Here's a curious new approach to TV on DVD: pile on some episodes of a proposed TV series, release it into the wild, and see who bites. Here we have seven pilot episodes of an Old West art-themed game show—a project of the Cambridge, MA-based experimental gallery Art Interactive—in which contestants try to guess the prices that actual works of art sold for at auction, attempt to schmooze a “gallery owner” while quaffing wine and cheese, battle other contestants with helmet-mounted paintbrushes, or climb a gallery wall (the “Hang ‘em High” challenge). While the sheer goofiness behind the concept is momentarily diverting, the implied satire on both the contemporary art market and artist subculture is one-dimensional, at best. DVD extras include fake commercials (like one for “tofu” made from meat, for the carnivorous companions of sensitive vegetarians), a gallery of the show's original music, and more. Optional. (M. Johanson)
Art Show Down
Microcinema, 210 min., not rated, DVD: $20 March 3, 2008
Art Show Down
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