Time Bond 1988

Mark Kostabi made this painting, "Time Bond," employing his signature style. He is known for using assembly-line techniques to create paintings. The hard-edged forms and impersonal subject matter contribute to this effect, but it is his technique of farming out the actual making of paintings that really put the idea into action. Kostabi hired other artists as studio assistants, paying them a flat fee to create the paintings. This is not a traditional method of production, but it does raise interesting questions about authorship, artistic labor, and the role of the artist in the contemporary art world. In the completed work, the contrast between red, white, and black is carefully calibrated. The addition of small mirrors that are strategically placed on the body creates an odd fragmentation. By exploring these non-traditional ways of making, Kostabi’s work challenges the traditional distinction between fine art and craft.