Life+Times Presents: Dan Colen, A Retrospective

“Holy Shit,” 2006, Spray paint on plywood, 122 x 91.5cm

“I consider this painting to be my most inspired artistic moment, and not because of what the text says. Early on, before I had been given very many opportunities to show my work, I was invited along with a group of my close friends to take part in a show in Paris. I had no work at the time but didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to travel with my friends, so I wrapped this piece of plywood in a bed sheet and pretended that it was a finished painting. When I got to Paris, I asked for the art dealer’s credit card so that I could go buy some mounting hardware at the hardware store. I bought a can of red spray paint instead. I dragged the painting into the courtyard and, without thinking, wrote ‘Holy Shit.’ I took it into the gallery and hung it upside down. It’s important to note that prior to this gesture, all I had presented as an artist were four hyper-realistic paintings that I painted obsessively for two years. Although the story and the idea behind making the painting are pretty stupid, it remains one of my favorite paintings that I have ever made. I actually ended up making three nearly exact copies of it with oil paint.”