September 14, 2011

Robin and his son Zak are Taking Sides

Earlier this year Robin Williams raised eyebrows by playing a not very funny dead tiger in Broadway's Iraq war drama "Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo." Now he's surprising his fans again with another career switcheroo - this time, as an online art curator. It should be noted that this effort also has to do with war.

The show in question, called "Taking Sides" and co-curated with his gallerist son Zak Williams, will be a Web-only exhibition for Paddle8 addressing "the roles of war, violence, authority and politics in contemporary art and includes perspectives from artists around the globe, including Iraq, Iran, Israel, China, Pakistan, Indonesia, India, Great Britain, the U.S., Canada and others." Among the artists included are the Raqs Media Collective, Jenny Holzer, Feng Mengbo, Trevor Paglen, and Marcel Dzama.

Williams has also chosen fellow comedian Eric Idle to provide online commentary for the show, among other "art-world influencers." Altogether, the show hopes to convey Thomas Hobbes's credo that "The condition of man... is a condition of war of everyone against everyone." Hilarious.

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