.
The more complicated you make it visually, The less compelling it will work.
Thank you so much.
- I'm not really thinking, "are the judges going to criticize?" I'm not making art just to make judges happy.
- so, tell me.
What are you doing? - I wanted to do a coca-cola can.
- isn't coca-cola a subject matter That was used already in the '60s by andy warhol? - but now it's zero.
- that's what makes it more current, In your eyes? We all know the fabulous works that andy warhol did Of the coca-cola bottles.
It's too derivative.
I think you should just rethink and you actually may have A better chance of not risking elimination.
- okay.
Thanks, simon.
- okay.
- there is very little time left And I have to have a finished piece.
I'm so worried.
- artists.
Some of you still have a long way to go.
Use your time left and make it pop! - thanks, simon.
- ooh, that's cool.
Growing up, I spent most of my time writing graffiti.
About six years ago, I got arrested For writing my name on a highway sign.
I went to cook county jail, They put me in maximum security.
I was able to survive by using art.
I'm the guy that you can go to To get letters drawn for your girlfriend.
Art sort of, like, basically saved my ass, Literally.
[laughs.]
I gotta make this work.
- I can understand why he said cocktail, 'cause it looks like there's lemons and, like, mint leaves.
- yeah.
Yeah.
So it's not obvious enough.
- I-I-- maybe not.
Try taking more photos.
- after simon leaves, I'm a little nervous about This polluted water bottle.
I didn't mean for it to look like an alcoholic beverage, That's for sure.
So I'm trying to recreate it.
I just want it to be perfect.
- ten minutes, y'all.
- oh, my god! - dude.
- there's an accident, And I spilled paint all over jazz-minh's photographs.
- I like it.
I think it's cool.
- you like it? - yeah, I think it's perfect.
- okay.
Jazz-minh seems to think it adds something to her work.
Thank god for that, Because to me, it looks like a madman made it.
Thank you for not cutting my balls off.
- [laughs.]
It's sort of chance.
I'm gonna leave it.
Painting is about forces that are beyond control.
So I'm gonna sleep on the white paint splotch.
[indistinct chatter.]
- attention artists, Today you have to finish your piece with one hand.
Choose a hand.
[laughter.]
Actually, the hand will be chosen at random.
- really? Why? [laughter.]
- I generally don't get along that well With men who are hypermasculine, But everyone's pretty open-minded here.
Being gay, in the beginning, was pretty tough, Because you feel like an outsider.
I came out to my parents when I was 18.
My mom had the whole crying fit, And now, ten years later, She has dinner with me and my boyfriend all the time, Which means the world to me.
- here's to other people losing.
- now it's like, "oh, by the way, two of you are leaving tomorrow, And here's this ginormous prize added on to it.
" - the prize, no immunity, and double elimination.
That's nuts.
No.
- gonna freak out.
- [humming.]
- I get back to the studio, and I look at my Crazy sucklord paint splatter, And I just decide that it's beautiful.
I could never make as lovely of a paint splatter as he made.
It worked out.
I think it's perfect.
- cool.
It was meant to be, wasn't it? - it was meant to be.
- aww, huggies.
- [laughs.]
- I don't know what the deal is with her thought process.
That white paint spill ain't lookin' too great.
- oh, my god.
You built that? - during the gallery show, People will be able to go behind and just, like, Scrawl, draw on it, whatever.
- can I write something on it, or do I have to wait? - I've kind of started off the piece by doodling Some things on the back of it, Including my name with my boyfriend's initials.
It's almost like a tourist site where you can leave your name.
"I was here.
" - I'll do more later.
- cool.
- [bleep.]
I don't really like the way my piece looks.
I just--I'm just trying To figure out how to make it complete, and make it more pop.
- at least you're safe.
- don't use all of it.
- just a little bit.
- yeah, yeah.
Okay.
Fine.
Leon's piece--I'm not totally sure about that one.
Just throwing logos on an american flag Doesn't really tie it together.
- five minutes left! - stretch it, stretch it, stretch it.
- I think I'm done.
- artists.
Your time is up.
- oh, boy.
- ow! - time is called, And I'm looking around at the pieces of art, And can see they are not even in the style of pop.
So I'm happy and confident.
- coming up on work of art - I was going, "so what?" - where you really went wrong is bad storytelling.
- can I take a couple pictures of you? - if you let me take some of you.
- sure.
- okay.
What do you want me to do? I used to be a washout with girls.
Nerds are cool now.
- I'll do whatever.
- nerds get laid all the time, And all those old stereotypes are kind of irrelevant.
Gimme a couple sexy goddess.
Sexy.
Just gimme a kissy face.
I have a girlfriend now, And I've had a lot of weird sex adventures.
What girl doesn't want to be a suckadelic girl? It was when I became a supervillain I got better at getting girls.
- I'm a little offended that you didn't ask me to take a photo.
- [laughs.]
- please welcome back your judges Critic jerry saltz - hi.
- gallery owner bill powers - hey.
- and your guest judge this week, Acclaimed pop artist rob pruitt.
- hi.
- rob pruitt is a huge visual artist.
He created this mirrored sculpture of andy warhol In union square.
It's pretty awesome that he's our guest judge.
- let's open up the gallery and see how you guys did.
- I think that I would like to see some pop techniques.
- I decide to install my piece Where people can look around From different perspectives.
It's mass-marketing, obsessions of the moment.
I'm very happy with it.
- I don't know.
I have a lot of questions about this.
- I don't think it's as poppy as some of the others, But I feel like my piece is solid.
- I [bleep.]
ing hate that [bleep.]
.
- really? You don't like your piece? - yeah, I don't even want to stand next to it.
This is probably the one piece I've made in my life that I hate.
It's not conceptually sound or pop enough, So it just fails to deliver.
- I'm sort of at a loss of words for this one.
- yeah.
- this is very smart.
- yes.
- my piece is conveying pop Because I'm using poppy colors, very bright.
And I like that it kind of changes as you move around it.
- "the winning collection.
" Get it? - warlock dust.
- you couldn't go anywhere Without hearing about charlie sheen's ramblings.
It's relatable, it's funny, And I think I have a good shot of being in the top.
- I honestly think it's a brilliant idea.
- that's really clever.
- it's very cleverly done.
- which one's yours? - mine's the coke one.
My piece looks slick enough, But I am just crossing my fingers The judges will like it.
- she's using repetition.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
- but I feel like it doesn't add up to much.
- it's like the reality check.
Everything's disposable.
It gives you that moment when your throwing away, it's-- "what--what are we really doing here?" - I wanted to kind of say That if consumerism continues to dominate popular culture, Eventually it's gonna destroy the planet.
- I love the tag.
- wow.
- my piece is about how technology is helping us To change our world.
I think it's pretty clear it's pop art.
- you know, conceptually, it's tight.
- I didn't want my piece to turn off viewers By telling them what to think, But rather, start discussion.
- this is really interesting.
- very, very interesting.
- I feel really good about my piece, Looking at it on the wall.
- advertising.
Boom.
It's sellingSelling.
- china and jerry spent, like, two seconds looking at my piece, So I'm kinda like, "that can't be good.
" - I think the judges are gonna like this piece.
I think I personally conveyed the idea of online dating, And it's definitely poppy.
- I, uh-- - she's trying to emote the emoticon.
- yeah, that's what she's doing.
- now that my piece is in the gallery space And I'm seeing it, I'm happy with the piece.
I think it looks nice and clean.
It looks like I bought it.
It doesn't look like I made it.
- dispose of things? - so what'd you guys think of tonight's show? - I did like that it ran the gamut From political to personal.
- so, jess, do you think you've got a favorite here? - I do have a favorite.
There's one piece I think is really, really good, And I think that it will actually translate well In a magazine photograph.
- jess, thank you so much for coming.
This is really an incredible opportunity.
- thank you.
It was a lot of fun.
- thank you for a very interesting show.
One artist will win a two-page spread in entertainment weekly, And two of you will be going home.
We would like to speak to the following artists For the crit: Leon Jazz-minh Young Dusty Michelle And kymia.
If I didn't call your name, You are safe and can say good night to your peers.
Bayete, you're very lucky you have immunity this week.
- ohh! That's cold.
- I knew they were gonna say that.
- young You had one of our favorite pieces in the show.
Let's start with you.
- I knew I wanted to do something That was about a current and recent topic.
But I also wanted there to be an interactive element.
- I just love its presence, its intensity.
It is an amazing advertisement, Um, for what it wants to be about.
- I love that there's a place for people To put down their ideas.
This is such a political, social issue right now.
- you freshened pop up by making it political, And this is something that means a lot to me, as a gay man.
- thank you.
- thank you very much, young.
Our other favorite piece of pop art tonight Is kymia.
- oh, man.
- let's start your crit.
- [surprised laugh.]
I wanted to create something that felt like an advertisement, But instead it would make you think about a deeper topic.
- it's almost like product displacement.
- yes.
- I think that that's what made it pretty good.
As opposed to just being a gratuitous piece of nudity, It's an advertisement for advertising.
- I think it's just very beautiful.
- it's very exciting for me because I've never worked With photography.
To try that out and have it become a successful piece Is a really big deal for me, so thank you.
- thank you very much, kymia.
You can join young.
One of you will be the winner of this challenge.
Congratulations Young! You made a true work of art.
Jess cagle thought that your piece would look amazing On the pages of entertainment weekly.
- thank you so much.
I'm so excited.
[laughs.]
For an artist, visibility is life.
Having my spread seen by readership of 11 million people? That's insane.
- you can both head up to the studio.
Thank you very much.
You had the least successful work in tonight's show, And two of you will be going home.
Leon, we'd like to talk to you first.
- I grew up in malaysia, and most of the advertisements Are american.
The mass-marketing has become global, And we're obsessed with it.
- if you had been able to incorporate a little bit Of your personal story, I think it would have been much stronger.
- I would imagine, being deaf, That something like facebook Really enables a level of communication That was previously unavailable, And I was surprised that you didn't speak to it.
- everything I've read about pop art, it-- There wasn't so much of a personal experience.
- when warhol was asked why he painted the soup can, He answered, because it's what he ate for lunch every day.
I think that it is personal enough to relate universally.
- I'm not really here to change your point of view, But just to reveal my experience.
- it's not a bad story to tell, It's just bad storytelling.
- thank you, leon.
The next artist we'd like to speak to Is dusty.
- I came up with this idea for this fast-food trash receptacle.
It's kind of a piece about guilt where, If this object is familiar to you, Then maybe you eat too much fast food.
It's kind of asking that question, "how could you do this to yourself?" - you explain it well, but I was a little confused.
It was a little too open-ended for me.
- too open-ended? I'm surprised to hear that, to be honest with you.
- I don't think this is pop art.
I think it's more of a minimalist piece of sculpture.
- people just walked right by this thing.
- I mean, I still think it's a good idea.
- dusty, did you ever consider using bright, Poppy colors for this? - I wanted to keep it universal, Which is why I ended up Making it more neutral colors.
- thank you, dusty.
Jazz-minh, we'd like to talk to you next about your piece.
- the first thing that pops into my head Is that britney spears stare Where she's like this And she's not happy.
- without you to speak of britney spears, The piece fails, I think, for the viewer, Because we can't decipher the meaning.
I just thought they were two different portraits Of two different women.
- that is not the same person as that.
That's the whole point.
- I was going, "good girl.
Bad girl.
So what?" - what's up with the white paint? - so, the white paint-- I felt like this piece was about forces that you can't control.
- but isn't that photograph About sort of not being in control And having to put on the fake smile? - absolutely.
- and then this one, more of you taking control? - yes.
- so then the paint splatter Wouldn't make sense on that panel.
Thank you very much, jazz-minh.
The final artist up for elimination is michelle.
- I'm a huge fan of warhol, And I like the idea of taking a symbol that he took To a whole different level-- I like the idea of including it, But including the modern version.
- why the repetition of the top of the cans? - you know, I'm a huge fan of wallpaper And the way that warhol did it.
- you're just shoveling every single pop idea That you can get your hands on, And then making a piece of realist painting out of it.
Take that you can the painting off of this wall, Just the laser prints of the can tops Are beautiful enough.
But the combination of the two is just too warhol.
- you've done so well in the last couple of weeks, But this feels more like a homage than an original Worthy of the pop art challenge.
- thank you all very much.
Please head up to the studio, And we will call you back shortly.
- how did it go? - we don't know yet.
- were the critiques kind of even keel? - well, I told them I felt not good about my piece.
- I love your work as an artist, But this particular piece was totally derivative, And you know it.
- it wasn't my work.
- right, exactly.
- like, I make better work than that.
- four artists are up for elimination, And two of them are going home.
Where do you think they went wrong with pop art? - good pop art takes our collective experience and, Uh, filters it through a personal lens, And they all missed the mark.
- let's talk about jazz-minh's piece.
- it was disengaged.
It didn't suck you in.
It was the opposite of everything that pop art Is supposed to be.
- the surface of a great work of pop art Is a million miles deep.
And in her work, I'm afraid I saw it all [snaps fingers.]
like that.
- dusty's garbage can.
- I found it hard to remember what it said Ten minutes after leaving it.
- it's a bit conceptual, sort of minimal.
It's a complete muddle.
- michelle choked this week, and I was so disappointed.
- I feel bad.
She was off on the right foot, But then the subject matter fell apart.
- michelle gave herself over to this warhol-ian impulse, And it was so derivative that nothing could really save it.
- leon couldn't connect to the world.
A piece of pop art should be startling, But the most startling thing about this piece Is how uninteresting it is.
- just because leon used facebook and twitter Doesn't make it contemporary.
You've gotta bring something new to it.
So we've decided which two are going home? - yes.
- yeah.
- the only rule in art is what works, And none of your pieces did.
- leon Pop messages in your work were all too familiar And took us nowhere.
- michelle You painted every pop cliche, And it just looked like a bad knockoff.
- dusty, we asked you for a pop statement And you gave us a throwaway.
- jazz-minh We saw none of that empowerment you talked about in the crit, And your photos didn't pop.
- two of you are leaving us tonight.
Michelle You're safe.
You can head up to the studio.
- thanks for sparing me.
- only one of you is moving on in the competition.
Jazz-minh Your work of art didn't work for us.
It's time for you to go.
- all right, then.
- good luck.
- thank you, jazz-minh.
- I feel sad.
I feel disappointed.
[exhales.]
Had a great time.
- we'll miss you.
- all right, princess.
I'm just going to work through whatever the block is That's keeping me from making really strong work.
Best of luck, you guys.
- leon and dusty, One of you is going home.
Dusty You're safe.
That means, leon, Your work of art didn't work for us.
It's time for you to go.
- thank you.
- thank you, leon.
- my work was very related to pop art, So I don't know.
- leon, no.
- good luck, you guys.
In the future, I feel like I can take this experience and digest it, And I think that it will change my process.
- you're bigger than this competition, leon.
- I want people to see that deaf people can succeed, Especially in the art world.
I don't have any skill in hearing, But certainly in seeing, I have some skill.
And from the eyes comes art.
- next on work of art - I knew it.
I knew it.
I'm the sucklord.
You want me to write it down for you? - hello.
- shut your face.
- you have until midnight tonight.
[laughter.]
- I like the kid's piece better.
- I think this is a badass piece.
- if I see it again, I'm gonna get medieval on you.
- to learn more about Work of art: the next great artist, Visit bravotv.
Com.
Who lost? - mm-hmm.
- and we find out that kathryn is the one That got sent home from the motion challenge.
- the entire thing was brutal with kathryn.
- I mean, she was, like, crying hysterically.
- [crying.]
- your work of art didn't work for us.
It's time for you to go.
- they loved bayete's piece.
- congratulations, bayete.
You're the winner of this challenge And you will receive immunity next week.
- it feels really great to go from being on the bottom To being on the top.
They appreciated the fact that I responded To their criticism last time.
- I was on the bottom.
- really? - the critique of my piece Didn't really go very well.
- so you think it's a successful piece? - I do.
Yeah.
- wow.
- [bleep.]
it.
Maybe there's something I'm not seeing.
Going into the next challenge, I need to get back to my roots, Which is street art.
Every day is a battle, you know? - at stake for the winner: a solo show At the world-famous brooklyn museum, A cover story in bluecanvas magazine, And $100,000, furnished by the 2012 fiat 500.
This is work of art: the next great artist.
[upbeat music.]
- what if it's just a physical challenge, And we have to compete? - they give us carabiners and mountain-climbing wire.
Being in the top And it's gonna be, like [plane crashing.]
This terrible nosedive.
- ready, you bums? It's time to go.
- let's get out of here.
- this morning, we're heading to simon's gallery.
Phillips de pury is one of the world's leading auction houses.
- oh, my god.
Look! Phillips de pury.
- it's weird going to simon's place.
It definitely feels like we're, I don't know, Dining with royalty or something.
I mean, he's kind of, you know, like, Up there in the art world.
[elevator bell rings.]
- I think we're supposed to follow these cans, guys.
- oh, yeah.
- we get out of the elevator, And there's this line of tin cans.
Hansel and gretel-style bread crumbs.
Come on tewz, blaze a trail.
[laughter.]
- I think we're all a little afraid Of what's at the end of the road.
- good morning, everyone.
Hope you enjoyed your trip following the tin can road, 'cause here is your reward.
Perhaps one of the most famous works of pop art ever.
Andy warhol's campbell's soup can.
- I can't believe it.
To see it in person, it's incredible.
- I've had the privilege, over the years, Of selling many extraordinary masterworks by andy warhol, And every time you see an image by andy warhol, It's so invigorating.
- I'm a huge andy warhol fan.
He inspires some of my artworks as well.
One of my recent performances was based on a series Of screen prints that he'd done of camouflage patterns.
So I hope that's gonna be an advantage.
- even an item as completely insignificant As a soup can Became the ultimate cultural phenomenon of its time.
- for your challenge, we would like you to create Your own piece of pop art.
We wanna know what you have to say About your moment in history.
- pop is bold.
Pop is brave.
Pop is sex! Pop is life! Pop is fun! Pop is brash! Pop is political! So make it pop.
- you have until midnight tonight, And only one hour tomorrow, to create your work.
I will see you at the gallery.
- shop 'til you drop.
- uh, jazz-minh, will you help me? - yeah.
What do you need? Yellow? - uh, yeah.
- I am as far from pop art as you could get.
I was raised a hippie, And I didn't grow up with a television.
I didn't know what was on the commercials, What I was supposed to own.
So this challenge is gonna be difficult for me.
- where's the store guy? So much of pop art deals with celebrity worship.
So I'm going to make this sort of fictitious product line Called "the winning collection," Based on charlie sheen's ramblings.
I'm going to have bottles of tiger blood, A few jars of warlock dust, And the centerpiece is going to be These dolls of action-goddesses.
I need some naked modeling.
Could I talk you into that? - I don't know.
- I need a sexy girl for my thing, And you're my first choice.
- yeah, yeah.
Okay, okay, probably.
- we'll talk about it.
- the sucklord? He's one of those boys that shouldn't be attractive, But, I don't know, [bleep.]
.
I just think he's cool.
- do you mind if I just slither past? - well, I'm trying to slither, too.
- all right, well, grease it up.
[laughter.]
- what's your definition of pop art? - pop is all about mass communication.
It's all about what everyone experiences together.
The whole idea of the campbell's soup can And, you know, coke, Is that, you know, everyone, from the queen of England to, Like, everyday street kids, drink it.
- see, and that's what I thought, And I thought that, like, I'm kind of dealing with that.
I definitely think that I could be a contender to win.
I grew up on nintendo and teenage mutant ninja turtles.
So pop culture's a big part of me.
My idea is to make this fedex truck, Except for I want it to be titled "fad-ex.
" I'm gonna make the entire back end of a truck, And then bust a tag on it.
It's, like, delivering pop - right.
- in a way.
- I'm going for more of, like, an advertisement look, But commentary on pollution, and, like, This mass-produced everyday object, Which is the water bottle, like, which is huge.
Pop art, to me, is about art That reels you in and tries to sell you something.
But has also a message within the piece.
My concept is the plastic water bottle.
It's an environmental piece highlighting this object That is supposed to distribute clean water, But it actually ends up polluting it in the end.
The nudity in the piece is very important, Because it's supposed to insinuate sex Trying to sell you a product.
- oh, no! - oh, come on! - that's kinda cool.
- what are you building? - you know, like, the little swivel thing That you put your tray in when you eat fast food, And it says "thank you" on the front? - yeah.
- I'm changing it.
It's gonna say, "how could you?" Fast food's always a popular culture topic, And it's kind of a personal subject, Because my father's had a heart attack more than once.
And so his health situation Reminds me that I've got a new baby, and, you know, I need to be around for her, So I need to take care of myself.
- it's gonna be brightly colored or what? - not really, it's gonna be kind of neutral.
- just stand by that wall.
I'm definitely attracted to lola.
You know, I have a girlfriend, and she's gonna watch this, And if I say the dumbest something wrong, She's literally gonna cut my balls off.
Well, what do you have under that? - a bra.
- oh, you can take your shirt off if you want.
- it's fine.
- okay.
- I'll do whatever.
Yes, I'm single and lonely.
- oh, no.
I'm getting turned on.
- [laughs.]
- [groans.]
[bleep.]
I'm good, thank you.
- when we get the challenge for pop art, I immediately think of american-owned companies, Like starbucks, facebook.
I get the idea to put these companies' logos On pieces of glass, With images of the american flag all over the canvas.
Those companies show the kinds of obsessions That are on our minds.
- grin at me, like, in a really, like-- Yes.
When I think of celebrity and pop culture, The first thing that pops to my mind Is this image of britney spears grimacing While the paparazzi swarms around.
I'm basing it off of this series Of marilyn portraits that warhol did.
I'm gonna contrast that with this one image Of what I wish britney spears would do.
I just wish she would-- I have, like, a secret tattoo.
- what does it say? - "bite me.
" [both laugh.]
My little sister, asia, has "epic as [bleep.]
" Tattooed on the inside of her bottom lip, And I decided that, in solidarity with asia, I was also gonna get a tattoo on the inside of my lip.
That's the statement That I wish britney spears had the power to make.
So that's what I'm doing, If the printer works.
- [laughs.]
- hey, dusty.
Can I borrow your camera? I don't know how to use this camera.
I want to keep doing well in the competition, But pop art is something that I don't work with ever.
My art is not really flashy or sexy, And trying to get to that place is really hard for me.
- I like that.
- it's kind of a neat picture.
So I've landed on the idea of taking a coca-cola zero can, Because it speaks about the warhol theme Of picking a product of today.
I'm hoping that that'll work.
I don't know.
Do you guys think that this is too derivative Of andy warhol? - yeah, it doesn't make any sense to update andy warhol.
I mean-- - that's what I'm sayin'.
- yeah, I know.
I don't know.
Michelle's been on the top twice, But it's not a good idea to just rip something off.
I mean, we know that it's referring to andy warhol, So I think she could be going home.
- coming up on work of art - artists, the bad news is - wow.
- it's like a ton of bricks just, like, Landed all over us.
- artists, Can I ask you all to gather around here? - yeah.
- simon's got somebody with him, So I know something's going on, And it makes me nervous.
- I would like to introduce you to jess cagle, Editor of entertainment weekly magazine.
- hello.
Entertainment weekly is all about what's happening In pop culture right now.
So I'm very excited to see your take on pop art.
I'm also excited to tell you, Because exposure is so important for any emerging artist, That the winner of this challenge Is going to receive a two-page spread In entertainment weekly magazine.
- ohh.
- and we're gonna get you and your work In front of 11 million readers.
- wow, that's truly amazing.
- why didn't you come in this morning? Come on! - I'm a fame whore, And exposure, especially on that level, It's very big.
That's 11 million potential customers.
- now, as so often is the case in life, After the good news, sometimes comes the bad news.
There will be no immunity for the winner of this challenge.
- that's not so bad.
- no, that's all right.
- and there's one more bit of news.
This is going to be a double elimination.
- wow.
- double elimination.
It's like a ton of bricks just, Like, landed all over all of us.
- and good luck to you all.
I can't wait to see it.
- thank you.
- I will be back, later on tonight, To check in on your progress On my studio visit.
Good luck.
- [screaming.]
- this is getting nerve-wracking.
- I'm so freaked out.
Like, the two people going home thing is, like-- I'm a very nervous person.
When I was younger, I was diagnosed With severe social anxiety disorder and panic disorder.
I'm gonna freak out.
Maybe I'm off, like, completely off.
And it got a lot worse when I was 15.
My father passed away in a jet-skiing accident.
I find him in the water just, like, face-up.
I didn't know what to do.
I think he had passed away already, But then I just waited there, Just, like, next to him, Forever, it seemed like.
It was just the most intense experience of my life.
I just always wonder if there was something I could have done.
He was artistic as well, So, like, I think he'd be extremely excited and happy To know that I followed, like, my dreams.
I feel like he's sort of watching over me in some way.
[laughs.]
sorry.
- sara, what are you trying to do? - I'm trying to make it look like this is a computer screen.
My idea is online dating, Because I feel like that's a new trend In pop culture.
I personally have never done it.
I've been dating my boyfriend for about a year and a half now.
But I have a lot of friends who have had success on it.
You don't have your remote, do you? - I do.
I do.
- this would be so much easier.
I start taking pictures of myself, And I want to go through every emotion I've ever experienced In a relationship.
Worry, Anxiety, Happy, Lust.
And the really sad was - got any big ideas, mr.
Safe-from-elimination? - I'm thinkin' of popular portraiture And portraiture of celebrities.
I have immunity, But I'm not really approaching it like, "oh, I have immunity.
I can slack off.
" The exposure's a great prize.
Having a win under my belt, I feel like, is giving me some good momentum.
You know how people will say "blasian" If someone's black and asian? - no, I haven't heard that.
- really? I tend to work with the theme of identity a lot, And, being multiethnic, That's something that's really heavily emphasized In pop culture right now.
My idea is taking a picture of sara j.
, Who's part asian, And kymia, who's part iranian and also russian, And combining their image into one face, Like a celebrity headshot that we often see In a magazine.
- that's [bleep.]
ing distracting.
I'm kind of surprised that kymia was willing to, You know, put her boobs out there like that.
She doesn't seem like the type, But I give her credit for doing it And they're nice-lookin' [bleep.]
.
You know, who I wish would do it Is sarah k.
She's, uh Got something going, I think, over there.
If you need any help, let me know.
[clears throat.]
- I was thinking that maybe I would have, Like, my text message.
- ohh.
- because the two phones are talking to each other Through the text.
- okay, cool - I'm feeling good about my piece, Because I'm tackling one of the biggest aspects Of pop culture: The way that we communicate.
I'm gonna make a sculpture of personal communication devices.
Social networking sites and communication via technology Is allowing people all over the world To change their lives And overthrow their dictators.
It's just really exciting.
Okay.
- I'm touching on the foreclosure crisis In my piece.
I live in cleveland, the foreclosure crisis Has just devastated a lot of my community.
My idea is actually to create kind of a fake sign That's gonna say, "sorry we're closed.
" This is something that's contemporary pop Because it's dealing with a contemporary issue.
It's a huge problem.
So what's your piece gonna be? - I made kind of this very poppy advertisement For prop 8, but not making a specific comment one way Or the other about, like, you know, repeal it or keep it.
Prop 8 is basically a proposition in california That was proposed to ban gay marriage, And, being a gay man myself, I'm completely opposed to this idea.
I know with this challenge, I want to do a billboard.
I've had my artwork turned into a billboard before, So I feel like I can use that idea now.
And I'm hoping to encourage people to interact with it By writing on the back of it.
Kinda funny how, like, pop, for a lot of people, Automatically equated to, like, political.
- hopefully it's not too dry and boring.
- [laughs.]
- I was trying to figure out how to, from memory, Paint the american flag.
Tewz.
- yo.
- do you know the american flag? - yeah.
- you have 13 stripes? - yes.
- and how many are on the top half And how many on the bottom half? - that's a good question.
- I'm puzzled.
They're all artists who live in the United States.
- ooh, that's a good question.
- nobody knew exactly the number.
- [laughing.]
I don't know that.
- it was astounding.
- how long has he lived in the United States? - 10 years.
11.
- don't they make you take a test? - [laughing.]
no.
- yeah, this is just one-half of my file.
- young's piece, I'm not into it.
Art about prop 8 is something That's everywhere in california, So it's kind of, like, "oh yeah? And?" - hello, everyone.
- hi, simon.
- and now, I'm ready for my studio visit.
- nice to see you.
- great to see you.
So what are you up to? - I am creating this pseudo-ad.
My everyday object I chose was the water bottle.
I'm sort of making environmental commentary About pollution and then sex Trying to sell the product.
- what's in the bottle? Because-- - it's garbage.
Did you notice that the water was dirty? - no, I didn't know at first If it was a pimm's no.
1, you know? It's this cocktail that the english drink during wimbledon, And--which has all sorts of stuff in it.
- I've never done photography before, So this was really weird for me.
- I think you're to be commended for having taken risks.
It was a bold move To photograph yourself, And it is something that you could see Possibly in a subway station.
So that's a good thing.
- okay.
Yeah, I appreciate your opinion and your time.
- good luck.
- I'm workin' on this bin that you see At a fast food restaurant, And it's supposed to reference, like, Making trash and also, The idea of the fast food That you're puttin' in your body.
- and what does it make it pop? - just that it references fast food and recycling, Which is a hot topic right now.
- I don't see it completely as being pop, quite frankly.
And I don't think it will look good In entertainment weekly.
I find it a bit simplistic.
- oh--I see what you mean.
Okay.
It-- [exhales.]
- I would be a little worried if I were you.
- all right, well, I appreciate it.
- good luck.
- this is a double elimination.
It's not a good feeling.
I'm not gonna have enough time to change ideas.
I switched from havin' a great day To a terrible day really quick.
Oh, boy.
- coming up on work of art - oh, my god! - dude.
- oh, my god.
I'm so sorry.
- hey, sucklord.
How are you doing? - good, sir.
I am doing "the winning collection," Which is based on charlie sheen's Very public meltdown.
And I have the, uh, goddess action figure.
That's sara, that's jazz-minh, that's lola.
They have to act as stand-ins for the actual goddesses.
- [laughs.]
yes.
- these bottles are gonna be filled with tiger blood, And then these little vials are going to be filled with, Uh, warlock dust.
- toy art is very much pop, And I do think it's current.
From my point of view, you are on the right track.
- well, I-I feel good.
Thank you, sir.
- so what are you doing? - when I think of celebrity, I think of this face that britney spears gets Where she's like-- So I photographed myself In what I consider to be that expression.
I saw warhol's marilyns - okay.
- and I'm making a template So that I can do them over and over again.
I'm gonna cut out this one-- - what does it say on your lips? - it says "bite me.
" - and that's what you really have? Really? Wow.
Quite something.
But when I look at these three pictures, I find it unbelievably boring.
Just very derivative Of what andy warhol did with marilyn monroe, Whereas the minute you showed me that photograph, I got excited.
That's much more like something that could look good In entertainment weekly.
This was going straight to elimination.
- [forced laugh.]
great.
Yeah, it is pretty ugly.
Okay.
- good luck.
- simon says that I should absolutely cease and desist, And I decide to use just the two photographs.
- hey, leon.
How are you? Great to see you.
- well, I'm making a canvas.
I'm gonna do, uh, an american flag with, uh, Many images copied around.
And there will be glass pieces With, uh, parts of the logos of worldwide companies, And they will be laying on top of the flag.
- on top of the flags? The american flag, I think, has been used so extensively.
In terms of originality, Uh, you're not scoring high on that front.
- I think the american flag goes with it because They're logos of this country's biggest companies.
- well, keep it simple.
The more complicated you make it visually, The less compelling it will work.
Thank you so much.
- I'm not really thinking, "are the judges going to criticize?" I'm not making art just to make judges happy.
- so, tell me.
What are you doing? - I wanted to do a coca-cola can.
- isn't coca-cola a subject matter That was used already in the '60s by andy warhol? - but now it's zero.
- that's what makes it more current, In your eyes? We all know the fabulous works that andy warhol did Of the coca-cola bottles.
It's too derivative.
I think you should just rethink and you actually may have A better chance of not risking elimination.
- okay.
Thanks, simon.
- okay.
- there is very little time left And I have to have a finished piece.
I'm so worried.
- artists.
Some of you still have a long way to go.
Use your time left and make it pop! - thanks, simon.
- ooh, that's cool.
Growing up, I spent most of my time writing graffiti.
About six years ago, I got arrested For writing my name on a highway sign.
I went to cook county jail, They put me in maximum security.
I was able to survive by using art.
I'm the guy that you can go to To get letters drawn for your girlfriend.
Art sort of, like, basically saved my ass, Literally.
[laughs.]
I gotta make this work.
- I can understand why he said cocktail, 'cause it looks like there's lemons and, like, mint leaves.
- yeah.
Yeah.
So it's not obvious enough.
- I-I-- maybe not.
Try taking more photos.
- after simon leaves, I'm a little nervous about This polluted water bottle.
I didn't mean for it to look like an alcoholic beverage, That's for sure.
So I'm trying to recreate it.
I just want it to be perfect.
- ten minutes, y'all.
- oh, my god! - dude.
- there's an accident, And I spilled paint all over jazz-minh's photographs.
- I like it.
I think it's cool.
- you like it? - yeah, I think it's perfect.
- okay.
Jazz-minh seems to think it adds something to her work.
Thank god for that, Because to me, it looks like a madman made it.
Thank you for not cutting my balls off.
- [laughs.]
It's sort of chance.
I'm gonna leave it.
Painting is about forces that are beyond control.
So I'm gonna sleep on the white paint splotch.
[indistinct chatter.]
- attention artists, Today you have to finish your piece with one hand.
Choose a hand.
[laughter.]
Actually, the hand will be chosen at random.
- really? Why? [laughter.]
- I generally don't get along that well With men who are hypermasculine, But everyone's pretty open-minded here.
Being gay, in the beginning, was pretty tough, Because you feel like an outsider.
I came out to my parents when I was 18.
My mom had the whole crying fit, And now, ten years later, She has dinner with me and my boyfriend all the time, Which means the world to me.
- here's to other people losing.
- now it's like, "oh, by the way, two of you are leaving tomorrow, And here's this ginormous prize added on to it.
" - the prize, no immunity, and double elimination.
That's nuts.
No.
- gonna freak out.
- [humming.]
- I get back to the studio, and I look at my Crazy sucklord paint splatter, And I just decide that it's beautiful.
I could never make as lovely of a paint splatter as he made.
It worked out.
I think it's perfect.
- cool.
It was meant to be, wasn't it? - it was meant to be.
- aww, huggies.
- [laughs.]
- I don't know what the deal is with her thought process.
That white paint spill ain't lookin' too great.
- oh, my god.
You built that? - during the gallery show, People will be able to go behind and just, like, Scrawl, draw on it, whatever.
- can I write something on it, or do I have to wait? - I've kind of started off the piece by doodling Some things on the back of it, Including my name with my boyfriend's initials.
It's almost like a tourist site where you can leave your name.
"I was here.
" - I'll do more later.
- cool.
- [bleep.]
I don't really like the way my piece looks.
I just--I'm just trying To figure out how to make it complete, and make it more pop.
- at least you're safe.
- don't use all of it.
- just a little bit.
- yeah, yeah.
Okay.
Fine.
Leon's piece--I'm not totally sure about that one.
Just throwing logos on an american flag Doesn't really tie it together.
- five minutes left! - stretch it, stretch it, stretch it.
- I think I'm done.
- artists.
Your time is up.
- oh, boy.
- ow! - time is called, And I'm looking around at the pieces of art, And can see they are not even in the style of pop.
So I'm happy and confident.
- coming up on work of art - I was going, "so what?" - where you really went wrong is bad storytelling.
- can I take a couple pictures of you? - if you let me take some of you.
- sure.
- okay.
What do you want me to do? I used to be a washout with girls.
Nerds are cool now.
- I'll do whatever.
- nerds get laid all the time, And all those old stereotypes are kind of irrelevant.
Gimme a couple sexy goddess.
Sexy.
Just gimme a kissy face.
I have a girlfriend now, And I've had a lot of weird sex adventures.
What girl doesn't want to be a suckadelic girl? It was when I became a supervillain I got better at getting girls.
- I'm a little offended that you didn't ask me to take a photo.
- [laughs.]
- please welcome back your judges Critic jerry saltz - hi.
- gallery owner bill powers - hey.
- and your guest judge this week, Acclaimed pop artist rob pruitt.
- hi.
- rob pruitt is a huge visual artist.
He created this mirrored sculpture of andy warhol In union square.
It's pretty awesome that he's our guest judge.
- let's open up the gallery and see how you guys did.
- I think that I would like to see some pop techniques.
- I decide to install my piece Where people can look around From different perspectives.
It's mass-marketing, obsessions of the moment.
I'm very happy with it.
- I don't know.
I have a lot of questions about this.
- I don't think it's as poppy as some of the others, But I feel like my piece is solid.
- I [bleep.]
ing hate that [bleep.]
.
- really? You don't like your piece? - yeah, I don't even want to stand next to it.
This is probably the one piece I've made in my life that I hate.
It's not conceptually sound or pop enough, So it just fails to deliver.
- I'm sort of at a loss of words for this one.
- yeah.
- this is very smart.
- yes.
- my piece is conveying pop Because I'm using poppy colors, very bright.
And I like that it kind of changes as you move around it.
- "the winning collection.
" Get it? - warlock dust.
- you couldn't go anywhere Without hearing about charlie sheen's ramblings.
It's relatable, it's funny, And I think I have a good shot of being in the top.
- I honestly think it's a brilliant idea.
- that's really clever.
- it's very cleverly done.
- which one's yours? - mine's the coke one.
My piece looks slick enough, But I am just crossing my fingers The judges will like it.
- she's using repetition.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
- but I feel like it doesn't add up to much.
- it's like the reality check.
Everything's disposable.
It gives you that moment when your throwing away, it's-- "what--what are we really doing here?" - I wanted to kind of say That if consumerism continues to dominate popular culture, Eventually it's gonna destroy the planet.
- I love the tag.
- wow.
- my piece is about how technology is helping us To change our world.
I think it's pretty clear it's pop art.
- you know, conceptually, it's tight.
- I didn't want my piece to turn off viewers By telling them what to think, But rather, start discussion.
- this is really interesting.
- very, very interesting.
- I feel really good about my piece, Looking at it on the wall.
- advertising.
Boom.
It's sellingSelling.
- china and jerry spent, like, two seconds looking at my piece, So I'm kinda like, "that can't be good.
" - I think the judges are gonna like this piece.
I think I personally conveyed the idea of online dating, And it's definitely poppy.
- I, uh-- - she's trying to emote the emoticon.
- yeah, that's what she's doing.
- now that my piece is in the gallery space And I'm seeing it, I'm happy with the piece.
I think it looks nice and clean.
It looks like I bought it.
It doesn't look like I made it.
- dispose of things? - so what'd you guys think of tonight's show? - I did like that it ran the gamut From political to personal.
- so, jess, do you think you've got a favorite here? - I do have a favorite.
There's one piece I think is really, really good, And I think that it will actually translate well In a magazine photograph.
- jess, thank you so much for coming.
This is really an incredible opportunity.
- thank you.
It was a lot of fun.
- thank you for a very interesting show.
One artist will win a two-page spread in entertainment weekly, And two of you will be going home.
We would like to speak to the following artists For the crit: Leon Jazz-minh Young Dusty Michelle And kymia.
If I didn't call your name, You are safe and can say good night to your peers.
Bayete, you're very lucky you have immunity this week.
- ohh! That's cold.
- I knew they were gonna say that.
- young You had one of our favorite pieces in the show.
Let's start with you.
- I knew I wanted to do something That was about a current and recent topic.
But I also wanted there to be an interactive element.
- I just love its presence, its intensity.
It is an amazing advertisement, Um, for what it wants to be about.
- I love that there's a place for people To put down their ideas.
This is such a political, social issue right now.
- you freshened pop up by making it political, And this is something that means a lot to me, as a gay man.
- thank you.
- thank you very much, young.
Our other favorite piece of pop art tonight Is kymia.
- oh, man.
- let's start your crit.
- [surprised laugh.]
I wanted to create something that felt like an advertisement, But instead it would make you think about a deeper topic.
- it's almost like product displacement.
- yes.
- I think that that's what made it pretty good.
As opposed to just being a gratuitous piece of nudity, It's an advertisement for advertising.
- I think it's just very beautiful.
- it's very exciting for me because I've never worked With photography.
To try that out and have it become a successful piece Is a really big deal for me, so thank you.
- thank you very much, kymia.
You can join young.
One of you will be the winner of this challenge.
Congratulations Young! You made a true work of art.
Jess cagle thought that your piece would look amazing On the pages of entertainment weekly.
- thank you so much.
I'm so excited.
[laughs.]
For an artist, visibility is life.
Having my spread seen by readership of 11 million people? That's insane.
- you can both head up to the studio.
Thank you very much.
You had the least successful work in tonight's show, And two of you will be going home.
Leon, we'd like to talk to you first.
- I grew up in malaysia, and most of the advertisements Are american.
The mass-marketing has become global, And we're obsessed with it.
- if you had been able to incorporate a little bit Of your personal story, I think it would have been much stronger.
- I would imagine, being deaf, That something like facebook Really enables a level of communication That was previously unavailable, And I was surprised that you didn't speak to it.
- everything I've read about pop art, it-- There wasn't so much of a personal experience.
- when warhol was asked why he painted the soup can, He answered, because it's what he ate for lunch every day.
I think that it is personal enough to relate universally.
- I'm not really here to change your point of view, But just to reveal my experience.
- it's not a bad story to tell, It's just bad storytelling.
- thank you, leon.
The next artist we'd like to speak to Is dusty.
- I came up with this idea for this fast-food trash receptacle.
It's kind of a piece about guilt where, If this object is familiar to you, Then maybe you eat too much fast food.
It's kind of asking that question, "how could you do this to yourself?" - you explain it well, but I was a little confused.
It was a little too open-ended for me.
- too open-ended? I'm surprised to hear that, to be honest with you.
- I don't think this is pop art.
I think it's more of a minimalist piece of sculpture.
- people just walked right by this thing.
- I mean, I still think it's a good idea.
- dusty, did you ever consider using bright, Poppy colors for this? - I wanted to keep it universal, Which is why I ended up Making it more neutral colors.
- thank you, dusty.
Jazz-minh, we'd like to talk to you next about your piece.
- the first thing that pops into my head Is that britney spears stare Where she's like this And she's not happy.
- without you to speak of britney spears, The piece fails, I think, for the viewer, Because we can't decipher the meaning.
I just thought they were two different portraits Of two different women.
- that is not the same person as that.
That's the whole point.
- I was going, "good girl.
Bad girl.
So what?" - what's up with the white paint? - so, the white paint-- I felt like this piece was about forces that you can't control.
- but isn't that photograph About sort of not being in control And having to put on the fake smile? - absolutely.
- and then this one, more of you taking control? - yes.
- so then the paint splatter Wouldn't make sense on that panel.
Thank you very much, jazz-minh.
The final artist up for elimination is michelle.
- I'm a huge fan of warhol, And I like the idea of taking a symbol that he took To a whole different level-- I like the idea of including it, But including the modern version.
- why the repetition of the top of the cans? - you know, I'm a huge fan of wallpaper And the way that warhol did it.
- you're just shoveling every single pop idea That you can get your hands on, And then making a piece of realist painting out of it.
Take that you can the painting off of this wall, Just the laser prints of the can tops Are beautiful enough.
But the combination of the two is just too warhol.
- you've done so well in the last couple of weeks, But this feels more like a homage than an original Worthy of the pop art challenge.
- thank you all very much.
Please head up to the studio, And we will call you back shortly.
- how did it go? - we don't know yet.
- were the critiques kind of even keel? - well, I told them I felt not good about my piece.
- I love your work as an artist, But this particular piece was totally derivative, And you know it.
- it wasn't my work.
- right, exactly.
- like, I make better work than that.
- four artists are up for elimination, And two of them are going home.
Where do you think they went wrong with pop art? - good pop art takes our collective experience and, Uh, filters it through a personal lens, And they all missed the mark.
- let's talk about jazz-minh's piece.
- it was disengaged.
It didn't suck you in.
It was the opposite of everything that pop art Is supposed to be.
- the surface of a great work of pop art Is a million miles deep.
And in her work, I'm afraid I saw it all [snaps fingers.]
like that.
- dusty's garbage can.
- I found it hard to remember what it said Ten minutes after leaving it.
- it's a bit conceptual, sort of minimal.
It's a complete muddle.
- michelle choked this week, and I was so disappointed.
- I feel bad.
She was off on the right foot, But then the subject matter fell apart.
- michelle gave herself over to this warhol-ian impulse, And it was so derivative that nothing could really save it.
- leon couldn't connect to the world.
A piece of pop art should be startling, But the most startling thing about this piece Is how uninteresting it is.
- just because leon used facebook and twitter Doesn't make it contemporary.
You've gotta bring something new to it.
So we've decided which two are going home? - yes.
- yeah.
- the only rule in art is what works, And none of your pieces did.
- leon Pop messages in your work were all too familiar And took us nowhere.
- michelle You painted every pop cliche, And it just looked like a bad knockoff.
- dusty, we asked you for a pop statement And you gave us a throwaway.
- jazz-minh We saw none of that empowerment you talked about in the crit, And your photos didn't pop.
- two of you are leaving us tonight.
Michelle You're safe.
You can head up to the studio.
- thanks for sparing me.
- only one of you is moving on in the competition.
Jazz-minh Your work of art didn't work for us.
It's time for you to go.
- all right, then.
- good luck.
- thank you, jazz-minh.
- I feel sad.
I feel disappointed.
[exhales.]
Had a great time.
- we'll miss you.
- all right, princess.
I'm just going to work through whatever the block is That's keeping me from making really strong work.
Best of luck, you guys.
- leon and dusty, One of you is going home.
Dusty You're safe.
That means, leon, Your work of art didn't work for us.
It's time for you to go.
- thank you.
- thank you, leon.
- my work was very related to pop art, So I don't know.
- leon, no.
- good luck, you guys.
In the future, I feel like I can take this experience and digest it, And I think that it will change my process.
- you're bigger than this competition, leon.
- I want people to see that deaf people can succeed, Especially in the art world.
I don't have any skill in hearing, But certainly in seeing, I have some skill.
And from the eyes comes art.
- next on work of art - I knew it.
I knew it.
I'm the sucklord.
You want me to write it down for you? - hello.
- shut your face.
- you have until midnight tonight.
[laughter.]
- I like the kid's piece better.
- I think this is a badass piece.
- if I see it again, I'm gonna get medieval on you.
- to learn more about Work of art: the next great artist, Visit bravotv.
Com.