ART SAFARI
MAURIZIO CATTELAN: HOW TO GET A HEAD IN THE ART WORLD
Thursday 15 July 2004 midnight-12.30am
Ben Lewis continues his series of programmes looking at a new generation of contemporary international artists.
Best known to British audiences for his photorealist sculpture of the Pope struck down by a meteorite (recently auctioned in New York for just under $1M), Maurizio Cattelan has also produced sculptures of Hitler in prayer and exhibited the rubble from terrorist bombings. For other works he sellotaped one gallerist to the wall of his white cube, and got another to wear a pink penis costume for six weeks.
Cattelan is the court jester of the art world and the cartoonist of Conceptualism. Denied permission to meet and interview the artist, Ben brings Cattelan's sculptures to life and sends them on missions to put questions to the artist and his doubles. At one point he even dons a giant Cattelan-style head to confront the artist.
INTERVIEW
Ben Lewis "He's like the fool in King Lear"