kanye west’s music video for the song ‘famous’ became an instantly controversial and polarized topic of discussion. its blatant depiction of twelve celebrity figures nude in bed stirred both high praise for its artistic and visionary attributes, and sharp criticism for its provocative and unorthodox content. as part of a limited, two day show from august 26 — 27, los angeles gallery blum & poe exhibited west’s mixed media art installation. the sculptural milieu of semi-nude sleeping figures includes the likes of taylor swift, kim kardashian, donald trump, george W. bush, rihanna, bill cosby, and west himself. 

 

*please be advised, there is some sculptural nudity shown below 

kanye-west-famous-nude-celebrities-exhibit-blum-poe-gallery-designboom-02
image © kanye west | photo by sam kahn | courtesy of the artist and blum & poe, los angeles/new york/tokyo

 

 

the installation at blum & poe comprises twelve photo-realistic silicone sculptures hand-fabricated in two los angeles studios over a period of two and a half months. for ‘famous’, west takes on the themes of myth and celebrity, reducing some of the most recognizable, renowned and notorious figures to a group of vulnerable sleeping partners — naked, yet desexualized. each character’s humanity is revealed and reinforced by subtle breathing mechanisms hidden inside the sculpture. toying with the notion of a ‘neo-religious tableaux’, west’s ‘famous’ figures are turned into anonymous faces — existing outside of the madness of modern media culture.

kanye-west-famous-nude-celebrities-exhibit-blum-poe-gallery-designboom-02
image © kanye west | photo by sam kahn | courtesy of the artist and blum & poe, los angeles/new york/tokyo

kanye-west-famous-nude-celebrities-exhibit-blum-poe-gallery-designboom-02
image © kanye west | photo by sam kahn | courtesy of the artist and blum & poe, los angeles/new york/tokyo

kanye-west-famous-nude-celebrities-exhibit-blum-poe-gallery-designboom-02
image © kanye west | photo by sam kahn | courtesy of the artist and blum & poe, los angeles/new york/tokyo

kanye-west-famous-nude-celebrities-exhibit-blum-poe-gallery-designboom-02
image © kanye west | photo by sam kahn | courtesy of the artist and blum & poe, los angeles/new york/tokyo