On September 13, at Rockaway Beach in New York, something happened that contemporary art has long needed: professional artists took to the beach, were given sand, and set out to determine which of them was worthy of the golden shovel.
Yes, a real one.
The competition Creative Time Sandcastle Competition returned after a long hiatus and, for a few hours, transformed the beach into a massive art venue.
Instead of canvases—sand.
Instead of studios—the ocean shore.
And instead of a pretentious statuette— the Golden Shovel, a golden shovel.
And it is wonderful even at the level of its phrasing.
Artist:
— I have spent many years exploring form, space, the fragility of matter, and the nature of human existence.
Jury:
— Excellent. Here is a shovel for you.
The participants created full-fledged art objects out of sand right before the public's eyes.
Some built complex structures.
Some made sculptures.
Some, presumably, gazed very seriously at a little pile of sand and explained that it symbolizes the crisis of contemporary identity.
And then a wave came.
And quickly offered its own art criticism.
The most wonderful thing here is the grand prize.
No crystal figures.
No bronze statuettes.
Make the best sand creation of all—and get a golden shovel.
The logic is flawless.
This may be the first art prize that the winner can, if they wish, use for its intended purpose the very next day.
And in general, the competition looks like a rare case when contemporary art becomes maximally understandable even to a person who usually stands before an installation and thinks:
"Is this already a work of art, or have they just not cleared it away yet?"
Here everything is simple:
there is sand,
there is an artist,
there is a shovel.
And if it turned out especially well—
the shovel becomes golden. 😄
