// April 27th, 2010 // View Comments // b-scene
Our undercover blackberry has snuck some pictures from Céleste Boursier-Mougenot installation at the Barbican. The trained musician and composer has stretched the regular confines and created an orchestra powered by electric guitars, cymbals and hungry birds! Brilliant!
Entry is free and open till the 23rd May. Go here for more details.
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// April 21st, 2010 // View Comments // b-scene
A treasure trove of contemporary art in a Methodist chapel right in the heart of Chalk Farm, just around the corner from my flat… who knew?
I walked in without the highest expectations of the 200 works on display from the Zabludowicz Collection, curated by Anna-Catharina Gebbers, but left praising the collection and Gebbers’ curatorial finesse. It was not just the big names that impressed me; in fact, I was more impressed with some dozens of works by emerging artists that I have never come across in galleries, museums or the auction world. Who I am sure will be huge names in the next 5 years.
As I stepped in the door, I was given a guide listing 217 works that were displayed throughout the central nave of the church, the back rooms and the upstairs pews. Having forgotten a pen, I over-eagerly checked off 20 works by impressive artists I had never heard of before with lip pencil. I was particularly fascinated by the work of Amie Dicke, Friecrich Kunath, Larry Clark, Dan Shaw-Town, Melissa McGill, Steve Bishop, and Brian Griffiths (I could go on…)
And o
f course, I was also impressed by the works of artists I DO know; particularly an erotic and haunting photograph by Cindy Sherman, two paintings by the up and coming expressionist painter Tomory Dodge, a recent Mat Collishaw photograph taking the idea of the lightbox installation from Jeff Wall yet creating a cinematic atmosphere vastly different from Wall’s, and of course to complete a contemporary collection there must be a work by Terrance Koh.
The exhibition’s theme was convincing – a cohesive insight into our acquisition of meaning and how we relate and connect to what we see. The title, ‘A Library of Babel’, is based on a short story by Jorge Luis Borges who portrays the world as a library that people wander through trying to create meaningful sequences amongst the books.
Walking through the exhibition I found myself trying to piece together each room and find meaning through the juxtaposition of two pieces of the exhibition. And I did piece together some consistent themes between artists and works dealing with gender, race and sexuality, eroticism, the intersection of language and art, and the body. The curator said ‘The sheer number of works forces the visitor to chose which works will receive attention.’ You got my list of favourites, now go see which ones will grab your attention! Don’t miss this exhibition, on until 23 May 2010.
// April 12th, 2010 // View Comments // b-wired
This is your opportunity to shine!
The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, which is undergoing major restoration at the moment, has teamed up with MediaLab and a group of students working for MediaLAB, Your Own Reality (YOR), to present an exhibition based on augmented reality. YOR has found a way to make art tangible because they can’t hang anything during the restoration. The museum is calling on art students and artists to submit digital works of art. Ultimately, 15 of the submissions will be selected for a virtual 3-D exhibition to be displayed on the Museumplein in Amsterdam. How do you compete and submit your work? See answers to the questions below!
Augmented reality combines the “real world” with computer generated data. You can digitally enrich the real through location-based services. Say, for instance, you need to find the nearest bus stop from your exact location. The iPhone can now display a live and interactive map finding the location of the nearest bus stops, and pointing you towards them! To be able to tour this exhibition, you will have to go to the Museumplein and use your iPhone to see the 3-D works displayed!
If you have an iPhone or Android smartphone, you’re all set. Just download the application “Layar” to your phone, and start creating something amazing! More specific guidelines are outlined on the website.
You can use another application, but YOR must be able to realise the art into the augmented reality application “Layar”.
The curators at the Stedelijk Museum will be choosing the final 15 works that will be shown in an actual exhibition. They are looking for motivation, interest and understanding in the concept and creativity! What the YOR students want is for artists to think about how augmented reality can be a new medium for art.
The last day to submit a design is 24 April, 2010, and the submission date for final concepts is 10 May 2010. The exhibition will take place sometime in mid-May, the specific date still yet to be confirmed.
// March 26th, 2010 // View Comments // b-scene
A taste of Buddhist culture comes to London in a poetic, spectacular and unbelievably cool performance at the Sadler’s Wells Theatre! Antony Gormley, celebrated artist, collaborates with the Flemish/Moroccan choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui to present this amazing performance from seventeen Shaolin Monks!
Are these Monks dangerous? Yes. They are among the most skilled warriors in contemporary culture. This dance highlights the immensely trained strength, discipline and spirituality of these men. The capability they have with their bodies, well, you can’t believe it until you see it. Gormley has echoed the purity of this performance with his almost invisible but enabling set design. If it’s his name that gets you there (frankly, it was for us)…if not…go see this performance. You will be blown away. Just check this out:
See complete tour dates here.
// March 12th, 2010 // View Comments // b-scene
Richard Hamilton, 'What is it about today's homes that makes them so different, so appealing?' (1956)
As an eager art history student, I had loved dissecting his seminal 1956 work–from the Pollock-inspired rug on the floor to the hoover laying against the stairwell, overtly taken from a Hoover advert. From the day the work was exhibited in London’s ‘This is Tomorrow’ exhibition, Hamilton questioned pop culture and high art and forced us all to consider the power of image. That work was strong and certain.
His new works are lacking in power and assurance and even worse the paintings are monotonous. The artist uses an image taken from the media, paints it time and time again and in every painting he tweaks it slightly. I understand the aesthetic strategy to use repetition to suspend an image in our minds but I was not left with any images in my mind–this must be a failure of the strategy, no?
Richard Hamilton, ‘Treatment Room’ (1983)
I was impressed by Treatment Room (1983), an installation of an eerie hospital room. Over the patient’s bed, there is a TV projecting Margaret Thatcher administering medicine. This engaging installation is certain to leave the viewer questioning our reliance on medicine, our concerns over health care, but most importantly, the potency of the televised image.
I do appreciate that unlike Warhol, who was a product of his time, Hamilton has the ability in his work to be completely removed from the work while at the same time completely immersed in the political culture he is criticising. But I think that is one of the only things to hail Hamilton’s work for–just because an artist can create one masterpiece, if you will, this does not mean his entire oeuvre will be exceptional. In fact, it seems that Richard Hamilton might be a one hit wonder, as I saw no paintings that stood out. Richard Hamilton, the father of pop, will always be, and only be, idolised for one work. So, can we still consider him as the father of the pop movement?
// March 4th, 2010 // View Comments // b-scene
After reading the recent blog about the exhibition of Billy Childish, I couldn’t help but contemplate the artist as an “outsider” with regard to London born artist Tino Seghal’s current exhibition at the Guggenheim in New York. Seghal’s unconventional installations attempt to challenge the traditional context in which art is created and exhibited. I’m reminded of the artists of the 1970s who began to work outside the system with performance and land art as well as the “happenings” that were occurring in the crux of the contemporary art movements in New York, Berlin, London and universities throughout the world.
Seghal’s work is shown in one of the most elitist museums which of course defines the limitations of the art market’s system. The artist’s practice has been shaped through his interest and education in dance and economics. An unlikely combination of studies, I thought…But then realised that the study of economics likely had the strongest impact on Seghal’s interest to work outside the system.
For the first time in the Guggenheim’s history, an artist was allowed to wipe out the entire rotunda of its permanent collection–which was made up mostly of Kandinsky masterpieces. The elimination of the rotunda’s masterpieces was probably intended to make the situation less elitist, but really, can that highbrow stigma attached to the museum and its architecture ever be eliminated? And if it can’t, does this make Seghal’s intentions pointless?
By displacing the art typically adorning Frank Llyod Wright’s walls, Seghal’s interactive “installation” becomes a one-on-one experience with the viewer and the artist’s medium–actors who are essentially Seghal’s puppets. Some might call the situations theatrical; Seghal would disagree, arguing that theatre, unlike his work, creates a separation between the actor and audience, and also has a definitive starting and stopping point. In the center of the Guggenheim’s lobby are two actors engaging in embracing and kissing–this is meant to be interactive between the viewer and actor?
So the artist as an outsider…like most of the land artists like Robert Smithson that were sucked back into the system unintentionally by exhibiting and selling their plans, photographs and maps, Seghal’s interactions are just as much a part of the system (if not more) as the earthwork artists. The institution now has rights to the work and can stage the performance wherever they want, whenever they want (with some stipulations from the artist of course– like the actors must be chosen by the artist, and the performance must last for a minimum of 6 weeks). Refusing the system? I don’t think so. Accepting and embracing is more like it.
// February 18th, 2010 // View Comments // b-hind the scenes
White Cube Hoxton Square
Candice Breitz, ‘Factum’
12 February – 20 March 2010
48 Hoxton Square, N1 6PB
Last week the White Cube galleries opened with the work of two artists: Film artist Candice Breitz at Hoxton Square and Franz Ackermann at Mason’s Yard. Unlike the continuity of the Damien Hirst shows immediately preceding these exhibitions, the work of Breitz and Ackermann contrast greatly in their presentation. The entirety of Hoxton Square’s gallery interior is painted black, with dark grey carpeting; creating an ambience to replicate a movie theatre. Mason’s Yard, meanwhile, overwhelms the viewer with the bright colours for which Ackermann is known.
White Cube’s Exhibition Coordinator Susannah Hyman spoke to me about her role, the shows and the difficulties when dealing with some artists. Susannah describes her role as “acting as the eyes and ears to the artist who may never have seen the gallery space before”. She continues, “the artist will often only have certain personal considerations relating to the presentation of their work.” Franz Ackermann, for instance, “decamps from his studio in Berlin to London for a week or so” and hopes to achieve a site-specific environment for each exhibition. Some artists do not consider the time constraints of the gallery; for example, art critics may want to view the show before the opening in order to write an article. Though she does not deal with sales, in response to my question regarding the targeted client for the work she believes that the gallery “will want to get works into a couple of good museum collections, as well as private foundations.” Susannah was impressed with the number of attendees at both openings, and was particularly surprised with the amount of time and attention the viewers gave to each of Breitz’s films. She says that “there is something about the nature of these works and the characterization that is truly absorbing. You literally have to tear yourself away.” Quite true, as I was there for an hour longer than expected!
Both exhibitions are certainly worth a visit. Breitz’s films ask you to consider your identity and the circumstances, events and choices that make you an individual. Furthermore, the viewers are asked to focus on the small details that make an individual unique. Ackermann’s show invites the viewer, with a range of blue colors reminiscent of Google’s website, to question the internet and our increasingly globalized society. The work offers an indirectly thought-provoking and aesthetically rousing exhibition.
Go see for yourself!
White Cube Mason’s Yard
Franz Ackermann, ‘Wait’
10 February – 1 April 2010
25-26 Mason’s Yard, SW1Y 6BU
// February 10th, 2010 // View Comments // b-scene
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Upon entering Tate Britain for the Chris Ofili retrospective, viewers are warned of the “offensive” imagery on view. Anyone familiar with the artist is accustomed to seeing the glitzy, brilliant, and intense paintings he is best known for: Ofili’s use of elephant dung, artfully placed on parts of his paintings and used constantly to prop the works up from the ground, as well as his constant inclusion of imagery from pornography magazines, are what made this British artist notorious. To the artist, however, the materials and intense colours used in the early paintings are not simply used for decoration but resonate with Ofili’s personal history, Nigerian voo doo, the lyrics of rap artists and the sociological concerns of black people today. Ofili’s new work continues to speak to the same themes but the paintings have lost their glittering flamboyance.
Ofili’s paintings are sparsely propped against the four white walls of brightly lit rooms and Tate’s space suddenly feels like a commercial gallery. His early paintings smother the viewer immediately; they are immensely confrontational and challenging both from a distance and even more so on close inspection. But the true treasure of the exhibition is found after the early works; a dark walnut-panelled chamber has been built exclusively by David Adjaye to house Ofili’s “Upper Room” series that has just been purchased by the museum. The room acts as a site of contemplation, a religious chapel. Its title refers to the room where the Last Supper was held. Here viewers quietly absorb thirteen paintings of monkeys. The paintings are individualized by colour and the colours extend off the borders of the canvas and radiate against the dark walls underneath their individual lights.
Finally, as the viewer emerges from this enclosed space, they are left with Ofili’s newest works. Clearly, something has changed. The paint is a deeper range of colours, the works are unadorned, and references to sex, religion and pornography are inconspicuous. After the heightened sensations of the previous galleries, these unremarkable paintings are quite honestly a let down. Perhaps seen in their own light, without the heightened expectations triggered by his previous work one’s reaction to the paintings would be more positive. The majority of art critic reaction has been less then charitable; for example Charlotte Higgins posted on the Guardian “the moment I walked into the final room of the show my heart, I have to confess, sank”. In a way I suppose one has to decide if his work was more then glitter and elephant dung. Is the artist relevant without the shock.
