Hennessy Youngman is a persona invented and performed by Jayson Musson.[1]
Youngman appears in direct-address to the Internet at large in online episodes of a series titled "Art Thoughtz." Most often, Youngman, takes on the role of art critic or cultural critic[2] while speaking to topics concerning art, race, gender, and popular culture.
In his video monologues, Youngman becomes a tutor to an audience of hopeful artists in search of success. By explaining traditional art concepts and relating them to pop culture and real world examples, he is able to expose issues and conflicts within contemporary art society. A scheme is perpetuated, through Youngman and the "Art Thoughtz" videos, of following an often sympathetic character, one who is apparently outside the art world, attempting to understand and permeate a seemingly exclusive cultural society. This sort of 'underdog in the art world' characterization can be seen in the work of video artist of Alex Bag or motion pictures such as the biopic Basquiat or the art world satire (Untitled). [3]
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The assumed name, Hennessy Youngman, combines references to Henny Youngman, a comedian famous for "one-liners," and Hennessy cognac, a popular drink in the hip-hop community.[4]
Youngman is often seen in his videos wearing a wide variety of elaborately decorated baseball caps and gold chain necklaces.
The "Art Thoughtz" project began in early 2010.
In the format of an instructional video, Youngman exposes the art world as a culturally white dominated environment, impenetrable to minorities.[5]
Youngman introduces his Internet audience to the concept of "Personal Mythology" by comparing the work of artist Joseph Beuys and Jay-Z. By paralleling Beuys's story of being shot down in the Crimea when he was a fighter pilot with Jay-Z's tale surviving several shots fired at him at point-blank, among other examples, Youngman is able to establish a commonality between two otherwise disparate artists.
Under the premise of answering a fan's email, Youngman addresses the art and philosophy topic of aesthetics, more specifically beauty. Youngman looks at the contemporary works of Vanessa Beecroft, Leslie Tonkonow, Laurel Nakadate and Will Cotton through the analytical lens of 'beauty.' He directly contrasts the artists' works to photojournalism while disregarding possible contextual analysis through feminism or political interpretation. By applying a superficial analysis of the contemporary works through attribution, Youngman questions the current value of beauty and its role in art.