‘DD #2 Pale Blue’ (2020 – 2023) is rooted in Paul McCarthy’s exploration of Disney as an entity and its gripping effect on society. A theme that has penetrated the artist’s practice over the last several years, McCarthy’s exploration of Disney’s saccharine tales and their reflection of contemporary culture has developed through various iterations and media: first in numerous series of drawings, followed by sculptures, performance, and video, culminating in an epic multi-narrative installation, ‘WS White Snow.’ In ‘DD #2 Pale Blue,’ McCarthy expands upon his ‘WS White Snow’ project. The artist presents the viewer with two characters drawn from different Disney animations accompanied by a rabbit: Daisy Duck and Dopey. Placed upon a bed of artificial flowers, McCarthy renders the entire piece, from blooms to figures, in a uniform, icy light blue silicone. Beak open, Daisy Duck holds a bird in the palm of one hand and lifts the skirt of her dress with the other. Standing beside her, Dopey slyly glances up Daisy’s gown, a wide smile spreading across his cheeks, while the rabbit looks off into the distance, paws together and ears perked.
Often humorous and sardonic, McCarthy’s practice challenges societal norms, mining the psychological implications of cultural representation and the American Dream. Using a coterie of Disney characters as both a vehicle and a cultural touchstone, McCarthy examines the darker underpinning of consumerism as an initiation of innocence into a culture of desire and fetishism. By adding a distinctly sexualized undercurrent to ‘DD #2 Pale Blue,’ the artist upends traditional conceptions of Disney as a paragon of virtue and an avatar of childlike innocence. Additionally, McCarthy’s use of Daisy Duck recalls his film ‘DADDA Donald and Daisy Duck Adventure’ (2018) in which McCarthy inhabits a Trumpian buffoon character, calling attention to the perverse reality of contemporary American politics and culture through depravity.
‘I often explain my work by saying that my art is a mirror with a crack; that’s a simplification and maybe a cliché. It’s mirroring or regurgitating through Paul.’
—Paul McCarthy
One of the most provocative and influential voices in contemporary art, McCarthy excels at using the language and imagery of popular American culture to transpose the commonplace into the disturbing and grotesque. Throughout his practice, McCarthy unmasks the dysfunctional reality behind American exceptionalism, populating his work with a fantastic assortment of Disney characters, political leaders and cultural icons to create a morally deviant carnival suspended in a state of wild, reckless abandon.
About the artist
Paul McCarthy is widely considered to be one of the most influential and groundbreaking contemporary American artists. Born in 1945, and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, he first established a multi-faceted artistic practice, which sought to break the limitations of painting by using unorthodox materials such as bodily fluids and food. He has since become known for visceral, often hauntingly humorous work in a variety of mediums—from performance, photography, film and video, to sculpture, drawing and painting.
[1] Paul McCarthy in conversation with Tala Madani, Ursula, Issue 5, December 2019
Artwork images © Paul McCarthy. Photos: Fredrik Nilsen
Portrait © Paul McCarthy. Photo: Mara McCarthy, 2001