Paul Mc Carthy: Piccadilly Circus, Art21 Extended Play

Episode, 083: Artist Paul McCarthy describes the improvisational process and performances behind the video work Piccadilly Circus (2003). Filmed at an unoccupied London bank before being renovated by Hauser Wirth gallery in 2002, and shot several months before the start of the Iraq War, the work features costumed players in the roles of President George W. Bush, Osama Bin Laden, and the Queen Mum (in three versions). Paul McCarthy s videotaped performances and provocative multimedia installations lampoon polite society, ridicule authority, and bombard the viewer with a sensory overload of often sexuallytinged, violent imagery. With irreverent wit, McCarthy often takes aim at cherished American myths and iconsWalt Disney, the Western, and even the Modern Artistadding a touch of malice to subjects that have been traditionally revered for their innocence or purity. Whether conflating realworld political figures with fantastical characters such as Santa Claus, or treating eroti