Trader Joe's Cashew #4, a work of great fine art

Who knew eBay was such a repository of avant garde art criticism? Steven (known to previous fine art collectors, or, bidders, whatever as an "A+++ Ebayer") writes about his, erm, nut:

I don't know why I stopped at this particular cashew as I was eating my Trader Joe's sweet, savory & tart trail mix, but as an artist the unexplainable happens often. My body is a vessel of creation and expression in tune with everything around me, including what you would see as "just another cashew"

No, something about the shape of this particular cashew reflects the shape of our society. As the artist, I have split and re-glued the cashew as an expression of the “cracks” that have been “glued” in modern life. It is a complete work of art in every way. Famed art critic Richard Barokavov had this to say about the piece:

“Steven’s ‘Trader Joe’s Cashew #4’ is such a complete and absolute brutally dissecting view of the industrial conflict between capitalism and modernism that is is hard for even the most verbose of critics to add too. Regardless of Steven’s relation to me as a colleague and studiomate, the intense complexity I feel for this work is also complete and absolute.”

Again, I don’t expect most to fully understand the complexity of the form but as you can see it is quite powerful.

Link, he wants like half a mil for it. (via Sean Bonner)

• [suedehead]

  No, this is where it’s from!
  http://www.guggenheim.org/exhibitions/brancusi/highlights3.html

• [suedehead]

  Triktixa — would it be an infringement of copyright? You could claim it under artistic appropriation.

  Also — I just wanted to congratulate you on the fact that the phrase “Br****si d***o” is a Googlewhack! (asterisks used to preserve googlewhack status..)

• [Stacyj]

  Heehee, between his description and his answers to bidders’ questions, this sounds like a guy with a truly fun sense of humor, I hope he -does- make a fair bit of dough through this. Looks like the bidding’s up to a whopping $8.50 at the time I write this – here’s hoping he scores an even ten!

• [Antinous]

  Xeni Jardin! Step away from the green M&Ms! Oh, who am I kidding? Keep it coming.

• [Spoon]

  I would pay $40-$100 for this piece… if I where a lady and had a boudoir to display it in…

• [scottfree]

  May I just say the skips out the back of Trader Joes are among the most bountiful I’ve ever come across.

• [Xeni Jardin]

  @Antinous, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Maybe you’d like to insult other sculptors like Giacometti or Michaelangelo with your potty-mind. Please, pack it up and take it to 4chan, buster brown.

• [Freddie Freelance]

  #19: It is shaped like Jesus’ Penis! Someone must buy this and build a museum around it; a Museum of Food Shaped like Jesus’ Penis!

• [Antinous]

  Leaning Tower of Pisa? Yeah, right.

• [Shannon]

  http://www.thispeanutlookslikeaduck.com

• [Agent 86]

  Is it Art because I can not stop staring at it, or can I not stop staring at it because it is Art?

• [JJR1971]

  You don’t expect me to buy this cock and ball story, do you? ;-)

• [noen]

  Clearly this is wonderful. Xeni saves boingboing from it’s fark.com fate. Yea! I love the Q & A on Ebay too.

  Q: “what informed your decision to mount the piece via spearing through the scrotum? Vicious statement on gender politics in the modern world?”

  A: “Again, not sure of the reference to the genitalia. Although I have tackled those issues numerous times in some of my other work”

  Q: “I can’t tell but is the penis cashew circumsized or uncircumsized?”

  A: “I don’t understand why you bring up circumcision.”

  I’ve clearly got this art thing backwards.

• [sharkcellar]

  that cashew looks just like a penis with testicles. that nut looks like a cock and balls.

• [Takuan]

  so THATS where STANLEY got it from!
  http://static.flickr.com/43/82199116_29fb68a50b_o.jpg

• [clueless in brooklyn]

  The funny thing about this is that often times the actual art making is the easy part and the promotion, writing, selling of it is the hardest part. I say good luck selling your nuts.

• [mutantcarrot]

  why it does look like a penis.

• [Teej]

  I have one of those. I pee out of it.

  Opening bid is $0.99 – Reserve is $150.

• [ROSSINDETROIT]

  Yay! I’m the high bidder!

• [Rob Cockerham]

  It should be noted that selling food is against the rules at ebay nowadays. This means that food-related wackiness such as Kansas cornflakes/ Jesus Waffles/ Cockshews need to be presented as art objects (or something else) or risk being pulled from ebay.

• [LogrusZed]

  Careful, don’t bust that nut.

• [Falcon_Seven]

  Scha-WING!

• [Takuan]

  I take it then this is no hindrance to any packaged “food”?

• [Antinous]

  I take it then this is no hindrance to any packaged “food”?

  Did you mean food “package”?

• [Digital Artz]

  I say Watson.it’s most likely a Persian Cashew.

• [ROSSINDETROIT]

  Q: Dude, you got Boing Boinged! Well done!! May-04-08
  A: don’t know what that means, but if it refers to people noticing my art, I am not surprised at all. I am fully aware at the power and intensity of my work and it’s ability to bridge the gap between intellectuals like me and the common people.

• [minTphresh]

  i will purchase it and send it to those poor women in washington who can only get laid by ghosts. they shall be blessed!

• [Enochrewt]

  I find it amusing that someone that wants $500,000 for a nut that they made by gluing two halves together is met with laughter and whimsy and the ~$6000 chair that a person bangs into shape with a sledgehammer themselves is met with near-hate and disgust.

• [Antinous]

  In locker rooms across the English speaking world: “Hey! Cashew Dick! Stop hogging the bench!”

• [trikitixa]

  @15: wish it weren’t an infringement of copyright to make a Brancusi dildo. Somehow I don’t think the estate would go for it.

• [drblack]

  It is nice to see somthing besides jesus or mary in food. Maybe the xtians see a jesus penis.

  Amazing how things look like things.

• [Chevan]

  >I find it amusing that someone that wants $500,000 for a nut that they made by gluing two halves together is met with laughter and whimsy and the ~$6000 chair that a person bangs into shape with a sledgehammer themselves is met with near-hate and disgust.

  That’s probably because people get the joke.

• [Antinous]

  Or, more primally, because it is a joke.