Sometimes you just need to get things down on paper in order to understand them better… all the things.
Contemporary artists William Powhida and Jade Townsend have produced a large collaborative graphite drawing titled “Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes,” translated from Latin as “war of all against all.” The large graphite drawing focuses mainly on the internal conflicts and feuds that exist within the very small community known as “the art world.” While it may seem overtly specific, the drawing itself functions as an earnest and exhaustive attempt at defining and understanding what exactly draws certain types of people to specific types of artistic expression. And, the fights. Many, many fights.
The drawing itself is currently on view at Freight+Volume as part of the group exhibition “The Decline and Fall of the Art World, Part I: The One-Percenters” along with works by Alex Gingrow, Karen Finley, Loren Munk, Michael Scoggins. Check out the above gallery for some of our favorite details or see the work in its entirety (about 23 megapixels worth) here. “The Decline and Fall of the Art World, Part I: The One-Percenters” July 11- Sept 7, Freight+ Volume, New York, NY (Image: William Powhida/Jade Townsend)
