Some Call Him 'Shaq"

The 7-foot-1, 325 pound, Shaquille is an all-star veteran who not only plays professional basketball for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but is also a reserve police officer in Miami, a movie star (Kazaam), a rapper, and now, a rookie art curator. The exhibit, “Size DOES Matter,” is open for display at the Flag Art Museum in Manhattan, and features 52 works by 39 artists.

As O’Neal looked for a wide variety of work, he said that he leaned more toward those with a unique approach. He mentioned Mark Wagner’s portrait of the basketball star, which he made entirely out of cut-up dollar bills; Ron Mueck also grabbed his attention with his immense sculpture that even made O’Neal himself look small.

Shaq said that he wanted to participate in designing the floor plan in lieu of an obligation to his team; luckily, through wonderful technology, Mr. O’Neal can explore the different options virtually while on the

One of the works on display

road for the regular season. He plans on making the art look good, while also playing with the viewer’s perception of the works. Since all 52 pieces are part of the show, O’Neal promised to not only consider the isolated piece, but also to understand how it relates to any neighboring items.

In the end, Shaq isn’t too keen on the entire theme of this exhibit, since he expressed an appreciation for all sizes of art. He explained how size may indeed provide a definite physical advantage, as it does in basketball, but that skill is also necessary to succeed.