{"product_id":"brendan-donnellys-i-wanted-to-be-an-actor-but-i-could-never-remember-my-lines","title":"Brendan Donnelly's I Wanted to be an Actor, but I Could Never Remember My Lines","description":"\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSoftcover with French flaps\u003cbr\u003e8 in. x 10 in. | 20.32 cm x 25.40 cm.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e192 pages\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eI Wanted to be an Actor, but I Could Never Remember My Lines\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eBrendan Donnelly re-appropriates framed film stills, headshots, red carpet paparazzi photos and postcards and turns them into styled juxtapositions of present day and yesteryear \u003cspan\u003ecelebrities\u003c\/span\u003e. This new series of works, Donnelly's latest, includes 16 framed collages, a DVD collection, and a large-scale collage mural.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eA portion of the work, which will be exhibited in October at Show Gallery in Los Angeles, has been produced as a limited-edition book, designed by Taylor Giali, as part of H\u0026amp;B's California Artist Series.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eDonnelly has spent over 30 years collecting ephemera sourced from various locations, including movie memorabilia stores, head shops, souvenir shops, newsstands, adult video stores, and bookstores on Hollywood Boulevard. Along with the keepsakes he collected as a youth in the 90s (and continues to collect), those objects\u003cspan\u003e have shaped his pedagogy. \u003c\/span\u003eThe result is a rich and provocative reflection on recognizable public artifacts that juxtapose celebrity scandals with politics and pop culture moments to paint a sweeping portrait of Donnelly’s appreciation—and criticism—of celebrity culture.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eA large, production-style wall collage titled “Hollywood Babylon” (an homage to Kenneth Anger’s books about scandal and death in Hollywood), which includes found photos, tabloids, headshots, newspaper clippings, movie stills, and other ephemeral objects, becomes a whole narrative around the tragic, drug addled, desperate, dark and humorous sides of Hollywood culture.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eI Wanted to be an Actor, but I Could Never Remember My Lines\u003c\/em\u003e encapsulates the full clash of feelings inspired by the trappings of celebrity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: center; ; white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+++\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eA Connecticut native, Brendan Donnelly (b. 1980) lives and works in Los Angeles. Over the course of his nearly two-decade long career, he has exhibited on numerous occasions, including solo shows in Los Angeles and Tokyo and group shows in New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Berlin.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eAs a\u003cspan\u003en interdisciplinary artist and provocateur, he works at the nexus of fine art and lowbrow culture. Donnelly’s obsession with pop culture in general—and Los Angeles subculture in particular—has culminated in a collection of ephemera that fully illustrates his dedication to his work as an aesthete and perpetuator of American experiences.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mesmer","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41254149849146,"sku":"SQ3517440","price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0592\/6659\/6922\/files\/HB_IWanted_4562_1024x1024_af1f5015-faf8-4361-b3a6-f089cf256657.webp?v=1771495355","url":"https:\/\/mesmermesmer.com\/products\/brendan-donnellys-i-wanted-to-be-an-actor-but-i-could-never-remember-my-lines","provider":"Mesmer Mesmer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}