Erwin Wurm's "Wear Me Out" expo in the Middleheimmuseum park is amazing! Pick a sunny day to see it - a blue sky makes the fairytale-like experience even more real.
And in case Antwerp's too far, here are the photos.
Erwin Wurm's Wonderland @ Middelheim
Erwin Wurm's "Wear Me Out" expo in the Middleheimmuseum park is amazing! Pick a sunny day to see it - a blue sky makes the fairytale-like experience even more real.
And in case Antwerp's too far, here are the photos.
The Mid-Year Tune-Up
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| Painting by Leslie Saeta |
"Art As A Business ... The Mid-Year Tune-Up"
Join artists Leslie Saeta and Dreama Tolle Perry as they discuss ways to sell your art on-line. Today's show addresses the fact that 2011 is now half over ... So let's all stop and take a look at where we are, what we've accomplished so far and where we would like to be. So pull out those goals you created in December and let's figure out what we all need to stay on tract for a very successful rest of 2011!
Click here to listen to today's show.
Gardar Eide Einarsson: ab-fab in Basel & in general
After seeing "Another Modern Moment Completed" by Gardar Eide Einarsson (*1976, Norway; lives in N.Y ) at Team Gallery last year, we checked his work in detail and haven't regretted it. A variety of amazing kick-ass pieces, dealing with investigations into various forms of social transgression and arguments for political subversion, emerged to us in all its black & white glory.
Einarsson is attracted to the extreme, tragic versions of rebellion, exploring how such rebels transform themselves into tragic figures, causing their own downfall. He's called by some the most unpopular young artist in Norway (always a good sign...) for his big public art project in which he tried to turn a public square in Bergen - the second-largest city in Norway - into a fairy tale land of Cockaigne. In this imaginary land nobody has to work, laziness is rewarded, landscape consists of mashed potatoes' mountains and pigs walk around already barbecued. The reactions were extreme: people got mad, destroying the works, with one 80-year-old stating that it was the worst thing she had ever seen, including the World War II.
At Art Basel Unlimited he showed an installation called Barricade, inspired by a specific event, namely the Bangkok politically motivated street fights in spring 2010. The installation is a reconstruction of similar barricade from Bangkok, but the car tires were collected from the streets of the City of Basel - by the artist himself. Nice touch!
David Zink Yi's Architeuthis @ Art Basel Unlimited
David Zink Yi (*1973, Peru) is a Berlin-based artist who works primarily in video, photography, and sculpture. His work often deals with the idea of the body and shows Peruvian, Chinese as well as German cultural influences. We were intrigued ever since we saw his amazing steel palm tree sculptures two years ago @ MUDAM (more info about this work available through This Is Tomorrow). At Art Basel Unlimited, David Zink Yi exhibited a recent sculpture of a mythical giant octopus specie Architeuthis. Enormous by scale, realistic in its details and lying in a shiny dark liquid, as if just washed ashore, it drew all the crowd attention.
Artwork Description by John Rasmussen:
‘Over the past few years, David Zink Yi has worked within the ceramic tradition to create a series of sculptures modeled on Architeuthis, the deep-sea-dwelling giant squid, an elusive creature prominent in myth and legend. Until only a few years ago, the giant squid had never been encountered alive; human experience of this life form was limited to corpses we discovered washed up on beaches. In his largest ceramic sculpture to date, Zink Yi uses the transformative power of heat and pressure to create a handcrafted creature that we understand only through the knowledge of its surface – a body without depth or animus. Lead and copper glazes play off each other to create variation within its metallic surface. The 16-foot deflated form rests in a blackened pool of liquid, provoking the viewer into a power full encounter with the grotesque.’
David Zink Yi is represented by Hauser & Wirth Gallery, New York and Johann König Gallery, Berlin.
Blogs we like: Gordon Holden
Sometimes, awesomeness arrives by email. Out of the blue we got mail from Gordon Holden telling us how much he loves reading our blog. We checked out his work and were instantly attracted . We're not sure who he really is and what he is up to, but he's got great taste with the right level of absurdity. Pleased to meet you Gordon!
Julia Kim Smith with Banksy :-)
After Obey, Julia Kim Smith - a conceptual artist whose work explores issues of identity, memory and the artistic, social, and political landscape - now pranks the mysterious street art God himself. "With Banksy" is her new photo project, in which she portrays herself doing daily chores around the house with the master hanging around. Top!
(photo above: Great Artists Steal)
Between Circus And American Psycho: Kathryn Andrews @ Art Basel 42
Finding ourselves inside the booth of L.A. gallery David Kordansky, showing works of Kathryn Andrews, we immediately felt intrigued. Clown costumes hanging on empty cage-like objects, steel baseball bat on a chair in front of burning candles wallpaper, all surrounded by series of colorful, yet clinical photos of decorative ribbons, one doesn't know if he ended up on stylish abandoned birthday party or in a horror movie. Eerie, coolness and cutting-edge beauty of American Psycho comes to mind and you don't even need to hear It's Hip to Be Square in the background.
Our top favorite stand on Art Statements.
Discover more amazing work by Kathryn Andrews on her gallery's website.
Doomed to Eternity of Art Handling: Daniel Jackson @ Art Basel 42
The booth of Berlin-based gallery PSM with an installation of American artist Daniel Jackson certainly couldn't be passed unnoticed in the Art Statements section of Art Basel.
Titled "Accumulation of Dark Matter", Daniel Jackson created number of strong works, all related to the history of humanity and visions about he end of the world. His strong interest in punk and science fiction gives the work a certain cyber-punk look in the good old Mad Max or William Gibson tradition. In other words: great stuff :-)
The photo above is of the central work in the booth, called Thousand Yard Stare (possible future me), showing an individual sitting on an art-moving crate, doomed to eternity of art handling and commercial failure. Surrounding him are the shards of a thousand vinyl LPs from which he has been chipping away in frustrated boredom.
The photo above is of the central work in the booth, called Thousand Yard Stare (possible future me), showing an individual sitting on an art-moving crate, doomed to eternity of art handling and commercial failure. Surrounding him are the shards of a thousand vinyl LPs from which he has been chipping away in frustrated boredom.
Allora & Calzadilla @ Art Basel 42
Thanks to their tongue-in-cheek visually bombastic show Gloria at the U.S. Pavilion, the Puerto-Rican duo Jennifer Allora & Guillermo Calzadilla have become just about the most discussed artists of the ongoing 54th Venice Biennale.
At Art Basel, their installation from 2010, titled Scale of Justice Carried by Shore Foam, has been selected as one of the projects for the Art Unlimited exhibition. The biggest part of the sculpture consists of synthetic polymer foam (go behind the sculpture and try touching it, it's disgustingly sticky!) with a scale of justice balancing on the top - the foam symbolizing the large number of recent man-made ecological disasters. As stated in the press release:
The image of foam by the seashore has come to occupy the public imaginary more prominently in recent years as a result of countless media depictions of man-made catastrophes – from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico to the now annual flooding worldwide caused by global warming. With these ecological events cutting across national and territorial borders, the scale of justice has become an object of explicit struggle. Presented here in sculptural form, this ephemeral froth stands as the remains of something that has come to pass, frozen in time, with the final balance of the scale left undetermined.
Art Basel 42: Art Unlimited & Art Statements
See first batch of our photos from Art Basel 42
Our photos from Art Unlimited and Art Statements are now on Flickr, accompanied by the artists' names, work titles and gallery affiliations.
Although it was difficult to pick favorites, as the overall selection was pretty amazing, we'll cover some projects in more detail in the next couple of posts.
Art Unlimited and Art Statements are the two fair sectors located in a hall adjacent to the main Art Basel space (featuring all participating art galleries).
Art Unlimited, this year in its 13th edition is often seen as highlight of the fair for the cutting-edge pieces it presents. Works by artists from all over the world and most diverse media are proposed by participating galleries and selected by the Art Basel committee in collaboration with the Art Unlimited curator, Simon Lamunière.
This years selected projects included works by art stars as Daniel Buren, Mario Merz, Dan Flavin, Anish Kapoor or James Turrell, as well as younger generation of artists, e.g. Kendell Geers, Allora & Calzadilla, Hans Op de Beeck, Erik Van Lieshout, and finally some pretty fresh blood such as the 26-year old much talked-about Jacob Kassay.
Art Statements sector features one-person stands by emerging artists from galleries worldwide. The two which really caught our attention were L.A.-based Kordansky Gallery, showing installations by Kathryn Andrews (see also image above) and the Berlin PSM Gallery with works by Daniel Jackson.
Volta7 picks: Carlos Aires
This year's VOLTA7 Limited Edition artist happened to be no-one else than the multi-talented artist and our good friend Carlos Aires. His edition consisted of two motifs, titled Disco Little Dancer and Gimme Love and unsurprisingly, has been sold by midweek.
Carlos undertakes an iconographic research on images of explicit sexual attitudes, world disasters, pop characters, art historical masterpieces and war-related shots taken from internet, newspapers and archives; then he uses a digital process to capture the silhouettes drawn from the images and employs a laser-cut equipment to prepare the pieces of a previously sketched installation. He then chooses the appropriate vinyl that matches with the silhouette, making an association between the title of the album and the shape. (excerpt form press release)
Besides the edition itself, the fair visitors could admire new works from Carlos at the ADN gallery booth. These included series of prints, on which golden song lyrics combined with random old photographs imagery transformed themselves into beautiful, yet absurd comic book style objects, a heart-shaped wall installation, How Deep Is Your Love, created from knifes engraved with romantic song titles (see above), and a several others of his great laser-cut vinyl record installations.
marisa seguin : artists who blog
Marisa's blog: www.marisamidori.blogspot.com
Marisa's website: www.marisaseguin.com
Marisa's shop: www.etsy.com/shop/marisamidori
Today we are joined by the fresh and delightful Canadian illustrator Marisa Seguin. I am in love with her "Here and There" city series - whimsically illustrated maps of famous places. When Marisa is not illustrating, she says that she spends her time "baking obnoxiously coloured cakes, dancing around my room, and spending inordinate amounts of time reading blogs." Sounds good to me! Enjoy your weekend and Marisa's fun interview! xo
Why did you decide to become an artist and could you imagine doing anything else? If so, what?
My parents have always told me that I loved drawing as soon as I could hold a pencil. I wasn't a huge Barbie kid or any other toy for that matter — I just wanted to draw! So careerwise, it's been a pretty straight path for me. If I weren't an illustrator, I think I would really enjoy having my own bakery. I love to bake and experiment with recipes in my free time.
Do you still believe do what you love and the money will come?
Well, I'm just starting my career and haven't been jaded by the industry yet haha so I'm still very optimistic (but I'm just a really optimistic person in general). I believe that when people love what they are doing it shows in their work and people will be excited about a product that the maker was equally excited (if not more) to create.
How has blogging and the internet influenced your work as an artist?
I am a complete blog addict. I love to read them in my spare time (and not-so-spare time!) and always turn to them when I am in a creative rut. I don't believe in creating in a bubble. The internet and blogging specifically have introduced me to so many great artists that I probably would never have found without this incredible resource. Now that I'm beginning my career, the internet has also helped me connect with so many great people in my industry. It is an invaluable tool!
Please name 3 of your favorite blogs and tell us why these blogs are special.
Oh man, just three??
Where the Lovely Things Are - Mallory, the curator of this blog, always find the best stuff. She features a great balance of beautiful photographs and illustrations and I can always find something to be inspired by here.
Pikaland - My absolute favourite illustration blog. Amazing features, projects, and advice.
GrainEdit - My favourite more graphic design-oriented blog. They feature work from the 50s-70s (the Golden Age in my opinion) and contemporary work that draws inspiration from this time period.
What is your greatest fear and what do you do to overcome it?
I guess my greatest fear is just not being good enough. To overcome it, I just keep telling myself that if I love what I am creating then hopefully others will too. One of my teachers always said that if you are laughing or smiling while you are drawing then that is generally a good sign.
Who would you like to trade places with for one day? Why?
Tina Fey! Such a wicked smart, hilarious, and talented woman. No brainer. I finally got around to reading Bossypants (I'm still at the beginning) but every page just makes me like her more and more.
What are your secrets for managing your time wisely?
I am a list maker. They help me visualize everything I need to do. I start by writing everything that needs to be accomplished and organize that list based on highest priority to lowest so I can help judge what needs to be done immediately and what I can put off until a bit later.
If you could live anywhere in the world – all expenses paid – for one year, where would that be? Why?
Ohhh tough choice! I think it would have to be Paris. I am a huge Francophile but have yet to visit this incredible city. I would love to spend a year in Paris just being immersed in the art, food, and beautiful architecture. I would also love to just be in Europe so that I could travel easily to all of the wonderful cities there.
How do you maintain a healthy balance between your professional and private life?
I don't haha. But I think that is just part of being an illustrator. My professional life is still there when I'm in “private life” mode and I am constantly finding beautiful books, interesting sights, anything that could inspire me. And also vice versa, I could be having a funny conversation or see something while on vacation while in “private life” mode that could later creep into an illustration.
What are your top 5 goals that you’d like to accomplish within the next 5 years?
1. I definitely want to expand my Here & There poster series. New York, Chicago, Seattle, Florence, Rome, London. I've got a lengthy list of cities I would love to illustrate!
2. Uppercase Magazine is a great Canadian magazine that is published quarterly. They feature a ton of awesomesauce illustrators and always have fun ways to participate. I would love to submit some work sometime in the near future.
3. Printmaking is something I've always wanted to try but never had room in my schedule in college for any intro classes. I'd love to experiment with screenprinting and other types of printmaking and see how these techniques could be incorporated into my illustrations.
4. I've always wanted to illustrate an A-Z series of some sort. Desserts, flowers, weird sea creatures, I'm not sure! Maybe all of them!
5. Participate in this year's Sketchbook Project (and actually finish it this time)! I got one last year but forgot it when I flew home to Vancouver and never finished it.
What is your advice for someone who would like to turn his or her creative dreams into reality?
I think surrounding yourself with creative people (both in the real world and also virtually) is a good way to start turning your creative dreams into a reality. They can help you to see what is out there already, motivate you to keep creating, and in general, are just a lot of fun!
Thank you Marisa - you really are an optimistic, encouraging artist! You inspire me too :)
Volta7 picks: Nika Neelova
Nika Neelova's "The Night Also Falls" was one of the eye catchers of Volta7. This huge chandelier made out of burnt timber, charcoal and rope looked poetic and dramatic at the same time and - as we heard from Neelova's dealer - the burning process took more than a month to complete.
Neelova, a young (*1987) Russian-born and Berlin-based artist, studied stage design in Moscow, sculpture in The Hague and at Slade School of Art London and is a definite rising star. She participated in "New Sensations" by Saatchi Gallery and Channel 4, her work has been shown in an impressive list of solo and group shows and her chandelier will now be part of the collection of Biedermann museum (who purchased it for 12.500 € during the art fair).
Follow Jarmuschek + Partner, Nika Neelova's Berlin dealer, for her next gallery show in September.
A Conversation with Karin Jurick
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| Painting by Dreama Tolle Perry |
"A Conversation with Karin Jurick"
Join Artists Leslie Saeta and Dreama Tolle Perry as they discuss how to sell your art on-line. Join us as we interview artist Karin Jurick to find out what's new in her very successful art career. Karin has been an inspiration to many artists (including Carol Marine!) and we look forward to discussing how she started her career and where she is headed. Don't miss this show!
Volta7 picks: Yarisal and Kublitz
Yarisal and Kublitz is a young Swiss/Danish duo of artists. At Volta 7, we came across their installation "Just like starting over" at Gallery Bertrand & Gruner. Even 'though it was perhaps the least visually provocative work in the booth (check Richard Kern's Webcam Girls or Storm Tharp's The Pink of Sex for some extra stimulation ;-)) - we noticed it and we liked it straight away. After all, whenever there is a flag or church to burn down or otherwise desecrate, we're game!
Volta 7, Basel
see our photos from Volta 7
Last weekend we drove to Basel to absorb impressions of the last days of the Fair of All Fairs as well as its smaller satellite brothers - Volta and Liste.
Our photos from Volta 7 are now online, covering majority of the galleries present.
Some of our favorite stands included ADN Galeria from Barcelona, showing the invincible combination of Bruno Peinado and Carlos Aires. Three of Bruno Peinado's "Smiley RVB" were consequently sold to a museum and private collections and also Carlos' installation for this year's Volta Limited Edition was sold out in the first couple of days.
We enjoyed the stands of Ron Mandos and Cokkie Snoei, both from Amsterdam. Ron Mandos bet on sober black and white, showing the architectural sculptures of Renato Nikolodi, charcoal drawings by Renie Spoelstra and photographs by Martin Effert. Cokkie Snoei was the direct opposite qua look & feel, but equally good, with - amongst others - playful installation of American artist Tracey Snelling.
Star of the show was undoubtedly "The Night Also Falls", a huge fallen charcoaled chandelier by young Russian artist Nika Neelova (*1987 Moscow) at Jarmuschek & Partner, sold to Museum Biedermann (same who bought the Smileys, btw).
Some other pieces that caught other attention were installation from Ivan Moudov @ Galerija Skuc (Ljubljana), Yves Netzhammer's drawings @ Galerie Anita Beckers (Frankfurt / Main) and
Sanja Ivekovic's GEN XX series @ espaivisor (Valencia).
Just next door to Volta at the Dreispitzhalle complex we quickly popped by the House of Electronic Arts to see their current show Together in Electric Dreams. House of Electronic Arts is an organization dedicated to exploring art that applies, addresses and reflects on new media and technologies. Together in Electric Dreams is curated by Raffael Dörig and addresses the fundamental aspect of our electronic lives in which we share a virtual space but are physically worlds apart. Our fav piece involved prepaid calls from the future - always fun!
- Stay tuned for our coverage of Liste 16 & of course Art Basel 42 -
Mirabee is Back! Fellowships, Grants and Residencies for All!
Mirabee is finally back online! Let's rock it....here are a few things that have been festering in my pile of announcements....Happy Summer Solstice y'all!
(SCHOLARS & STUDENTS) The American Institute of Indian Studies welcomes applications for fellowships to conduct research in India. Fellowships are available to scholars holding the Ph.D. degree as well as graduate students who are working towards the Ph.D. degree. Short-term and long-term fellowships are available. Application deadline is July 1, 2011. Applications can be downloaded from the website www.indiastudies.org. Inquiries should be directed to (773) 702-8638. Email: aiis@uchicago.edu
(WRITERS & ARTISTS) National Park Service - Denali, Alaska—Artist-in-Residence Program—The Artist-in-Residence program at Denali National Park began in 2002, and offers professional artists the opportunity to pursue their work amidst the natural splendors of Denali Park.
(ARTISTS, STUDENTS & ART HISTORIANS) The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is currently offering grants for the visual arts and art history. The deadline for applications is Thursday, November 10, 2011.
Who we are:
(BOOK ARTISTS) The National Museum of Women in the Arts is accepting proposals for annual Artist Book Grant, 2012—The Library Fellows Program was established in 1989 to encourage and support the creation of artists’ books and to benefit the Library and Research Center. Although collaborative works are allowed and even encouraged, the artist who is responsible for the overall creation, design and realization of the book must be a woman.
The Fellows’ contributions are used to produce an artist’s book in a limited edition of 125 copies. As a benefit of membership, each Fellow receives a copy of the book. The artists keep 25 copies as a form of remuneration for their creative efforts. The remaining copies are sold and the money generated from the sale benefits the Library and Research Center. Deadline is June 30th!
For complete details and application form, please visit the website: http://www.nmwa.org/library/
(WRITERS & ARTISTS) National Park Service - Denali, Alaska—Artist-in-Residence Program—The Artist-in-Residence program at Denali National Park began in 2002, and offers professional artists the opportunity to pursue their work amidst the natural splendors of Denali Park.
Denali National Park and Preserve Seeking Artists-in-Residence for 2012.
Denali National Park and Preserve is seeking applications from visual artists and writers for the 2012 Artist-in-Residence Program. This will be the first season with an open call to writers to submit for a residency. The program is in its eleventh year at Denali, and many of the works created by artists-in-residence from previous years are on display in the Denali Visitor Center and the Eielson Visitor Center.
A link to the online application and more information about the program is available at http://www.nps.gov/dena/
Selected artists reside in the historic East Fork cabin, located 43 miles into the park, for a ten-day period between June and mid-September. In return for their residency, each artist donates a piece of artwork or written piece that was inspired by their time in the park, to the park’s collection. Artists also offer a public presentation for visitors at the end of their residency.
Award amounts and categories: $8,000 Professional artists, $6,000 Graduate students (including art history students)$4,000 Undergraduate students (including college-bound high school seniors)
Professional artists must be current, legal residents of Virginia and must not be enrolled in a degree-seeking program at the time of the application deadline or the grant period of August 2012-May 2013. Undergraduate students in the visual arts must be current, legal residents of Virginia who will be enrolled full-time in a degree program at an accredited college, university, or school of the arts for the grant period of August 2012-May 2013. Graduate students in the visual arts and art history must be current, legal residents of Virginia who will be enrolled full-time in a degree program at an accredited college, university, or school of the arts for the grant period of August 2012-May 2013.
More information including detailed eligibility criteria, an application, and a printable PDF flyer can be found at: www.VMFA.museum/fellowships(ALL) The Zion National Park Artist in Residence program offers professional artists the opportunity to live and work in the majestic desert environment of southern Utah for a period of four weeks. Artist will also receive a $300 stipend to assist with travel and supply expenses. This call for artists applies to three sessions: October 17-November 13, 2011, February 6-March 4, 2012, or April 2-April 29, 2012, or October 15-November 11, 2012.
The works completed under this program will contribute to the public understanding and appreciation of Zion National Park and should reflect the National Park Service’s mission to the preservation and protection of the park’s cultural and natural resources.
During the Residency period the artist will be expected to present two public programs, tailored to an individual’s medium, interest, and experience. One will take place at Zion Nation Park and the other at Southern Utah University as part of the Art Insights program. See the application materials for more information.
At the conclusion of the Residency, participating artists will donate an original piece from their Residency in Zion National Park to be placed in the Park’s permanent collection.
For complete details about this program or to download application materials, visit www.NPS.gov/zion.
Mailing Address: Coordinator, Artist-in-Residence Program Zion National Park Springdale, UT 84767
Residencies open to: All visual (painters, photographers, sculptures, etc), performing (drama, dance, music, composers, etc) or literary artists.
Application deadline: July 22, 2011 (Postmarked)
Residency period: October 17-November 13, 2011; February 6-March 4, 2012; April 2 -April 29, 2012; or October 15-November 11, 2012.
Contact: 435-772-0184 or email zion_artist_in_residence@nps.gov
(ARTISTS) Call For Proposals: Artist Multiples, Limited EditionsWho we are:
The Present Group is a triannual art subscription service. Every year TPG subscribers receive three limited edition works from three different contemporary artists. Each work is accompanied by information to help them gain insight into the piece, its creator, and recurring themes in the contemporary art world.
What we are looking for:
Projects that result in a limited edition, an artist multiple, or either a part of or a document of a larger work. Our current edition numbers are under 100. We do not accept proposals for reproductions of paintings. Work must be reproducible in intent. The project will be made exclusively through The Present Group. We understand that similar themes and images may be used throughout your other work, however you agree not to create the exact project in the same form again.
Appreciation for Selected Artists:
* $500 honorarium + production costs
* 4 of the produced work for your own collection or to sell on your own.
* All the contextual information we create for your piece, including artist info, critiques, and video will remain free on-line as long as TPG exists
Your proposal should include:
* Contact Information: Name, Address, Phone Number, E-mail, Website (if applicable)
* Project Proposal:
1. What you want to do.
2. How this work will relate to/expand on current themes in your work
3. Anything (sketches, photos. . .) to help you explain your idea.
* Artist Resume, Statement, Work Samples
We have a rolling submissions policy; we review proposals four times a year. The deadline for the next review is July 8th, 2011.
Submit Via Email:
Submit[at]thepresentgroup.com
Art Basel goes digital!
Art Basel opened this week its doors and on top of all the excitement for the first sales we - finally - noticed - a real take-up of digital within the art market. There is a wider range of initiatives worthwhile mentioning going from the rather functional mobile and tablet application from the ArtBasel fair to the lifestyle iPad app from Gagosian... but the real cherry on the cake is definitely the launch of the long awaited art.sy app.
Let's start the overview with the Art 42 Basel, if we remember well, this is the first year the fair has an application. We checked out the iPad app and were pretty amused with it. The focus is clearly on improving the visitors experience of the art fair by providing information about galleries, artists and the event programs. The 3D map of the fair is really nice and app contains about 3000 artworks with detailed info about artist and gallery. Nice Job!
The second application is from another level. Gagosian Gallery took the Art Basel momentum to launch its own Gagosian Gallery app. And as the market is used from Gagosian Gallery, it is an impressive one. A beautiful, magazine style ipad app, with premium photography and information about the artists in the Gagosian stable; the shows in the galleries and the events where Gagosian Gallery is present. They even managed to integrate a shop (with payment module) and as "special treat" a 360° view of the Gagosian Shop at Madison Avenue.
Just when you start thinking that this app is a bit too much a copy of the website, you stumble upon the calendar which is one of our favorite elements: a sleek designed grid of items with very intuitive horizontal and vertical interaction possibilities.
The last app we would like to mention is the Art.sy app. Art.sy got quite some coverage because they are pushing the boundaries of the existing art market. Rather than just informing about events or showing the catalogue of a gallery, Art.sy want the users of the tool to identify work at participating galleries on the fair, help them to learn more about the work, and discover related art at the fair. The Art.sy mobile app Powered by The Art Genome Project. Apart from a sound understanding of where the art market is going, the art.sy team - which is among others backed up by Dasha Zhukova and Wendi Murdoch - showed yesterday in Basel they also know how to party :=)
As most of the apps require an internet connection, visitors can buy access to the Swisscom "MOBILE" Wifi network at the fair. Smart move from the art fair organizers!
Zaha Hadid: Mobile Art Pavilion
See our photos of the Pavilion
The square in front of Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris has become - after New York's Central Park, Japan and Hong Kong - the new and permanent home of Zaha Hadid's Mobile Art pavilion. The pavilion was designed and built in 2007 for Chanel, as a celebration of the iconic work of Chanel, unmistakeable for its smooth layering of exquisite details that together create an elegant, cohesive whole. Chanel's donation of the pavilion to the Arab world Institute aims at aiding in the development of broader cultural programs at the Institute and will host exhibitions that showcase the talent of designers, artists and architects from Arab countries.
The inaugural exhibition work of Zaha Hadid herself will be on display till end October. Don't miss it!
Invader 1000 @ La Générale
French street artist Invader, famous for his tile mosaics of space invaders "invading" streets of many cities around the world (surely you came across one of these at one time or another) is celebrating the placement of his 1000th piece in style: with two simultaneous solo shows in Paris, at La Générale and at Galerie Le Feuvre.
We went to see both of them last weekend and took plenty of photos, so take a peek!
The shows include several different types of work. Large part of the La Générale show consisted of pixelized images constructed out of Rubik cubes (with the great name Rubikcubism). Cool idea, but after seeing something like 30 of them, it wears off just a tiny little bit.
Our favorite pieces - apart from the famous tile mosaics - were maps documenting the various city invasions elegantly designed and filled with plenty of funny elements and details.
Oh, and the waffles from the unique space invader toaster - see above - tasted just swell!
Shameless Self-Promotion time!
Talking about being in a good company - it's a great honor to be included in the "30 under 40 Emerging Art Mavens" crowd, compiled and published by COMPANY, an online community of- and for collectors of emerging art. Thanks Rhoni and CJ - your excellent taste and visionary mind is hereby confirmed!
COMPANY is virtual tribe of collectors who want to help each other build great collections by providing an efficient and affordable secondary market for the works of emerging artists. CJ and his wife Renee have been avid art collectors since 1993 and have created a collection focused on painting by acquiring whatever work chooses them. COMPANY is their love letter to collecting Emerging Art.
You can read a short intro about us here, or if you feel like digesting the full interview between Rhoni and us, keep on scrolling:
How has social media and technology changed the art world?
Thanks to the Internet and social media artists are becoming less dependent on classical channels of promotion and distribution of their work. They can build a network outside their physical location and even co-operate on long distance through Skype, Facetime, cloud services etc (telecoms infrastructure permitting).
Dealers can reach larger number of potential customers, keeping in mind that the latter can of course also easily browse elsewhere. Overall, most dealers have been rather slow in taking up social media and new technology, but there is change. The ultimate proof: Gagosian is launching his own iPad app this month.
For collectors, technology and social media add new ways through which they can explore art. Emerging initiatives such as COMPANY, art.sy or Independent-Collectors serve as a good example. However, the relationship and trust one builds with fellow collectors or galleries is still a key. Technology is only secondary to this.
The challenge comes as the information commons is enclosed, Happy Famous Artists shall make social media’s siren promise to bring ecstasy and world domination within everyone’s grasp real in 2011 with World Dictators Unite: offering global leaders in many fields (including the art world) the next logical step in their post-human evolution.
Why did you start Happy Famous Artists?
The art world was originally in an extremely hot and dense state that expanded rapidly. This phenomenon caused the art world to cool and resulted in the present diffuse state that continues to expand today. Based on the best available measurements as of 2010, the state of the art world altered rapidly around 2001, which is often referred to as the time when the Happy Famous Artists occurred as a result of far-out-of-equilibrium state. This theory is the most comprehensive and accurate explanation supported by scientific evidence and observations at this present time.
What are the goals of Happy Famous Artists?
see our Manifest Ecstasy
How is talking about emerging artist different than established artists?
For emerging artists you try to find the symbolic value of their work and hope the economic value will follow, for established artists you ask if with their economic successes they are still culturally relevant. Perhaps as a general approach to provoke a healthy dynamic, emerging artists should have support whereas established artists need to be subject to skepticism.
The emerging versus established debate is a bit like the Kautsky-Luxemburg debate... and we all know what happened to poor old Rosa.
How do you view the role of the collector in today’s art community/culture?
Power has accrued towards the collector and away from the curator in an ongoing erosion of independence of culture; collectors hold a greater influence just as their business models hold greater investment potential. The negative and positive aspects of this depend on our reactions and the context of the political economy in which they operate.
(illustration of HFA by Han Hoogerbrugge)
Facebook ... New Ideas and Fan vs. Profile Page?
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| Painting by Leslie Saeta |
Scheduled Air Date: Thursday, June 16, 2011
"Facebook ... New Ideas and the answer to Fan vs. Profile Page?"
Join Artists Leslie Saeta and Dreama Tolle Perry as they highlight ways to sell your art on-line. We are so excited about this show as there are so many great new things happening on Facebook! Do not miss this show. Also, if you can, be sure to have both of our Business Fan Pages accessible while listening to the show. This will help a lot!
Leslie Saeta Fine Art
Leslie Saeta Fine Art
Also, be sure to LIKE both of our pages and check out the new Artists Helping Artists Fan page
To listen to today's show please click here.
Anish Kapoor's Leviathan at the Grand Palais
HFA promised, and HFA is delivering! A little over a month after its opening, Anish Kapoor's Leviathan, the much talked about inflatable superstructure currently disrupting and enhancing the architecture of Paris' Grand Palais, still attracts heavy crowds and heated debate.
Maroon, massive and ominous from the outside, the sculpture comes alive from the inside where a womb-shaped chamber plunges the visitor into a trancelike state of sensory overload. The play of light and shadows streaming through the building's glass roof, as well as the stark contrast between art nouveau steel design and the balloon's organic feel create a deep and stimulating intercourse between scales, times and fashions.
Leviathan hints at the futility of infinity and at the fragility of social constructs. This uncannily lifelike entity, part animal and part machine, is both intellectually stimulating and deeply sexual. While the work may not outlive its stay in the frame it was designed for, it reminds us that Art is a perception, a transient phenomenon that is to be lived as much as reflected upon.
It only takes 90 minutes to deflate the 18 tons of custom-cut PVC that make up this death orb. So don't wait to get a ticket and experience the work for yourself.
You can read our long-form review for more details, and peek at the dedicated Flickr gallery.
Trouble with my Internet Service
Hi Everyone!
Now that I have a little more time to post opportunities for you, my internet service goes wonky.
I live out in the boonies and depend on satellite and apparently, the satellite is broken. I don't think it will be fixed for another few days so please be patient. I have some really great things to post but they will have to wait. I'm writing you from the library where I popped in for a few minutes. I hope you are all well and making art!
Best wishes,
Mirabee
Now that I have a little more time to post opportunities for you, my internet service goes wonky.
I live out in the boonies and depend on satellite and apparently, the satellite is broken. I don't think it will be fixed for another few days so please be patient. I have some really great things to post but they will have to wait. I'm writing you from the library where I popped in for a few minutes. I hope you are all well and making art!
Best wishes,
Mirabee
Venice 2011: Urs Fischer @ Arsenale
First batch of our photos from Arsenale is now online. Stay tuned for more!
Impossible to pass by the three sculptures of Urs Fischer in the Arsenale without stopping in amusement. What seems to be, at first glance, just a wax reproduction of Giovanni Bologna’s The Rape of the Sabine Women, Rudolf Stingel's sculpture of a standing man and an office chair, gets a nice twist once you realize that all 3 of them melt slowly down like giant candles, leaving traces of vax running down on their surface and dripping on the floor.
By the time we saw them, the man lost his head (it was placed neatly at his feet, not burning anymore) and the fire was biting deep into his torso, one of the Sabines was very much armless and the chair looked like what'd be left after a particularly violent office raid.
Together with Christian Marclay's The Clock, a piece that u just gotta keep watching :-)
Time Managment For Artists
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| Painting by Dreama Tole Perry |
"Time Management For Artists"
Join Artists Leslie Saeta and Dreama Tolle Perry as they highlight ways to sell your art on-line. Join us as we share lots of wonderful tips to keep you on task, on schedule and organized! You don't want to miss this show. If you don't have time, then you definitely need to listen to this show!
Please note this week's show will air on Wednesday at 9:00 am PST, 12:00 noon EST.
To listen to the show, click here. Here are the links to the two videos mentioned on the show:
Brian Tracy
Randy Pausch
To listen to the show, click here. Here are the links to the two videos mentioned on the show:
Brian Tracy
Randy Pausch
Venice 2011: Christoph Schlingensief, German Pavilion
See photos of the German Pavilion and other photos from Giardini
A Church of Fear vs. the Alien Within is the title of total installation transforming the German pavilion at Giardini into a church of the artist's - Christoph Schlingensief - youth. The artist conceived this installation in 2008 as second part of his illness trilogy. Suffering from lung cancer to which he succumbed last year, he hasn't been able to see the project till its end. Instead, it has been completed posthumously by the pavilion curator Susanne Gaensheimer and Schlingensief's wife Aino Laberenz.
The installation has been awarded this years' Golden Lion prize for national pavilions. Very sad that the artist couldn't accept this prestigious award in person anymore.
Venice 2011: Christian Boltanski, French Pavilion
Photos of the French Pavilion
In the French Pavilion, Christian Boltanski presents several monumental installations under the common title Change.
The main space of the pavilion is dominated by The Wheel of Fortune: a huge strip of photographs of newborns running through a room-filling construction of what looks like an industrial newspaper press machine. The photos have a high Boltanski factor but combined with the noise of the machines and the speed of the moving images, the work becomes much more extravert than his former installation pieces.
The side wings of the pavilion are occupied with almost identical installations: a series of colored digital numbers on big computer screens. In one room the numbers are green (representing newborns) in the other red (representing deaths). Seems that on global level birth outnumbers death by 200.000 a day!
The last room shows an interactive piece in which portraits of 60 Polish newborns and 52 deceased Swiss are cut into 3 parts and randomly assembled on a big screen. As a viewer you can press a button and freeze the screen. If you happen to have the right combination of the 3 facial parts, you walk home with your own Boltanski. Pas mal, àlors... ;-)
Venice 2011: Sigalit Landau, Israeli Pavilion
photos of the Israeli Pavilion
With One man's floor is another man's feelings, Sigalit Landau has put up a poetic and highly political show in the Israeli Pavilion.
Water, and access to it, plays a vital role in the Middle East region since decades. In Landau's installation water becomes the central metaphor. Upon entering the Pavilion, one is confronted with huge industrial pipe lines and water meters stacked "like veins irrigating a body". On the top floor, the absence of water is most striking in the work Salt Crystal Fishing Net: a fishing net that has become a sculpture of salt crystals from the dead sea.
Laces and Salt Bridge Summit debate are two videos discussing political topics. The individual works fit into a very strong, poetic story or as the press release mentions: "Like salt deposited on an object or penetrating a wound, the journey that Sigalit Landau is plotting for Venice crystallize the fears and hopes of these uncertain times".
Venice 2011: Allora & Calzadilla, U.S. Pavilion
photos of the U.S. Pavilion
The U.S. Pavilion is definitely one of the most spectacular of what the Giardini part of the Biennale has to offer. Allora & Calzadilla have mixed installation, modern dance, sound and sculpture to create a story about sports, militarism, democratic struggles and bodily transformation and have called the whole piece Gloria.
Each work on its own is impressive and evokes very different feelings. Although an obvious choice, we just loved the bombastic installation in front of the entrance. The tank is powerful, in-your-face dominant but at the same time - by being upside down and transformed into a running belt - it can be seen as an ironic and sharp critique on politics and power games. The work plays with the similarities between the world of sports and military or with the Olympic games and the Biennale.
Inside the pavilion, the show continues further: a freedom statute stuffed inside a sun bed is installed in the entrance hall, in the adjoining rooms athletes perform on sculptures created from airplane seats and a huge custom made pipe organ with an functioning built-in ATM fills the back room. This interactive work called Algorithm felt like the perfect symbol for capitalism in role of global religion. As such, getting money out of the ATM has become a sacred practice, comparable to communion or confession.
We queued in the line and got €50 out of the organ... awesome experience... :-)
Unfortunately the receipt didn't mention Allora & Calzadilla, which would have made it completely divine!