Art Basel Miami Beach 2009: A Stuckist's Reaction

This year, I thought that I'd check out Art Basel, as I haven't before attended. What I thought would be exciting turned out to be a complete bore. To my fellow Stuckists, I will save you all the task of attending next year's display, since it will be exactly the same-

The exposition included such intellectually-stimulating works as rolled-up carpets, neon lights, blank canvases, and other curiosities, most of which, promoted by gallery representatives of the Machiavellian kind to an enraptured and bewildered audience.

Art Basel- eerily reminiscent of 1984.

However, I will say that the fair brings out some of the more interesting and unusual of people. The costumed, quirky, snobbish characters. I am lead to believe that the observation of these people is the true art of the show, because they are a facet of modern society, and allow us the ability to reveal truths about ourselves as human beings.

As I expressed in a recent work is the Ancient Greek aphorism γνῶθι σεαυτόν, or know thyself. This phrase, attributed to the 6th century BC philosopher Thales of Miletos, refers to the ideal of understanding human behavior, morals, and thought, because ultimately to understand oneself is to understand other humans as well.