Prada Marfa

Prada Marfa got a whole lot of buzz in 2005, when it was constructed. It was funded by Ballroom Marfa, an organization that supports land and installation art. This particular installation is the project of Elmgreen & Dragset, an art team from Berlin. They've done some of my favorite pieces, including Powerless Structures (2004), which turned white cubes upside down, inside out, suspended them in air, and then installed them in the Tate Modern.

In any case, it was awesome just to see it. In the middle of absolute nowhere, outside Valentine, TX, a Prada boutique appears. Its shelves are lined with shoes and bags from the Fall 2005 collection. The door, however, does not open. It's self-enclosed, and it will remain that way; there are explicit instructions never to maintain the building, allowing it to gradually fall into ruin. Advertising/art/architecture, and everything in between. Some people find it glib, but I think it's a good reflection of the art market done in a way that doesn't make you earth-shatteringly sad.