Child’s play proves difficult in Bravo’s ‘Work of Art’

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It was back-to-childhood time for the contestants of Bravo’s ‘Work of Art.’ In Wednesday’s episode, they faced the challenge of creating works that somehow addressed their memories of childhood using only the materials found in New York’s Children’s Museum of the Arts.

But regression proved to be harder than the contestants expected. Most of them had trouble formulating an idea and executing it using the basic tools at their disposal. Helping to judge this round was Will Cotton, who is famous for his colorful, candy-and-pastries-inspired creations.

Miles, whose air of entitled confidence has riled some of his fellow cast members, used little squares of duct tape to create a pixelated, abstract work that he admitted had little to nothing to do with his childhood. On the romantic front, his flirtation with hipsterette Nicole seemed to be moving forward, though the show continued to leave things between them ambiguous.

Peregrine’s project was an assemblage that featured faux cigarette butts, narcotic detritus and a unicorn, all of which she said was in homage to her upbringing on a wacky artistic commune. (Now we know why she wears that outlandish headgear in each episode.)

Jaclyn appeared to have the most trouble with the assignment, changing her mind more than once during the episode. Also struggling, yet again, was Ryan, the self-deprecating goofball, who created a series of childlike drawings that he incorporated into an abstract installation piece.

Simon de Pury, who serves as the show’s mentor, expressed his disappointment with the works of art at the episode’s halfway point. (He also announced that there will be no more immunity for winners for the rest of the season.)

But the judges managed to find two works of art that impressed them. (Spoilers below.)

The judges chose Peregrine’s messy assemblage and Nicole’s creation -- a series of suspended plates -- as the best works of the competition. They praised both pieces for their conceptual sturdiness and sharp execution. In the end, Peregrine won her first challenge, with Cotton saying that it was one of the rare works that he himself wished he could have made.

Going home was Ryan, whose childlike collage left the judges unimpressed. Ryan said in a post-show interview that he was surprised to be eliminated but that at least now he will be able to pursue his passion for oil paintings without having to explain himself to the judges.

-- David Ng