Aspiring painter and drug-ravaged musician Pete Doherty launched the opening of his aptly-titled "Bloodworks" exhibit at the Bankrobber Gallery in West London last Friday, May 11 where he revealed his medium of choice: human blood. Predictably, Doherty is charging upward of £45,000 ($90,000) per masterpiece, despite the fact that the only art he has actually mastered is that of self-destruction. Like the artist himself, the 14-piece "Bloodworks" collection has already caused quite a bit of controversy across the pond.
Doherty's blood paintings first caused controversy when he was pictured putting a needle into a fan's arm.
Many speculated he was injecting the teenage girl with drugs, but the singer claimed he was merely extracting blood for his artworks.
The 28-year-old artiste is also selling prints for £250 a pop, though brave souls can buy one autographed in blood for £1200. My guess is that the hefty price tag is such because of the amount of money Doherty mainlined into his veins before opening them up. For the sake of art, of course. His blood should be slapped with a biohazard warning instead of spattered on canvas.
In a statement, gallery spokesman Robin Barton had this to say:
"His use of blood lends itself perfectly to exploring the extraordinary personal and physical intensity that characterises so much of Peter's life and work as an artist in the broadest sense."
Right. Extraordinary intensity. The kind of extraordinary intensity I'd prefer to miss. Lest you forgot,
Doherty's blood antics caused controversy last year when an MTV camera was sprayed with what appeared to be blood from a syringe the singer was holding.
He then abruptly stood up and walked out of the interview to the utter despair and disbelief of his bandmates.
Doherty's published journals, The Books Of Albion: The Collected Writings Of Peter Doherty (also known as How to Buy Smack for Dummies), will be out in June on Orion Books. I'm sure it's a real page-turner.
Doherty's blood paintings first caused controversy when he was pictured putting a needle into a fan's arm.
Many speculated he was injecting the teenage girl with drugs, but the singer claimed he was merely extracting blood for his artworks.
Its disturbing that he extracted the blood himself for these things. Don't you have to have a small amount of medical knowledge to draw blood correctly? Otherwise don't you run the risk of part of the needle breaking off, or getting an air bubble in someone's veins?
Stick to the rock, Pete. The musical kind that is. Not the crack kind...
Although I don't personally object to his rampaging drug use. Sometimes we need destructive artists. If he was clean, he would probably be a boring slug.
hunkpapa said:
if i buy every exhibit, do you think he'll go far far away and never bother us again?
well, since that would probably buy him enough drugs to OD, you might be onto something there.
and to littlelostsoul: i'd be down with the whole tragic self-destructive artist figure if he was actually remotely talented. i liked the libertines alright, but his self-destructive rampage is way out of proportion with the quality of the work produced in my opinion.
14
abracadabra
Seattle, WA
April 2004
MAY 16, 2007 04:57 PM
I hope he sells them all as the art world is so booooring and needs this kind of stunt..I don't need to like him to appreciate it , kinda like Cy Twombly
i'd be down with the whole tragic self-destructive artist figure if he was actually remotely talented.
Well, he is remotely talented. Just remote of what? Maybe not a genius by any stretch, but then again when has talent been a precondition for celebrity? Not in this century.
Just playing devil's advocate to the bashers. We can't all swing to the right.
I could post at least a dozen artists who've worked with blood if I wanted to waste 5 minutes of my life trying to remember. Most of those people also had some kind artistic skill, too.
Hasn't this been done before with someone's womb lining (to put it slightly politely.)? I swear someone showed me that on the internet.
*yawn*
<sarcasm>Oh no wait, Pete Doherty using blood for art! I am shocked to the core. How totally original..Whatever next!</sarcasm>
I'm all for a little good ol' fashioned self destructive behaviour.. But can't he just destruct already? It makes me mad when I know decent people who have passed away and he still has the cheek to be breathing.
Granted, he doesn't mean to be funny, but I do find him very amusing.
I think it's the fact that he tries so hard to be this 'self-destructing artist' when all he is in reality is a spoilt little boy gagging for attention. Tragic.
IPOD
RADIO
erin_broadley
NEWSWIRE
Los Angeles, CA
MAY 16, 2007 02:20 PM