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…super rad or super lame?

Above: Kiki Smith Limited Edition T-Shirt for the Gap (click for detail)

International American based mall chain Gap recently unveiled it’s new limited edition Whitney Biennial t-shirt series featuring prolific artists such as Chuck Close, Kiki Smith, Jeff Koons,and Barbara Kruger. Each guest designer was invited to create one shirt graphic for the limited edition line.

I have extremely mixed feelings about this concept. It os abvious that exposing people to these artists when they otherwise would not be could potentially be a very powerful thing. On the other hand, the Gap is a clothing company that strongly maintains the status quo and plays a large part in a sort of globalized conformitization of fashion (and don’t forget: fashion is art).

Though, that “status quo” based argument could also be flipped around as a statement in favor of the concept. If the customer of the Gap truely is the average middle of the road american, then affecting them could be the greatest possible change in the way we as a society view and internalize art.

But on the flip side, these shirts are in reality extremely limited edition. In fact, judging by the Gap’s Website, most of them seem to be sold out already. This of course means that the shirts mostly ended up in the hands of collectors and people who are already fans of the artists. These people who waited in line outside Gap stores to get them. It is doubtful that many people discovered a new artist as a result of the collaboration.

Whatever.

If the trend seen in past collaborations (such as those at H&M with guest designers like Viktor and Rolf) like these continues to hold true, I would keep my eyes on Ebay. Most likely these $28 shirts will start showing up on there in the upcoming weeks selling for $100.

HERE’S A TIP: DON’T BUY THIS SHIT! GO TO A LOCAL ART GALLERY, BUY SOMETHING, AND SUPPORT AN ARTIST WHO ACTUALLY NEEDS IT!

ps:I totally want to buy one of these shirts…. Come on! It’s Kiki fucking Smith!