Amazing sculpture of 3,6 meters tall, black rats facing outward in a circle, their tails bound together in a giant knot. Wish they would fit in the HFA HQ ;-)
(works of Katharina Fritsch can be seen @ Matthew Marks Gallery)
Katharina Fritsch: Rat King
Amazing sculpture of 3,6 meters tall, black rats facing outward in a circle, their tails bound together in a giant knot. Wish they would fit in the HFA HQ ;-)
(works of Katharina Fritsch can be seen @ Matthew Marks Gallery)
Elmgreen & Dragset’s German Barn
Heaps of hay, stuffed goat, farming tools, antlers & Asian boys dressed in lederhosen form together one of the key works of the 3rd Singapore Biennale. Created by the Scandinavian duo Elmgreen & Dragset & entitled German Barn, you gotta love it.
Also by Elmgreen & Dragset and on display closer to home: the Powerless Structures, Fig.101 (bronze cast of a boy on a rocking horse) will adorn the fourth plinth of London's Trafalgar Square next year.
(see more photos of the German Barn @ designboom)
Marilyn Minter @ Team Gallery
Opening today @ Team Gallery, NYC: solo show of Marylin Minter entitled Paintings from the 80s. The show will cover two bodies of her work: the 1986-87 series Big Girls/Little Girls, built from imagery with an almost journalistic remove, alongside works from 1989 Porn Grids, which capture women and men engaged in what the porn industry refers to as “money shots”. Nice example of the latter is above.
And if you like what you see, make sure to also check Marilyn Minter's latest project Green Pink Caviar.
Pavillon des Arts et du Design
From the modern to the contemporary, the Pavillon des Arts et du Design, now in its 15th Parisian edition, is currently offering the finest possible slice of the European Art market in a tasty single, frosted event.
The fair, which opened to the public yesterday morning, presents the selection especial of about eighty galleries, a fourth of which hail from Europe and beyond. With a strong focus on the decorative arts, from cosy couches to beautiful baubles, it remains a rare occasion to immerse oneself in gorgeous objets d’Art from a period sometimes too famous to be understood on both artistic and practical levels.
Whether the show is a glorious testimony to French good taste, as its organisers are keen to say, remains to be seen. It is, however, an unmistakably interesting and relaxed occasion, whether you treat it as a living museum or a sales floor. It runs until Sunday, April 3rd and you would be crazy to miss it!
A Conversation with Carol Marine
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| Painting by Dreama Tolle Perry |
"A Conversation with Carole Marine"
Join Artists Leslie Saeta and Dreama Tolle Perry as they highlight ways to sell your art on-line. Join us as we interview Carol Marine to find out what's new in her busy life as a daily painter. We are thrilled to also have her husband, David Marine as a guest on the show. There are many new and exciting things happening with Carol and David's dailypaintworks.com and DPW Auctions so do not miss this show. It is a must for all artists!
To listen to this show, click here.
To listen to this show, click here.
It's Nice That #5 Out Now!
It's Nice That released new issue of their magazine featuring great selection of art, design & interviews with a.o. Erwin Wurm, Matt Pyke, Isabella Rozendaal, Wilford Barrington and Rob Ryan. Looking forward to dive in :-)
The Divine Comedy
The Harvard University Graduate School of Design and the Harvard Art Museums have set up a show with 3 big shots of contemporary art: Ai Weiwei, Olafur Eliasson and Tomás Saraceno. The show is called The Devine Comedy and ties into Dante's work by "exploring the political dimensions of History (Weiwei), Mind (Eliasson), and Cosmos (Saraceno), and how these aspects of contemporary experience are being engaged by art and design speculation today."
Sneak preview: The Andy Monument
Tomorrow, Rob Pruitt's tribute to Any Warhol - The Andy Monument - will be revealed at Union Square. @artnetdotcom just tweeted a sneak preview we wouldn't want you to miss. Enjoy!
Hunter Jonakin: Jeff Koons Must Die!
Video game art has been around already for a while and some related events such as Into the Pixel can have video game experts and museum curators sitting side-by-side in the jury.
But what about when famous artworld figures take up the roles of heroes and villains and get to action in a museum setting? Well, see for yourself, while letting Hunter Jonakin's Jeff Koons Must Die! bring out the killer in you. Rules seem easy: aim your rocket launcher on the hanging heart or some other of Jeff's fine pieces and go for it. Once you hit a piece, animated model of Jeff walks out to chastise you for annihilating his art. He then sends guards to kill you. If you're still alive after this round, you'll be afforded the ability to enter a room where waves of curators, lawyers, assistants, and guards spawn until you're finally and irreversibly dead.
Happy hunting, emerging artists!
... and good timing, Hunter. The Art of Video Games, which will take place next year at the Smithsonian might still be accepting late submissions ;-)
(Thnx for tip Marina!)
Drawing Now Paris
Marco Godinho, Lost ideas #7 (2010), Courtesy Galerie Hervé Bize (Nancy, France) Now in its fifth edition, « Drawing Now Paris » presents the best and the newest in European contemporary « drawing ». No fewer than 83 galleries have set up shop in the Carrousel du Louvre for four days of whirlwind show and sell. The show’s approach to drawing encompasses all graphic works (an admittedly broad concept) and the visitor will therefore discover oil paints, sculptures, videos and even smoked crystal glasses in addition to bona fide sketches.
Go there, and go fast for the show only lasts until Monday March 28! Because each gallery presents a « one man show » in addition to its smaller collateral sets, there is an unmistakable didactic dimension to the event.
Of particular note for their quality and refreshing originality are Erik Desmazières remarkably subtle ink drawings exhibited at Galerie Ditesheim, Kristina Bength watercolours from L MD and Marco Godinho’s typographic work at Hervé Bize.
whose hair
These almost philosophical reflections on hair cuts are not from us but from Christina Christoforou, a London based illustrator and artist who's book "Whose Hair" has recently been published. The book contains 200 hand-drawn illustrations of the hairstyles of musicians, artists, movie stars, ... leaving their faces blank. While flipping the pages, one has to agree with the author on the high correlation between a person's character and his or her hairstyle, but at the same time you can also just see it as a "fun and ironic take on the global celebrity phenomenon" by guessing the name with each hair cut. The answers are at the back of the book :=)
(via anothermag)
Sisterhood Of the Traveling Paints
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| Painting by Leslie Saeta |
"Sisterhod of the Traveling Paints!"
Join hosts Leslie Saeta and Dreama Tolle Perry as they highlight ways to sell your art. Today's show offers tips on traveling with your art supplies and the best gear available.
To listen to the show, click here. (Please note this show was pre-recorded).
Street Art: Roa in Williamsburg
Two weeks ago, during an afternoon walk in Williamsburg (Brooklyn), we came across this great ROA, hidden inside a courtyard of otherwise no-frills house. Luckily enough, there was an eye-catching stencil on the front side of the facade, prompting us to inspect the place further on the inside.
Take a peek on some other recent street art, photographed during our trip, on Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens and feel free to add the artist's name to the images, in case you happen to know the authors. Cheers!
Contemporary Art at TEFAF
Tim Noble & Sue Webster, « Yellow Phantasmagoria ». Courtesy of the artists and Blain|Southern.
March means spring and spring in Maastricht means TEFAF. Despite the fair’s conservative nature and cautious approach to Contemporary Art, this year’s edition boasts no fewer than 46 « modern » galleries exhibiting paintings and sculptures from living or barely-cold artists.
The usual suspects are, of course, all there: Koons, Hirst, Freud, Soulages and consorts are to be found in profusion with their colourful cars, butterfly paintings, meaty self-portraits and brown abstract compositions. Better still, the discerning visitor will also find more unusual works to intrigue and titillate — such as Tim Noble and Sue Webster’s « Phantasmagoria » at Blain|Southern — that are not to be missed.
Mark our words, times are changing! This year, many of the show's staples, classical galleries dealing in old masters, had at least one piece of Contemporary Art on display, so if you visit TEFAF, be sure to give the « old » sections a good look as well. And TEFAF Paper remains a great source of contemporary photography and Japanese prints.
welcome aboard rick b & fj !
the spring begins today & so does new era for happy famous artists - bad art for bad people!
we're excited to welcome 2 new contributors to our blog: rick b & françois joseph de kermadec.
rick b has recently joined our artistic ranks & is the man behind ten percent, a must-read source of information for every person who possesses sanity & values keeping it or enjoys banging their head against the wall until it is a bloody pulp, either is fine. he now will help art spotting but beware art world, he has a full artistic license and knows even bigger words than you do.
rick is based on a mysterious island hideaway far beyond this realm (ynys môn - google it), yet his attention is global. every now & then he graces us with his presence during intensive brainstorming and plotting in prague, london & other mobile hfa units.
fj de kermadec, the sharp-eyed & soft-spoken parisian dandy who we felt instantly drawn to during our encounter in london last year, will share his impressions on the various shows and exhibits he attends in his spare time, paris & beyond.
fj is the founder and principal of webstellung, a communication consultancy that specialises in helping entrepreneurs find and raise their true voice.
in the rare moments that he's not branding, fj writes reviews for various computer-related publications, focusing primarily on apple’s ecosystem and its heritage. but his fine pieces of prose are simply too cool to leave him in steve job's realm only, so we gave him the red pill and his writing now runs free.
welcome fj & rick! through our physically disparate yet intellectually close synthesis, happy famous artists - bad art for bad people shall continue the cataloguing of the sly profundities, fake banalities and hidden subversions of the human pastime we call art.
(image: courtesy of asvp, adjusted by us)
Mira's Chicago Book Tour Postponed!
Hey everyone,
Just a quick (and very disappointing) note to say that unfortunately, due to a sudden back injury (ruptured disc), I will have to postpone my Chicago part of my book tour for The Memory Palace. My apologies to all of you who were going to come and hear me read at The Book Cellar on March 24th and listen to me talk on WBEZ. I will definitely reschedule my Chicago trip and will keep you posted on future dates. I'll also let you know if there are any other changes in my book tour schedule and my Mira's List speaking schedule this spring. Keep your fingers crossed! I hope I don't need surgery. Right now, it's better living through chemistry and staying on a horizontal plane....
Talk to you soon,
Mirabee
Just a quick (and very disappointing) note to say that unfortunately, due to a sudden back injury (ruptured disc), I will have to postpone my Chicago part of my book tour for The Memory Palace. My apologies to all of you who were going to come and hear me read at The Book Cellar on March 24th and listen to me talk on WBEZ. I will definitely reschedule my Chicago trip and will keep you posted on future dates. I'll also let you know if there are any other changes in my book tour schedule and my Mira's List speaking schedule this spring. Keep your fingers crossed! I hope I don't need surgery. Right now, it's better living through chemistry and staying on a horizontal plane....
Talk to you soon,
Mirabee
showtime: on view in brussels
to sweeten the changeover from manhattan to our provincial european city, we decided to devote the first saturday back on the old continent to the dandelion of the brussels' art scene. at almine rech, where you get the chelsea warehouse feeling without the need for the 8-hour flight, we were lucky to still catch half of the fantastic hedi slimane show - the other half being on display in paris - and a parallel solo of katja strunz. both paris & brussels slimane shows finish march 26th, so hurry up!
showing @ meessen de clercq was an interesting group expo curated by latitudes, presenting work by 5 artists who deal with elements of industrial or domestic design within their oeuvre.
around the corner @ xavier hufkens we saw the impressive spray can paintings by the los angeles multidisciplinary artist sterling ruby. awesome show within an equally awesome interior.
one of our favs, the aeroplastics gallery, was unfortunately closed for installation (opening with a new show next week), but in the project room of baronian francey we had the chance to admire a fabulous sculpture by frédéric platéus (pic above), which successfully completed our uptown journey.
before getting back to the hfa hq to continue working on our own upcoming project, we made a short stop at alice gallery to see the show of the brussels' futuristic anarchist sozyone gonzales.
with that, we consider our assimilation process completed!
don porcella: on the origin of pipe cleaner species
earlier this month, on a sunny afternoon in manhattan, we took the j train to bushwhick for a studio visit of don porcella - the man who brought lowbrow, crafty pipe cleaners straight into chelsea art galleries.
coming from an artistic family - his mom being a successful quilts artist - don has always been into art. he worked as an assistant of david salle, experimented with encaustic paintings and founded a rock band, the face urchins.
during the last years he has developed his own, very original, medium and language. his sculptures reflect his view on the world we live in (such as the monkey with spray can in front of a tv ;-)) and feature both real, fictional and allegoric stories. the big colorful bird of prey hanging in the studio with the artist portrayed as a rat underneath is a nice example of this, as are the main actors of the art world - think "7 days in the art world" - transformed into pipe cleaner dolls.
humor and playfulness, which you instantly feel when spotting one of his flashy installations, in combination with a multi-layered concepts, makes his art at the same time accessible and profound.
don stressed that he enjoys how looking at his work gets a conversation started, so take your chance and do both: see his latest sculptures & have a chat with the artist in the upcoming group show new york fiber in the 21st century @ lehman college, bronx or during don's solo @ claire oliver gallery in november. we guarantee you'll enjoy it as much as we did!
goeie morgen south afrikaaaa....
it's a bright sunny day & there ain't no better way to start it than with umshini wam. a 16 min of parallel madness created by the deadly combo of harmony korine & die antwoord. starring yo-landi vi$$er & ninja, with beats by dj hi-tek.
kyk & enjoy, gangstas! it's foking zef...
(via marina galperina)
olek: first she took manhattan, then she'll take berlin!
olek's plans to come to europe in the coming months are in full preparation, but before she hits the old continent, she makes a stop on the west coast. her show @ the pacific design center in west hollywood opens next week on tuesday. needless to say we'd love to be there in person, but if it ain't us, it's according to g who will undoubtedly cover the event extensively! perhaps even in olek's custom-made bodysuit ;-).
olek became an instant celebrity on christmas day 2010, when she crocheted a flashy overall for the iconic charging bull sculpture on wall street. despite the fact that the bull was stripped from his fancy dress by an art- & humor immune city guard before dawn, there were plenty of photos & a video preserving the moment, so images of the pimped-up beast were present on most art blogs within couple of hours, followed by the somewhat slower cnn & alike, causing a furore.
we finally met olek in person last week. our meeting took place inside her amazing installation @ christopher henry gallery on manhattan's lower east side, which consists of an entire crocheted apartment - complete with bathtub, toilet, bed & blanket (with the pattern of her boyfriend's std test results), even a crocheted dildo wasn't missing. olek also admitted, that she often spends a night there, after her usual 16-h workday. she namely does 99% of all the crocheting herself - respect girl :-).
olek is originally from poland - her real name is agata oleksiak. she came to nyc with a backpack 10 years ago & never left. so take your chance, hollywood directors & screenwriters, to meet the beautiful east european girl with a perfect story for yr next blockbuster movie! her show is on 8687 melrose ave & she'll be staying in los angeles for some time, crocheting everything that enters her space!
it was great fun meeting you, olek. we look forward to seeing u on our side of the ocean asap - always welcome @ the hfa headquarters xxx
Help! I Can't Sell My Own Art!
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| Painting by Dreama Tolle Perry |
"Help! I can't sell my own art!"
Join hosts Leslie Saeta and Dreama Tolle Perry as they highlight ways to sell your art. Why is it most of us can sell other artists art and not our own? Today's show offers tips on selling your art and how you know if your art is ready.
To listen to the show click here.
May 2nd Deadline for the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center in Italy
(ALL) Call for Applications for Residencies at the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center in Italy
Through residencies and conferences, the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center, in Northern Italy, supports innovations that change the way we solve global problems. Here people of diverse expertise and backgrounds come together in a thought-provoking, creative, collegial environment that helps create change on a wide range of world issues.
The Residency Program allows for one-month of focused work, uninterrupted by the professional and personal demands of daily life, in a diverse and stimulating community of fellow residents. Residents include an international cohort of scholars, writers, artists, scientists, journalists, non-governmental organization practitioners and policymakers. In addition to time for work on creative projects, writing, or reflection during the day, building new connections and collegial interaction with other residents is an integral dimension of the Bellagio experience. Meals and informal presentations of residents' work afford an opportunity for dynamic discussion and engagement with each other. The combination of quiet time for individual, focused work and connections with such a diverse cohort is unparalleled.
Residencies typically last four weeks, and spouses/life partners may accompany residents. Joint applications from co-authors are also welcome.
Applications for scholars’ and artists’ residencies are due by May 2, 2011, for residencies scheduled between February and August 2012. (Residency applications will be due on December 1, 2011, for the residency period of August through December 2012.)
Applications from practitioners and for conferences are accepted on a rolling basis. To apply, and for more information, please visit http://www.
11th Annual Juniper Literary Festival: New Writers/New Writing
Hey Local Peeps, I will be on a writing/publishing panel on Sat. April 16th at UMass. Read below...
Please join us for the
11th annual Juniper Literary Festival: New Writers/New Writing
April 15 & 16, 2011
University of Massachusetts Amherst
For ten years the Juniper Literary Festival has celebrated some of the nation’s most exciting authors, books, and publishers. The 2011 Juniper Literary Festival: New Writers/New Writing will introduce audiences to vital contemporary writing and explore issues essential to the future of American literature. A unique national event, the festival will celebrate and contribute to the literary richness of the Pioneer Valley. The festival will offer readings by a dozen acclaimed authors who have recently published their first or second books, including Timothy Donnelly, Michelle Hoover, Travis Nichols, and Kiki Petrosino. There will also be roundtable discussions, a press fair featuring dozens of the nation’s most exciting literary magazines and presses, and a keynote panel with the Poetry Society of America’s Alice Quinn and the National Book Foundation’s Harold Augenbraum.
All events will take place at the UMass Fine Arts Center and be free and open to the public. Please visit http://umass.edu/
Juniper Literary Festival: New Writers/New Writing
Friday April 15
6:30 PM Journal & Book Fair Opening Reception
7:30 PM Reading with Sommer Browning, Timothy Donnelly, Michelle Hoover, & Roy Kesey
Saturday April 16
10:00 AM Journal & Book Fair Continues
10:30 AM Editors’ Reading
12:00 PM Keynote Panel with Alice Quinn & Harold Augenbraum, moderated by Robert N. Casper & Brigid Hughes
1:30 PM Reading with Gina Apostol, Joseph Cardinale, Abraham Smith, & Michelle Taransky
2:45 PM Roundtables on Nuts and Bolts: From Manuscript to Book, moderated by Jensen Beach (Mirabee will be on this panel too).
& What’s New about New Writing: How the Old and New Meet in New Literature, moderated by Noah Eli Gordon
3:45 PM Roundtables on Changing Conditions: Editing, Publishing, and Promotion, moderated by Monica Fambrough, & To Make It Beautifully: Craft and Design in Book Arts, moderated by Betsy Wheeler
7:00 PM Journal & Book Fair Reopens
7:30 PM Reading with Cynthia Arrieu-King, Margaret Luongo, Travis Nichols, & Kiki Petrosino
Artist Fellowships & Residencies in Hungary, Maryland, Italy and Beyond!
Greetings, oh neglected ones!
Yes, I’ve been running around different towns reading from my book, The Memory Palace, and also doing a lot of radio shows. Therefore, I have neglected thee. I thought I better post something soon or you might forget I exist. But before I tell you about some great new opportunities—for all you local peeps, I want you to know that I’ll be reading at the Pelham Library, 2 South Valley Road in Pelham, MA THIS Thursday, March 17th at 7 pm. This is probably my last local reading until the fall, except for reading in Boston in early April, just so you know. And for those of you living in the Chicago area, please come to my one and only Chicago reading on Thursday, March 24th at the Book Cellar at 4736 North Lincoln Ave at 7 pm. It would really be great to see some Mira’s List fans there!
Okay, on to more important things:
Yes, I’ve been running around different towns reading from my book, The Memory Palace, and also doing a lot of radio shows. Therefore, I have neglected thee. I thought I better post something soon or you might forget I exist. But before I tell you about some great new opportunities—for all you local peeps, I want you to know that I’ll be reading at the Pelham Library, 2 South Valley Road in Pelham, MA THIS Thursday, March 17th at 7 pm. This is probably my last local reading until the fall, except for reading in Boston in early April, just so you know. And for those of you living in the Chicago area, please come to my one and only Chicago reading on Thursday, March 24th at the Book Cellar at 4736 North Lincoln Ave at 7 pm. It would really be great to see some Mira’s List fans there!
Okay, on to more important things:
(ALL) The Platte Cove Artist-in-Residence program—offers one-week residencies each summer in the Catskill Mountains open to all creative types "who have an affinity for the natural world." Artists live and work in the Platte Clove cabin on 208 acres of wilderness. The cabin has electricity, wood stove, telephone, but no running water. Residents must provide their own linens and food. $30 application fee, no fees charged or stipend offered for the residency. Application and information available at www.catskillcenter.org Applications due April 1, 2011. The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, Department of Education, PO Box 504, 43355 Route 28, Arkville, NY 12406 (845) 586-2611.
(PRINTMAKERS) A Call for Entry—Wheat Farm Press Print Exchange 1:2: Wheat Farm Press has established a quarterly print exchange, and curated publication of prints. The goal of this exchange is to promote the development of the finest artistic ideas and talents in contemporary printmaking. By participating in the Wheat Farm Press Print Exchange 1:2, you have the opportunity to present your fellow printmakers with your best possible artistic efforts, and in return receive ten prints that are indicative of a fellow printmaker’s dedication, care, thought process, and skill. We are looking for artists at any stage in their artistic lives to dedicate time to the development of an edition of eleven prints. We are looking for people who are passionately dedicated to printmaking, who don’t have access to a press, who have regular access, who print by hand, those who collage, make precise editions, make variable editions, those who can afford the time to work on prints every day, and those who sneak in time whenever possible to develop imagery. For more info, go to: www.wheatfarmpress.com
(WRITERS) Christopher Isherwood Foundation Fiction Fellowships: Grants awarded to writers who have published at least one book of fiction to enable writers to set aside time
for writing. Deadline October 1, 2011. For more info, go to: http://www.
(PRINTMAKERS) The Venice Printmaking Studio—is currently accepting applicants for Summer 2011. We encourage the exploration of traditional as well as experimental printmaking practices and ideas.
Located on the glass-blowing island of Murano, the Venice Printmaking Studio is tucked away from the more trafficked areas of the city and offers a 2000 sq. ft. workspace overlooking the lagoon. Summer 2011 is an ideal time to visit Venice as it coincides with the 54th Biennale di Venezia.
To apply: Please send 12 images, a CV and project proposal to info@veniceprintmaking.it. Applications must be received at least 3 months prior to the anticipated residency date. For additional details visit: http://www.veniceprintmaking.it/apply.html
(ALL) International Artists in Residencies, Budapest 2011—The Hungarian Multicultural Center, Inc.® (HMC), 501(c)(3), Dallas, TX/Budapest, Hungary based non-profit organization. The HMC dedicated to inspiring, connecting, exhibiting, and promoting artists. The HMC invites interested visual artists, writers, performers to submit application for its residency program in Budapest, Hungary. The residencies offer participants to interact with other artists representing a variety of cultures and backgrounds. Accepted applicants are expected to speak and understand English. Exhibition, seminar/artist talk, field trip and gallery tour are included in the cost. Deadline: April 10, 2011 http://www.hungarian-multicultural-center.com/id69.html
(WRITERS) The Writer’s Center, Emerging Writer Fellowships—Fellowships are given biannually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers to give readings at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Fellows within a 250-mile radius of the center will receive a $250 honorarium, and all others will receive $500. Poets with up to three books and prose writers with up to two books published are eligible. For fellowships in fall 2011, submit up to 10 pages of poetry or 16 pages of prose, a curriculum vitae, and a letter of interest by April 15. There is no entry fee. Call, e-mail, or visit the Web site for complete guidelines. The Writer’s Center, Emerging Writer Fellowships, 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD 20815. (301) 654-8664. Zachary Fernebok, Administrative Assistant. http://www.writer.org
A Conversation With Daniel Keys
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| Painting by Leslie Saeta |
"A Conversation with Daniel Keys"
Join Artists Leslie Saeta and Dreama Tolle Perry as they highlight ways to sell your art on-line. Join us as we interview the incredibly talented Daniel Keys and discuss his career as an artist.
Click here to listen to the show.
Click here to listen to the show.
rirkrit tiravanija @ gavin brown's entreprise
imagine a - pretty painful - scenario of being able to visit only one gallery when on manhattan. then this gallery should probably be gavin brown's enterprise. set away from chelsea, as well as the lower east side & the soho flock, it is nevertheless more than worth a trip to the (otherwise also fabulous just for itself) tribeca warehouse district.
gbe seems to be able to offer an unforgettable experience every time we visit. last year we loved the jonathan horowitz & the martin creed installations, this time we were equally impressed by rirkrit tiravanija's "fear eats the soul", taking its title from the fassbinder's film "ali - fear eats the soul", a story of love bridging the existential divide. the show features, amongst other elements, a t-shirt factory and a soup kitchen presented in 2 temporary wooden booths. the usual space of the gallery is otherwise stripped bare, with doors & windows taken out, left leaning against the walls. the images speak for themselves.
must-see: laurel nakadate @ ps1
moma ps1 has the first large-scale museum exhibition of laurel nakadate on display. "only the lonely" is an impressive "ten-year retrospective" of her video and photography work including, among others, "love hotel and other stories", showing the artist in japanese love hotels performing sexual intercourse with non-existent lovers; "good morning, sunshine", featuring young girls stripping in front of the camera on instructions of nakadate; and the fantastic photography series "365 days: a catalogue of tears" where the artist takes each day a picture of herself in sadness & tears. this show puts nakadate on the map of contemporary art as one of the most authentic video & photography artists, with a very strong body of work, both conceptually and visually. it mixes the intimacy of artists like sophie calle with the gender topics & exhibitionism of tracy emin and adds a strong commentary on interpersonal relations. the show is a must-see; on display till august 8, 2011.
jeremy dean @ pulse NY
last year jeremy dean made a blunt statement with "back to the futurama", an h2 hummer transformed into a horse pulled stagecoach. this year, the work we saw on display at the creative thriftshop booth @ pulse, was more humble in size but equally powerful qua message. for "wealth of nations" (see above) dean used the strings of an american flag to create a graph showing the income inequality in the states since the early 60s.
stand not to miss @ volta: laurina paperina
presented by perugi artecontemporanea, the solo show of laurina paperina has certainly caught ours & everyone else's attention @ volta. last year in basel, the artist had a colorful skull out of post-its, this year all the big names from the art world are made into small little wall drawings, bearing each artist's brand image. hfa's favorite is louise bourgeois' iconic spider. hilarious, communicative & cute in the best david shrigley-way!
showtime: museum night @ rotterdam
quick report back from the low lands home-grounds :-)
don't miss the opening of the kunststriplounge this evening, part of the museum night in the 'centrum beeldende kunst rotterdam'. featuring, amongst others, han hoogerbrugge's spectacular real life dolls performance and works by master-illustrator daan botlek. and that's just 2 we know & love, out of many other artists.
in other words - if u're not in nyc, rotterdam is the place to be tonight!
mark jenkins @ volta ny
carmichael gallery has dedicated its full volta booth to new pieces of mark jenkins. as always, a perfect exercise between aesthetics & urban life.
wilfried lentz @ independent
coming from rotterdam, wilfried lentz is one of the galleries participating in the stylish independent show (avoiding the term art fair) which opened yesterday in the former dia art center in chelsea. in his beautiful, minimal stand, wilfried lentz presents installation by rosella biscotti, photographs by ulrik heltoft and an amazing video piece 'red alert' by hito steyerl. if you have a chance, make sure to ask wilfried to explain you the concept behind each work - it makes the experience even greater!
more coverage of independent & other fairs in the coming days...when we catch a breath! :-)
showtime: iván navarro @ paul kasmin
after a second day full of art fairs (including pulse, volta & the superb independent) we used our veeeery last bits of energy to attend the opening of 'heaven or las vegas', iván navarro's new show @ paul kasmin gallery.
navarro has created a new body of work, using his preferred materials mirror & neon.
'the wall sculptures are based on the floor plans of twelve of the world’s most well known skyscrapers. some of the mirrors have words engraved which echo like suggestions or commands through each structure’s illusory depth.' (excerpt from the press release).
in contrast to the in-your-face piece at the armory show, splendidly serving the "attention catcher" role, the works in the gallery are more intimate and push the viewer to reflect about the human condition, architecture, and politics.
the show will be on display till april 2nd - don't miss it!
armory preview day
impressions from the armory show opening day
(images only - names & descriptions coming later)
today: independent, pulse & volta.
hey, ho, let's go!
showtime: berlinde de bruyckere @ hauser & wirth
yesterday we attended the opening of berlinde de bruyckere's solo @ hauser & wirth : "into one-another to p.p.p." the show, with work dedicated to pier paolo pasolini, is a preview of an upcoming traveling solo museum exhibition, which will debut in april at the moritzburg foundation, and present the work in juxtaposition with that of pasolini and renaissance master lucas cranach. in the hauser & wirth exhibition, the wax sculptures are put in large mirror-wood showcases which gives the show an almost religious feeling & creates a perfect balance between the lugubriousness and the poetic power that goes out from the work. on display till april 23rd. more pictures on flickr.
must-see: nothingtoodooterencekoh @ mary boone
terence koh - formerly known as asian punk boy - blew us away with nothingtoodoo, one of the most intimate and minimal show on display at this moment at the chelsea galleries. once you pass beyond the white curtains at mary boone gallery, you are facing a perfectly styled, huge pile of rough salt crystals. the artist, dressed in white, is on his knees and making rounds in a humble, meditative manner. a moment of introspection, in shrill contrast with the art market tornado about to take off on manhattan. on display till march 19th.
check our flickr for more images.
ps: to stay in the minimal/meditative style, don't forget to drop also @ matthew marks to see ellsworth kelly's reliefs from the last 2 years & @ pace galleries for donald judd & tara donovan.
Going Solo
"Going Solo"
Join hosts Leslie Saeta and Dreama Tolle Perry as they highlight ways to sell your art. Today's show offers tips about putting together and hosting a solo exhibition.
Please note this show was recorded one day earlier. Click here to listen to the show.
showtime: the shape we're in (zabludowicz collection: six weeks in new york
to welcome ourselves back in our favorite city, we attended the preview of 'the shape we’re in' on on the top floor of a broadway scyscraper last night. 5 emerging artists - sarah braman, ethan breckenridge, sean dack, matthew darbyshire & nick van woert - show their works in this amazing location, with outlook all over manhattan. see photos on our flickr page!
'the shape we're in' is the first US exhibition of the zabludowicz collection and runs in parallel with 'proposal for for a floor' @ the same location & 2 other exhibitions of the same name in zabludowicz headquarters, prince of wales rd, london & in various vacant shops in camden.
the ny show runs from 1 march till 15 april & if you're in the city for the armory arts week, you might want to hop in on thu morning for the breakfast viewing from 9-11, before hitting the fairs. it's definitely worth it!
rsvp in advance (essential) for the breakfast viewing, otherwise show's opened from 12-6pm till march 6 & after that by appointment.
projection @ volta ny
'four letter words' by rob seward is one of the 10 video's that will be shown during "projection", an event organized by culture shock marketing in partnership with Vimeo during volta ny. a great initiative to blend in ‘digital’ or ‘new media’ art (or whatever you want to call it) into the art fair circus, still very much dominated by 'fine art' focus. we do agree with debra anderson's statement that "a lot of the relevant art today is being made by people who do not necessarily refer to themselves as artists. they are animators, filmmakers and motion graphics experts who are creating visually stunning, thought-provoking pieces that capture and define the mood of the present." go and see projection in booth 9a @ volta ny.
zee longenecker : artists who blog
Today's guest is the lovely Zee Longenecker, a photographer born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil who now lives in Flagstaff, Arizona with her husband, two sons, and three cats. I love Zee's honesty as well as her gorgeous, nostalgic photographs. Enjoy.
Zee's blog: http://pixieblossoms.com
Zee's website: http://zeelongenecker.com
Zee's shops: http://etsy.com/shop/heyzee and http://etsy.com/shop/pixieblossoms
Why did you decide to become an artist and could you imagine doing anything else? If so, what?
I did not decide on becoming an artist, I just follow my heart. I don’t know if I am an artist. If someone calls me an artist I will blush. I love to learn, to observe things around me. I think I am a very visual person. I rememember being a little kid, drawing on the living room rug forever. I was always quiet, introverted and drawing was a way to express myself. I got interested in photography when I was a teen and attended school in Rio de Janeiro. At that time, it was a very expensive medium for me and digital cameras did not exist. Soon, money became a huge issue and it was not possible to keep up with my photography endeavors. I had to work to pay the bills and help my parents. After marrying and having my children, my husband gifted me with a new camera and I restarted as a hobby.
I also enjoy sewing, working with textiles and drawing once in a while. I see myself doing many things. It’s hard, because I have two small children and my husband is often away from home.
Do you still believe "do what you love and the money will come?"
Yes and no. I can’t just create photos, sit and wait. Money won’t fall from sky. I understand that I must be very organized, I need to set up goals, do some marketing, contact people, do my homework, improve my skills. I am not making a lot of money yet. Hopefully one day!
How has blogging and the Internet affected your work as an artist?
I started to blog in 2003 only to talk about my personal life and feelings, but only in 2006 I started to focus on my photography and sewing. There were women like me, blogging about their passions, dreams and work. It was a wonderful discovery! Because I have only a basic photography training, I’ve learned a lot reading blogs and online tutorials. I’ve learned about aesthetics and how to have a cohesive presentation. I find a lot of useful information online. I can easily share whatever I do and connect with other people that share the same passions.The Internet is amazing. It opens doors for many talented people.
Please name 3 of your favorite blogs and tell us why these blogs are special.
Lately I’ve enjoyed decor8 because Holly always brings a lot of inspiration to her readers. I like Pia’s blog - her photography and her posts are so interesting, different. I also like Gennine’s blog her work is also truly inspiring, they make me smile.
What is your greatest fear and what do you do to overcome it?
Oh, it would be ending up sick, old and alone in a nursing home. Aging like that would be bad. I want my family always together. I don’t want our family being scattered, here and there.
Who would you like to trade places with for one day? Why?
I would like to trade place with my son, be a kid once again and feel like him, to be able to understand him better and perhaps become a better mom.
What are your secrets for managing your time wisely?
I don’t. I still don’t manage wisely. Last week I was able to manage my time for 4 days. Suddenly I felt lethargic and again all came into a mess. I have a battle with mood swings. Nothing serious, but it affects the way I see myself and the world around me.
If you could live anywhere in the world – all expenses paid – for one year, where would that be? Why?
Fiji, Samoa, Polynesia, Hawaii or maybe somewhere in the Mediterranean. A gorgeous island for sure. Lots of sun, beautiful beaches and nature. Pure bliss!
How do you maintain a healthy balance between your professional and private life?
I am still crawling as a business, so far I’ve only sold my photographs on Etsy and I am closing contracts with two different companies (licensing) which is wonderful after only one year of work.
Everything related to my photographs or sewing I do when kids are at school. Sometimes they join me in the studio and they can participate on something (crafts or drawing). So far, it’s been all right. I have a blog, Facebook and Twitter but I am not an avid user of social networks and yes, I don’t bring much family and personal life to the web.
What are your top 5 goals that you’d like to accomplish within the next 5 years?
I would love to work with magazines and advertisement (editorial and commercial photography) and I must to work harder to improve my skills and have more photos to show on my portfolio. I wish to meet people in the industry.
I would like to take more classes at college.
I wish I could travel with my family to Portugal, Spain and Italy.
Learn more about textiles and pattern construction.
Have a stable handmade business for handbags created by me and home decor items.
What is your advice for someone who would like to turn his or her creative dreams into reality?
I don’t have much experience, because as I said, I don’t have a big business. It’s still very small! But I think you must set up your goals, know what you really love, work hard, be organized, get skills, learn as much as you can, get good connections and have a cohesive, consistent work.
Thank you Zee for your kind, open, honest answers. I wish you all the best in realizing your dreams!