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Art Supermarket Michael Manzardo, Owner of Art Supermarket, Art Collector, Art Advisor, Art Reviewer

Can Art lie or be a fake? Or does it sometimes have to?A few years ago, I visited Damien Hirst's 'Treasures from the Wre...
16/02/2026

Can Art lie or be a fake? Or does it sometimes have to?

A few years ago, I visited Damien Hirst's 'Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable' exhibition in Venice. This exhibition is composed of treasures uncovered off the coast of East Africa, and its accompanying documentary (Sam Hobkinson) records their discovery and exhibition. After entering the exhibit, I was immediately overwhelmed by the impact the art objects had on me. Due to the way the objects are built, which are covered with algae, seaweed, and mussel shells, I believed for quite some time that these treasures were real. It looked as if they had been buried for hundreds of years on the seabed. After a while, I realized the whole exhibition and documentary video were a total fabrication - a sham. When I found out, I ran out of the exhibition furiously in anger. Nothing else was on my mind other than shock and anger. Because I didn’t understand at that time that the materials Hirst was using wanted to mislead me in a way that implied to me that lies and fakes are around us more than ever before. Or to put it in another way, the fake shocks the viewer to create a moment of critical awareness.
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Flush point: Duchamp vs Trump What the p*e have these guys got to do with each other? Much more than you probably can pi...
06/02/2026

Flush point: Duchamp vs Trump

What the p*e have these guys got to do with each other? Much more than you probably can piddle!

Artists of a new movement have questioned and rejected previous art movements, their unique philosophies, styles, techniques, and the historical, social, and cultural contexts they emerged from. This has always happened in art history. But what happened when French artist Marcel Duchamp showcased his ‘Fontain’ urinal at the beginning of the 20th century? It turned the entire history of art on its head and alienated the entire art community like never before. Just as radical and fast as what Donald Trump's tariff war has upended - melting down the seventy+-year-old well-functioning global economy (within a few months). And all of this happens without a reason (save for Trump’s own ego) unlike Duchamp’s urinal, which has changed how we think and has influenced and inspired artists until today.

What is a urinal for? To release something that was stored for an hour or two or a bit longer and then flush it. Done. Within seconds. No other readymade object whatsoever can flush out the past so fast. That’s what fascinates and inspires me. Duchamp found the very right object among the hundreds of millions of objects that were available. To me, this is super creative. By not showcasing the urinal upright as how it is normally used, Duchamp simply flipped the urinal onto its back and signed it under a mysterious pseudonym. Very creative too. This made the urinal unusable, therefore removed its initial function and giving it a new one. To be used as something else, maybe to be used as artwork? Obviously! Having remained relevant for more than 100 years in art history is a sign of genius! It would be equally innovative and extremely beneficial to the world if Trump just been an artist and kept sending his drawings to those influential and powerful individuals. I need to flush this idea out right away because it will (continued in comments)
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