Bowery Boogie has posted a great video of artist David Livingston visiting the New Museum with his upholstery sculpture that resembles a large, flaccid penis. As you can see from the video, Livingston is asked to leave the premises. Maybe if he had checked it as a piece of luggage, would it have been allowed?
Big Dick enters The New Museum from David Livingston on Vimeo.
According to the artist, he's been performing his absurdist art piece "Big Dick"
in the city for the past several months. It's a 6-foot-long flaccid felt
penis which is stuffed with sofa upholstery.
Livingston told Bowery Boogie: "I find its childish humor appealing, and I am fascinated by my sudden transformation from anonymous pedestrian to attention-grabbing street performer. I don’t have to say a word, and it affects people in a whole host of ways. Most people either laugh or look away awkwardly. Some people are curious and want to start a conversation. Some people respond with anger. For me, the performance is about overcoming fear, but I like that it means something different to everyone who encounters me."
Although he's a Pratt MFA student looking to get his degree in painting, this reminds us more of an Oldenburg soft sculpture. We know that an erect penis can be viewed as a hostile weapon, but a flaccid one seems rather tame and innocuous. Obviously someone felt threatened by the 6-foot-long member. We assume Livingston was inspired by the Koons-curated exhibit Skin Fruit, currently on view at the New Museum, which contains many penises, organs (sexual and otherwise) as well as art made from elephant dung and various odd materials.
