by Joan Inman
“Who is that?” a man whispered to his
companion as he pointed to a photograph, eagerly examining the wall labels for
a name he hoped to recognize. “I remember that character,” the woman responded
with an air of confidence, “they were very popular years ago. Could you imagine
seeing yourself in one of these images? It’s entirely possible.” Eavesdropping
on the pair’s conversation, the woman’s statement resonated with me because it
was completely true. Warhol unabashedly celebrated the phenomenon of celebrity
culture, where being “famous” is often only a matter of being present at the
right time and place. With a flash of the camera, you too could have your
fifteen minutes of fame.
There are many undeniably memorable
features of this exhibition, including the precise replicas of his infamous
silver balloons that greet you upon entrance, the vibrant colors that radiate
from Warhol’s artworks set against lustrously rich hues of wallpapered and
painted walls, and the eerily fashionable manner in which screen shots of Lou
Reed’s and Edie Sedgwick’s blank expressions stare back at you, into your soul,
as you exit the gallery. But the most striking aspect was the way that hordes of
people formed around the wall of Warhol’s black and white monochromatic
photographs of people—displayed in a format that denies any sense of hierarchy—hoping
to discover celebrity.
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