Banhart enjoyed the support of a San Francisco Art Institute professor as he embarked on his musical career journey, and now he's letting his presence be known in the San Francisco art world for serious, with a show pairing him at the fuckin' San Francisco Museum of Modern Art with Paul Klee, a titan of early 20th century art who transcended the trends of his time (surrealism, cubism, expressionism) to foster wholly subjective and unprecedented forms of visual symbology and color experimentation. The drawings of twenty-five year old Banhart, who has a new record on XL Recordings (home of RJD2, Peaches and Vampire Weekend), will be placed side by side with those of Klee's. Where Klee's universe was personal and subjective, we're offered spiritual meaning in Mr. Banhart's:
Banhart blends myriad cultural myths, including a reference to Quetzalcoatl, the ancient Aztec god who is half-bird and half-snake. In the drawing the snake's vibrant colors signify the plumes of the quetzal bird. Similarly, lightening bolts radiate from the hybrid figure's hat-an allusion to Indra, the god of thunder in Hindu mythology.
Really? We thought it was cuz lightning bolts look cool. The music world's already a capitalistic wash, but c'mon MoMA. Issues with aging demographics, anyone?
