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Philip Morris Art Award 2002

by John McGee

P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center/MOMA, New York (Image courtesy Philip Morris)

Just before actor Yul Brynner died from smoking-related lung cancer, he made a chilling anti-smoking public service announcement. Aired on US television in the 1980s, he implored, “Now that I’m dead...please, don’t smoke.” 

Smoking is epidemic in Tokyo and Philip Morris makes enormous profits polluting the bodies of people worldwide. Yet the company is no longer such an easy target. These days, Philip Morris produces not only cigarettes but a range of consumer brands under their Kraft and Miller Brewing subsidiaries. In some countries, Philip Morris-owned companies provide three of the basic food groups for many starving artists: beer, smokes, and macaroni and cheese. 

With the bi-annual Art Award, Philip Morris is granting artists two other things they crave: money and exposure. In this case, seven Art Award winners receive ¥2,000,000 plus a group show at the largest and one of the most important contemporary art centers in the world, the high-visibility P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center/MOMA in New York (three additional “Adhoc” winners get to participate in the show but receive no money). 

As global corporations have increasingly spread their power and influence, they have also assumed the patronage positions once held by royalty, religion and state. Philip Morris has actively sponsored the arts since 1958, helping fund art exhibitions and providing long-term support to dance companies such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. According to their promotional literature, the arts are “important as a source of inspiration in our daily challenge to maintain human values in a fast-paced world of technology and change.” 

The purpose of the Art Award is “to discover artists with [the] potential to express themselves [on] the international stage.” Since 1996, it has been one of the best ways for young artists in Japan to get domestic and international exposure and has helped launch the careers of many of the past winners. For example, Risa Sato (huge, inflated backpack friend) and Man-Machine (flying airboard project) have both been in major shows in Japan and overseas since winning the Art Award. 

Kaspar Konig, Susan Sontag—the jury members who judge the Art Award are some of the most powerful curators, gallerists and tastemakers in the art world. Art Award 2002’s jury features nine such big-wigs including Yokohama Triennale co-curator Akira Tatehata, P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center director Alanna Heiss, and MOMA curator Gary Garrels. 

The competition, open to artists of any nationality between the ages of 20 and 40 who currently live and work in Japan, is divided into four categories: 2-D (painting, photography, CG, etc.), 3-D (sculpture, etc.), installation and video/film. After reviewing all the applicants, 100 artists will be selected for the “Philip Morris Art Award 2002: Final Selection Exhibition,” tentatively scheduled for Ebisu Garden Place at the end of April 2002. At that time, the final selection of seven Art Award winners and three Adhoc winners will be made, leading to the group show, “The First Steps: Emerging Artists from Japan,” tentatively scheduled for February and March, 2003 at P.S. 1 in New York. 

The Sistine Chapel of the third millennium won’t be painted in a church but installed in the headquarters of a big corporation. In the meantime, even young artists may be able to get some kind of cultural rebate from Big Business. First, though, they’ll have to pay a ¥5,000 application fee.

©2006 John McGee

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