Christian Holstad: Cult of Personality
The title of the exhibition, Cult of Personality arises from the term, which describes the use of mass media, propaganda, or other methods to create an idealized, heroic, and at times worshipful image. This often occurs through unquestioning flattery and praise. In the beginning, 鈥淐ult of Personality鈥� had no political connotations, but was closely related to the 鈥淩omantic Cult of the Genius鈥�, which originated in Europe toward the end of the 18th century. This movement was characterized by a belief in the importance of the individual, the personal and the subjective. Sociologist Max Webber developed a classification where the 鈥淐ult of Personality鈥� shared a similarity with charismatic authority.
Christian Holstad's work embodies a Camp aesthetic sensibility. With references to Kitsch, Camp was very much part of the 1960鈥檚 鈥� 1970鈥檚 culture, and is often associated with filmmakers, artists and performers like John Waters and his films Pink Flamingos, Hairspray, and Polyester, Andy Warhol, Divine, Liberace, and Marilyn Monroe.
Recommended for you
The title of the exhibition, Cult of Personality arises from the term, which describes the use of mass media, propaganda, or other methods to create an idealized, heroic, and at times worshipful image. This often occurs through unquestioning flattery and praise. In the beginning, 鈥淐ult of Personality鈥� had no political connotations, but was closely related to the 鈥淩omantic Cult of the Genius鈥�, which originated in Europe toward the end of the 18th century. This movement was characterized by a belief in the importance of the individual, the personal and the subjective. Sociologist Max Webber developed a classification where the 鈥淐ult of Personality鈥� shared a similarity with charismatic authority.
Christian Holstad's work embodies a Camp aesthetic sensibility. With references to Kitsch, Camp was very much part of the 1960鈥檚 鈥� 1970鈥檚 culture, and is often associated with filmmakers, artists and performers like John Waters and his films Pink Flamingos, Hairspray, and Polyester, Andy Warhol, Divine, Liberace, and Marilyn Monroe.
Artists on show
What's on nearby
