(Glitter Boy)
Anonymous
Found 03/2011, Goodwill (2222 and Lamar)

Found at the peak of the “Twilight” paranormal romance series’s fame, this piece skewers the brooding and dark tragic heroes of that genre of fantasy fiction—the tousle-haired, dark-eyed, serious young man does, like his vampiric counterpart on the big screen, catch the light with a magical sparkle, though in Glitter Boy tiny motes of light cascade from his eyes and nose in a weepy, never-ending torrent.

One of the dominant artistic themes of the 2000s is reappropriated art—mashups, blends, remixes. Glitter Boy partakes of the world of memes and edited creative work, a pop-culture makeover of a pop-culture trend. In previous centuries, the creation of culture could not reach far beyond the thing itself: a sculpture or a painting created only a local splash in a small pool, although a book might have a life beyond its author’s hand. Today, when an artist throws a pebble into a pond, the waves ripple outward, even increasing in amplitude, and may even gain a life entirely beyond the artist’s control. Glitter Boy references and expands on the brooding and tragical hero of the early 21st century, extending his sensitive nature into absurdity.