Shriya NevatiaUnderstanding Kitsch
November 6th 2006 09:15
My intention for this blog was to set the record straight about what objects may be classified as kitsch. The term is often liberally applied to many things including anything ugly, from the seventies and even to people. I frown upon this casual use of the word since the term has a specific meaning in art, which refers to something that is an imitation. What I came to understand by trying to define kitsch, is that I don’t understand it. I think it is something which must be felt.
World of Kitsch which can be found on the internet at http://www.worldofkitsch.com provides a number of definitions including this ripper: ‘objects of bad taste that are so bad they’re good in an ironic way’. With a definition like that what’s not to like about kitsch? Some people use the word like it’s a bad thing.
When I started writing this blog I thought I would use examples I had (and which everyone has) laying about to define kitsch in art. Instead I decided to upload the images and let everyone just ‘feel’ the kitsch. I’m also please to say that they are all totally Australian kitsch. It makes me wonder what other examples are out there…
World of Kitsch which can be found on the internet at http://www.worldofkitsch.com provides a number of definitions including this ripper: ‘objects of bad taste that are so bad they’re good in an ironic way’. With a definition like that what’s not to like about kitsch? Some people use the word like it’s a bad thing.
When I started writing this blog I thought I would use examples I had (and which everyone has) laying about to define kitsch in art. Instead I decided to upload the images and let everyone just ‘feel’ the kitsch. I’m also please to say that they are all totally Australian kitsch. It makes me wonder what other examples are out there…
koala made from sea shells glued together
waratah inspired coaster box
pink porcelain purse with grape motif
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Comment by ag
Eat French Bread
I'm a big kitsch fan and think it's fascinating how ideas of taste function to distinguish identities.
When we dismiss something as 'kitsch' or 'trashy' or 'bad taste', we elevate ourselves above it. But there is a difference between someone who has the seashell koala on the mantelpiece because they think it's really cute, and someone who has it with a sense of irony, because it is, as you say "so bad it's good".
The difference is contextual, which is why when Jeff Koons' blow-up kitsch items are in the MoMa, they are suddenly appreciated for their aesthetic value and wit, and worth stupid amounts of money.
People who revel in kitsch and recontextualise it to make it cool, are still playing the identity game. A writer named Gillo Dorfles has called it "super-snob kitsch" or "hyper kitsch” when we enjoy the contempt which the kitsch item arouses.
But to make a profession of bad taste is a contradiction in terms: you don't really have bad taste if you recognise it as bad taste, you are simply distinguishing yourself as having good taste, but being ironic and non-elitist...
Well, I could go on, maybe it's worth an entry on my own blog..
Thanks for the post and the great photos!
Ag
Comment by Kerrianne
Thank you for your knowledge and insite into the world of kitsch, and thank you for reading my blog Ag.
Do you know if you can purchase souvenirs of Jeff Koon's work?
Kerrianne