Avant-Garde and Kitsch: Bo Burnham's combination through "What"

Before reading this I suggest you watch Bo Burnham's performance of "What"
Along with being extremely funny it is a clever combination of both Avant-Garde and Kitsch



Through Bo Burnham's performance he is able to give a performance that both encompasses what it means to be Avant-Garde and Kitsch by both indulging in what people consider to be Kitsch when it comes to stage performance through the common art of stand-up comedy and musical performance, but then poking holes in his own performance and the common tropes of comedic performance as well as musical performance.

This is most evident within his songs "Art is Dead" and "Repeat Stuff".

Within "Art is Dead" Bo talks about how things that are considered art are exploited for the money rather than the real art that may exist within the works of "artists" who only work to put more money in their own pockets. In this way he looks at the artist as more of an exploiter of Kitsch art that only seeks to make the consumer spend more money on things that they consider great but in all reality have no soul.

I think the real meat of his argument comes from "Repeat Stuff". Through a performance that is meant to mimic the same Kitsch music that is currently indulged upon by the masses, he points out how the songs are not designed with artistic intent but rather with a purpose to get stuck in your head and prey upon the insecurities of little girls who "have a desperate need to feel loved" when told by media outlets that they're too fat, skinny, or ugly in order to have them buy the song and make the "artist" more money by appealing to them all.

This performance is completely Avant-Garde and can almost be considered Anti-Kitsch. I believe that it is a harmonious balance between the two of them. In his performance you can either not get the point and enjoy it simply for its Kitsch style, or you can realize its true Avant-Garde meaning. Either way you are enjoying a Kitsche-esque show that has a meaning that exists at more than just a face value making it a great hybrid of both Kitsch and Avant-Garde art.