About the Work
John Waters photographed this sign that hung in his Baltimore neighborhood for many decades, which was used for The Armory Show's visual identity in 2008, its 10th anniversary. Taken out of context, Waters appears to be taking a self-conscious swipe at artistic aspiration, yet the original sign shows no hint of irony and expresses the values of the time in which it was made. Also included in the Armory Show were several three-dimensional versions of the sign Waters made that play with the wording ("For Prestige or Spite," "For Style or Glory"); this image reveals there's no need to improve on the original.
About the Artist
Inspired by B-films and melodramas, John Waters began making films as a teenager, using friends and stolen film stock. His films feature drag queens, drugs, violence, abortion, religion, and depravity, poking fun at their offensiveness while wallowing in it. Later, bigger budget films star Hollywood icons, while still rollicking in poor taste and tackiness.
In the 1990s, Waters started photographing videos on his television, which he edited into “little movies”: various drugstore-processed stills strung together as horizontal filmstrips. These works have been exhibited widely and a traveling exhibition premiered at the New Museum, New York, NY. Waters has authored several journalistic books, a recent memoir, and is an avid art collector. In 2011, he curated an exhibition from the collection of the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN.
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