Paul McCarthy's WS and Rebel Dabble Babble Exhibitions Challenge American Myths in New York

Paul McCarthy presented two major exhibitions in New York during summer 2013. His multimedia installation WS ran from June 19 to August 4 at Park Avenue Armory's Drill Hall, featuring a seven-hour video loosely based on Snow White with nine dwarves, three Prince Charmings, and three Snow Whites. The installation included a forest set with neon foliage and a replica of McCarthy's childhood home containing Disney figurines, liquor bottles, Hershey's chocolate syrup, and Heinz ketchup. Life casts of actress Elyse Poppers and McCarthy himself were displayed at Hauser & Wirth's uptown gallery from May 10 to July 26. McCarthy collaborated with his son Damon on Rebel Dabble Babble at Hauser & Wirth's Chelsea location from June 20 to July 26, featuring a full-scale two-story house and staircase from Rebel Without a Cause with explicit video projections. Both exhibitions deconstructed familiar American narratives through grotesque, surreal imagery referencing Disney, performance art history, and McCarthy's personal background. WS represented McCarthy's largest and most ambitious installation to date, using bodily fluid substitutes to confront American cultural myths.