Written By Sandra Schulman for Arturo Vega: Insults. Please find the full piece in the Arturo Vega: Insult Paintings catalogue. Available at the opening on March 5th, 2016.
YOU BIG APE. YOU IDIOT BASTARD.
No one could insult you quite like Arturo Vega. And because he was brutally honest, fiercely intelligent, and spoke several languages, you knew that he meant it. And it was true.
Then he would laugh.
Ah ha ha ha.
Words as art always had a power and meaning to him, from the real grocery store signs CHICKEN PARTS and BLUEBERRIES that he first earned money off of when he hit NYC in the 1970s, to the HEY HO LETS GO fist pump chant heard round the world. Cue Zippy the Pinhead and his hand painted sign under the giant hand painted RAMONES banner.
HEY YOU FAG. PEOPLE ARE ROTTEN.
The insult paintings probably came from the years he spent in the Ramones van listening to JohnnyJoeyDeeDeeTommyMarkyCJRichieElvis rip each other to shreds on the endless drives where racial, homophobic and religious slurs flew past like so many exit signs.
TO HELL WITH YOUS. YOU FUCKIN ASS
Or maybe they came from the bands songs, short, sharp, pop pow punches to the gut all sung to a head banging melody. Words as logo. Words as lyric. Words as cretin credo.
Please find the remainder of the piece in the Arturo Vega: Insults catalogue, available on March 5th through Howl! Happening. Opening begins at 6pm.
