Shaq Leaves the Court for the Gallery

Shaquille O'Neal is taking a break from his normal job this spring, as he curates an exhibition for the Flag Art Foundation in New York. The show, entitled "Size DOES Matter," is set to run from late February through May, and is right up Shaq's alley: it features several works about how scale and size of objects affects our perception.

Though Shaq is no stranger to trying new things, this show in particular is a bit out of his normal realm of entertainment--which includes a small number of bad rap CDs, terrible films, and not-so-highly anticipated cameos on television shows.  

Shaq's "interesting" past in the arts and entertainment business makes me slightly wary of this particular exhibition. On the one hand, Shaq's curating work could mirror his past, highlighting tacky, uncreative, and poorly-done works. On the other hand, since Shaq doesn't actually have to perform, per se, in this effort, it could be an interesting and tasteful exhibition filled with thought-provoking works created by great artists. 

At this point I am happy, albeit a little scared, to admit that I am leaning towards the latter at this point--already Shaq has secured Ron Mueck's "Untitled (Big Man)," which will be on loan from a Washington museum.  Who really knows, though? It could be a huge flop. Either way, I'm happy to see a sports all-star take an active and very public interest in the arts community. 

--Chelsie