The art world often seems like it is satirising itself with obscene displays of wealth, outlandish personal style and complex layers of elitism that border on nonsensical; still, it is a serious business. The Instagram account @jerrygogosian – a play on the notorious New York Magazine art critic, Jerry Saltz, and famous art dealer Larry Gagosian – is the self-described “TMZ of the art world” and is exposing a lot of the bizarre and unbelievable behaviour taken for granted in the field. Gogosian tells SLEEK that they would prefer to remain anonymous – as an art dealer, they are not sure that clients would appreciate all of the meme content. But the satirist with a cult following of just over 13k, is not so tight lipped about everything:
Why and when did you start your page?
I started the account three months ago, but why is a much less straightforward answer. I started the account as therapeutic measure. It was born purely out of a need to laugh about the hyper specificities the art world inhabits. I’ve seen people have full-blown break downs, leave cities, completely abandon art, get heavily into drugs, get supremely bitter, etc. I refused to be that person so I began cultivating a voice and a perspective that laughed instead of cried about this circus.
Why do you think the art world lends itself so well to memes?
Much like rhythms or lyrics in a song, a meme is a way to quickly transmit cultural ideas in an almost throw away, quick fashion. Instagram probably won’t even exist in 5 years. It captures you on a gut level, makes you laugh because you can relate, and then you move on to the next one. One builds on the other and eventually, you’re left with a coded language that only you the few can truly relate to. In this sense, I am not creating art but speaking in relatable shorthand expressions that only make sense within the art “tribe.”
Without compromising your identity too much, can you tell us how old you are and what city you are based in?
I don’t think my identity is of much importance. It’s obvious through the account that I am international as well as bi-coastal within the continental United States. I’m young enough to understand Instagram, but too old for SnapChat. Ya feel me?
One of the reasons your memes strike a chord is because there is truth to them, where does your familiarity with the art world come from?
I studied art for seven years and worked my way up in the art world for another seven. I’ve been the gallery slave, the irreverent gallery assistant, the stressed out gallery manager, the fuck up registrar, the obsessive curator, and of course now, a dealer. Along the way I’ve worked in everything from artist-run spaces to blue-chip galleries.
I often compare being a gallerist to being a Western geisha. You’re trained in this highly specific form of entertainment, conversation, and transactional engagement. Each role within the art world has its own special type of performance, hierarchy and tightly formed rules of engagement. It’s high theatre combined with Vanity Fair. It provides its own commentary and the jokes write themselves. I barely have to try. I just think back to a specific situation and find a picture to match it.
You make fun of the art world a lot, but do the jokes come from a place of affection?
My jokes come from a place of ambivalence. I love art, plain and simple. It’s the basis for my belief systems, my way of navigating reality, my lens for how I view pretty much everything in my life, etc. Do I love all the actors in the business? No. Do I think that art and commerce are the happiest of marriages? Absolutely not, but give me one industry where you won’t find real evil motherfuckers and beautiful, well-meaning souls comingled into a multibillion-dollar global industry.
Have you received backlash for your account; have any artists or gallerists felt personally attacked?
I am capable of nuance, an art sadly lost on our current cultural mainstream. Luckily, I haven’t received much backlash beyond the occasional social justice warriors who feel I am not representing their demographic or minority enough. I am not a multinational corporation here to sell soap to the masses. I am one person creating content based on my lived experience. That being said, nothing I say is necessarily malicious. I know these characters and situations in real life. This is the world I inhabit. If I didn’t enjoy it, I’d leave.
Further, I don’t feel responsible for other people’s feelings. People are free to follow or unfollow. I don’t believe that social media’s court of public opinion has any bearing on my creative output. If you feel persecuted and can’t take a joke, then “buh-bye.” Social media is a “choose your own adventure” experience and if my content is deeply offensive to someone, they have the privilege to say “no thank you.” However, people are super masochistic these days and love to “hate follow.” I think most people understand though, IT-IS-A-JOKE!