Creator Projects' M.M.S. (Much.More.Shit) box includes artworks by 12 of the greatest artists of our time — including a ten-pack of condoms by Jenny Holzer.
You've probably seen Jenny Holzer's text-based work (think Live Laugh Love for people who like Twin Peaks) projected onto the Louvre or carved into marble skateboards. She's dabbled in condoms before, too. In her 2018 ARTIST ROOMS installation at the Tate Modern, she exhibited condom wrappers bearing her famous truism, “Men Don’t Protect You Anymore.”
This time around, the message is a little more optimistic, borrowing from Walt Whitman's Song of Myself. “TENDERLY I WILL USE YOU” reads the silver prophylactic wrapper — the same message that appears on pavers she designed for the New York City AIDS Memorial.
This isn't the first concept condom we've seen. Last year, Saint Laurent sold branded condoms through its Rive Droite concept store in Paris, and after a year of lockdowns, loungewear, and social distancing, sex is very much in fashion. So it stands to reason that protection (and tenderness) should be too.
Of course, the box packs ”much more” than just condoms. Creator Projects believe that the art we see in museums and fairs could become affordable to a broader audience and their latest project does just that. The €200 ($243) box also includes a miniature spray-painted sculpture by Katharina Grosse, a face mask designed by Tania Bruguera, a scratch card by Nico Vascellari, a vinyl featuring audio works and a piano score by Martin Creed, and more.
After a successful pre-sale of the first 800 boxes of M.M.S. #1 in February 2021, the remaining 200 boxes will drop May 12. M.M.S. #1 will be available for shipping from early July 2021. Order your box and learn more about the project here.
