In his continuing efforts to become a 21st century Renaissance man, Shaquille O’Neal can now add art curator to his impressively long list of accomplishments which includes actor, Ph.D. student, author and NBA star. The 7-foot-1-inch centre for the Cleveland Cavaliers opened his first exhibition “Size Does Matter” this week at the FLAG Art Foundation in Chelsea, NY, featuring 66 pieces of artwork that Shaq chose himself. Shaq talked about his choice in artwork to New York Magazine, explaining that “Art is a process of delivering or arranging elements that appeal to the emotions of a person looking at it. It’s what you feel. I picked those things because they were beautiful. The thing about size — if it’s big or small you have to look at it. Because I’m so big you have to look at me. I think of myself as a monument. But sometimes I like to feel small.” The pieces range from a gargantuan table and chair set that dwarfs the superstar to a portrait of Shaq that is so tiny it can fit into the eye of a needle. My personal favourite is Ron Mueck’s “Untitled (Big Man)”, a 7-foot sculpture of an old, bald man curled up in a fairly unflattering position, solely because it makes me feel good about how I look naked. The exhibit examines scale in contemporary art and will run until May 27th. As long as all the men out there can overlook the title of the exhibit, I predict it will be a BIG success.
why naked