At the end of the video, Emin exacts revenge by exuberantly spinning like a whirling dervish to the tune of Sylvester James's "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)," reminding one and all she hit the big time as an artist instead.
Likewise hilarious is Return of the Pilgrim, by the artist COOPER. Dressed in a costume fashioned from sunflower-yellow rubber boots and cardboard boxes, he took to the streets of Miami to feed stray dogs. In the video, COOPER feeds the occasional whelps doggie treats from a dispenser cut into the boxes. Next to the video monitor is the actual outfit he wore during his loopy goodwill pilgrimage. The artist, who was a Wynwood pioneer and one of Locust Projects' founding members, filmed his performance as a commentary on strangers earning the trust of the denizens of a new neighborhood.
Catherine Opie's iconic Justin Bond
Rita Ackermann's Firecrotch
Details
"Pivot Points Part 3": Through November 8. Museum of Contemporary Art, 770 NE 125 St., North Miami; 305-893-6211;
mocanomi.org. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday 1 to 9 p.m.; and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.
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Hands down the biggest showstopper at MOCA is Cory Arcangel's sensational Apple Garage Band Auto Tune Demonstration, situated near the entrance of the museum. It drowns the entire space in the plaintive wail of dissonant guitar twangs. The New York-based computer geek digitally scrambled Jimi Hendrix's famous Woodstock performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" using Apple software GarageBand's auto-tune function, which corrects off-key music.
While the video rolls images of Hendrix aggressively attacking guitar chords and the crowd writhing spasmodically, Arcangel's audio intervention robs the musician's iconic performance of its radical impact. It reminds us technology can be a double-edged sword and forces the audience to digest the noise from a place deep inside.
MOCA and Clearwater deserve a tip of the chapeau. The daring artwork and its seamless presentation make for a memorable show that telegraphs a bright future.