Sports seems to be the favorite metaphor in which Americans speak about culture. Our newspapers devote an entire section to the inane trivialities of the ballpark, gridiron, or multi-purpose arena. It is easier to get press if you are a minor major leaguer than if you are a major art star. Studies show more people visit museums than ballparks by about two to one. Why is there such a poverty in the coverage of arts and culture? Perhaps it is because Sports are very simple to understand. There are winners and losers and the fans can experience it all vicariously. In our lame couch potato" culture we do not seem to make the time for the arts and in doing so risk the very fabric of civil society.

Into this cultural void, the artists at OlivoDoce Studios have fashioned an exhibition which uses the forms of basketball to provide commentary on our culture at large. By appropriating pennants, large fingers, and the shape of a basketball court, the installation provides the viewer with an environment which is both familiar and surreal. You can walk the court, buy the paraphernalia and ponder the paucity of cultural reportage in our media.

Orange is my least favorite color, yet it seems so right for this installation. The irritating color serves to keep the viewer off balance and submissive to the overall aesthetic experience. The artists seem to understand that the more obnoxious the color combination the more people remember the brand. In this conscious use of color, the sports metaphor becomes more of a hollow brand or trademark and less of a field of human endeavor.
When we fill up our stadiums to watch our teams, we are in effect surrendering our individuality to the collective brand. This act lessens the diverse expression of human uniqueness and fashions an ersatz collective which yells, consumes and sits back to watch a manufactured event which has absolutely no meaning. Culture usually requires more thought and less passivity.

Hats off the the artists of OlivoDoce for taking the banal form of sports to drive a critical response to the larger culture around us. You can enjoy the humorous repositioning of familiar forms without the feeling of cultural "sturm und drang". Anyone can get behind a giant finger waving in the wind.

Exhibit runs July 30 through September 25, 2005 • Original artwork by OD Studios: Matthew Anderson, David Kaul, Shawn Diaz, and Robert Zwiebel. OlivoDoce Art Space • 1203 East Olive • Seattle • One block North of Pine • 206/372.5861 • olivodoce.com