Archangel Gabriel critiques art market values and advocates for return to physical making in 2013 ArtReview interview

In a November 2013 ArtReview interview, the Archangel Gabriel discusses contemporary art world dynamics through a theological lens. Gabriel analyzes Jeffrey Deitch's controversial tenure at LA MOCA, which ended the previous summer amid criticism over his focus on graffiti, fashion, and Hollywood celebrity involvement. The angel argues that Deitch's market expertise made logical sense for a financially troubled institution, while suggesting critic Benjamin Buchloh might have offered a revolutionary alternative vision challenging art-market hegemony. Gabriel defends celebrity participation for bringing money and glamour to art, noting money remains the language of power. The interview shifts to advocate for a return to physical, unalienated art-making—a fundamental human labor practice obscured by mechanical production and exotic material experiments. Gabriel criticizes the market success of artists like Thomas Houseago as based on audience forgetfulness rather than visual ideas, and dismisses concerns about museum directors' values as irrelevant compared to formal artistic meaning. The angel emphasizes formalism as creation of meaning through form manipulation, from tribal bone carvings to Matisse and Fra Angelico paintings, urging artists to embrace visual content over institutional critique.