I went to Johnny Depp’s exhibit in Chelsea and felt like I was inside the actor’s brain
I don’t know Johnny Depp—like most people on this planet, I have never met him—but a walk through his new exhibit in Chelsea feels like a one-way conversation with the actor. Him speaking to me, that is.
Set up inside the Starrett-Lehigh Building on 27th Street by the western edge of Manhattan, “A Bunch of Stuff,” as the exhibition is called, looks and feels exactly like the personality that the 61-year-old award-winning actor has been broadcasting to the public since first landing on the scene in A Nightmare on Elm Street four decades ago.
Expect a moody atmosphere in a space filled with dark colored pieces and an eclectic mix of gothic elements (including loads of skulls) that feel both edgy and artistic.
It is also impossible to disconnect the art in front of you—created entirely by Depp and on display to the public for the very first time—from the media spectacle that the actor was a part of two years ago, when he sued ex-wife Amber Heard for defamation following an article she wrote in which she claimed that he had physically abused her.
In a way, the exhibit feels like Depp’s special turn at the stand, where he gets to speak his mind without interruption by Heard, paparazzi or anyone else.
Set up in a circular pattern, with a black box in the middle (more on that later), “A Bunch of Stuff” wants to be recognized as an immersive experience and not a traditional exhibit. In addition to the variety of paintings on the walls—including many that usually reside in Depp’s village estate in Provence in the South of France—the space is filled with objects from the actor’s studios: couches, desks, painting paraphernalia and more.
Perhaps the most striking work on premise is that of Depp’s own mother Betty Sue Palmer: a beautiful portrait produced back in 2006, the painting is covered in Depp’s favorite rolling paper by Rizla (it all feels very Depp although I don’t know Depp, of course).
Depp also pays homage to his late dog, Mooh, with a massive works towards the end of the exhibit that leads into a merch shop filled with the sort of objects that guests might feel inclined to purchase after walking through the space: including stuffed animal versions of Mooh, matches with Depp’s face printed on them, sweaters and smaller versions of some of the works on display.
But it’s the kickoff to the exhibition that will likely stay with you long after you’ve left the space. Upon entering, guests find themselves face-to-face with a series of framed paintings featuring seemingly simple sentences and thoughts.
“Her beauty a spectacle,” reads one.
“It’s hard to speak when you’re frozen in scream,” reads another.
If those sound like commentary on the legal troubles that the actor faced, perhaps thoughts Depp might have related to family and friends, that is because they probably are.
“The objective of the show is to take the visitors on an emotional journey going through Johnny Depp’s creative world,” said Anne-Sophie Villemin, an art consultant that worked with the artist closely to set up the exhibition. “Thanks to the concept that marries physical and digital, the artworks, the personal artifacts and the animation, Depp is able to share his personal story and show the scope of his creative mind, resulting in a total immersive experience. The goal is to inspire others to create and not limit themselves by traditional boundaries.”
Given the drama surrounding the defamation case, where Heard was eventually found guilty, and the doubt that many people now cast on the actor, it feels almost wrong to look through the paintings, like taking a stance in an argument that doesn’t directly relate to us.
But is that really wrong? If the show’s raison d’etre is to catapult viewers into Depp’s brain, at least through the artistic portion of his cerebellum, then the decision to kick off the production with such clear statements makes total sense.
That deep dive is complemented by the exhibit’s central (literally, it’s found in the middle of the space) proposition: a 14-minute clip playing inside a curtained-off section of the exhibit in which Depp discusses his inspirations, his relationships with a blank canvas and his musings on life in general.
“I’ve been most people than most people have been,” he says in the video. “Is there anything that I can offer? Is there anything uniquely me that I can add to something?”
Clearly, Depp is trying his best to stand out from the crowd of people—of characters—that he has brought to life throughout his long spanning career. Perhaps, embracing himself wholeheartedly and presenting himself as Johnny Depp, and not as Johnny Depp playing someone else, might end up becoming the most important and difficult role of his life. The jury is still out on whether the public will believe and embrace him.
“A Bunch of Stuff” runs through November 30. Tickets are available for purchase here.