Minimalist Mania
Minimalist Mania is a fully functional, homemade game show set constructed on-site for the exhibition Society of Spectacle, at the Fed Gallery. Inspired by Guy Debord's seminal text The Society of the Spectacle, the exhibition interrogates how we participate in, resist, or become products of the spectacle. In this spirit, Minimalist Mania operates as both a satirical critique and an earnest engagement with the art world, serving as the central stage for Jonathan Brilliant's alter ego, Brilliant. Brilliant—the character—is an exaggerated version of the artist's public persona: a fast-talking, brash, and irreverent TV/talk show/game show host obsessed with contemporary art history. Equal parts enthusiastic fan and skeptical everyman, he tackles "difficult" artwork with genuine curiosity and comedic flair. Throughout the exhibition, Brilliant hosts his signature game show, Minimalist Mania, a meticulously researched, high-energy homage to the Minimalist movement of the 1960s and its ongoing legacy. The set design draws from historical documentation, including the landmark Primary Structures exhibition at the Jewish Museum (1967), blending archival inspiration with DIY spectacle. In Minimalist Mania, guests are quizzed on obscure Minimalist art trivia while Brilliant delivers running commentary on the surrounding artworks. He interviews anyone willing to engage, turning conversations into unpredictable, unscripted performances. Beneath the humor lies a sincere attempt to connect with art—by any means necessary. A series of live performances and episodes were recorded, with footage streamed and presented in the gallery, further blurring the lines between spectacle, critique, and genuine artistic inquiry.