Museum Of Bad Art, Yes Really

// December 17th, 2010 // View Comments // Uncategorized

Have you ever been to an gallery and wondered how certain pieces were there in the first place? M.O.B.A has decided that even the worst art deserves its chance to shine…

The Museum of Bad Art has been dedicated to showcasing bad art since 1994. Its mission statement is simple: to bring the worst of art to the widest of audiences. The M.O.B.A operates as a website and three galleries in the Boston area of the U.S. The M.O.B.A’s collection spans almost 500 pieces, with exhibitions of 50 to 70 at a time. The only museum in the World dedicated to bringing the worst art to the widest of audiences, M.O.B.A claim to feel morally compelled to explore new, more creative ways of bringing  bad art to a global audience.

Starting out in the private basement of a house, M.O.B.A secured the use of a Boston-area cultural institution, the Dedham Community Theatre. Their first permanent gallery is located outside the men’s room in the 1927 movie theatre. They have since added the Somerville Theater in Somerville, Massachusetts to their repertoire of galleries.

Since securing the use of a third gallery, M.O.B.A has started an email newsletter called MOBA News, made a virtual gallery available on CD-ROM, and published a book called ‘Museum of Bad Art: Art Too Bad To Be Ignored.’

Check out the website of the art collective that wants you to give bad art a chance…

The Art of Scent: Sweet Smell of Indulgence?

// December 9th, 2010 // View Comments // b-inspired

How does the average person view the art world these days?

Recently I wrote a piece about The Turner Prize and how the prominence of pieces like Susan Philipsz’s ‘Lowlands Away’ and Tracey Emin’s ‘My Bed’ may be diluting the general public’s view of art. Art has moved on from the traditional paintings and sculptures of yesteryear. That isn’t a bad thing. As good as Van Gogh and Gauguin were, progression is a positive step in any creative field. Newer genres like graffiti and light art are a great way of getting a modern form of expression across.

But how far can we go?

New York’s Museum of Arts and Design announced today that it will launch the Center of Olfactory Art, marking the first time an art museum will dedicate a department to the art of scent.

The art of scent? That is definitely a new one to me! Is this a step too far though?

The art of scent is an interesting concept, it is using one of our senses after all. But surely going to a gallery and having a sniff is stretching the limits of what art really is?

What does everyone think about this? Am I being a snob? Is my Chanel Allure Sport blocking the sensors to my brain or do I have it spot on?

The curator at Olfactory Chandler Burr described the centre like this: “Olfactory art speaks to the sense of smell just as visual art speaks to the sense of sight, and visitors will experience works at the Museum by smelling them. The Center will present a range of interactive programs that will explore the groundbreaking innovations of scent artists today and the artistry and craftsmanship inherent in the creation of olfactory art.”

One thing is for sure, you won’t be able to email a copy of a great piece of scent art to your friends.

Boom Boom Boom, Shake the Room

// February 16th, 2010 // View Comments // b-scene

.

I walked right past the Faile and Bast exhibition thinking it was a trendy retro arcade. They have boom-bastically-re-booted in a new collaborative project named ‘The Faile and Bast Deluxx Fluxx Arcade’.

.

There’s a weighty neon surge from the front window. It gives a fly style to the amusement inside. Crossing the threshold is like entering a personal Faile and Bast dimension. Their 80′s inspired work has exploded over every surface including their custom video games. You are immersed in arcade nostalgia and bespoke tokens are on sale from a classic, note-swallowing dispenser.
.
As you walk through the corridor of Space Invader sounds you reach a staircase where a quasar glow expands from below. Take the staircase and teleport into the 2nd graphic drenching dimension. Now it’s hyper dunking waiting to greet you. Without the first floor warm up I think my brain would have hemorrhaged fluorescence down here! A UV brilliance envelops you. The haunts of 80′s populist culture have been injected with dayglow. There are two vivid fußball tables continuing the visitor interaction, wall to wall posters, spray-painted floor tiles and an 80′s rave mannequin in the corner. It is off the hook.

Their über cool collaboration has created something magically saturating.

If you can make it to Greek Street by the 27th March, Lazarides also have a ten year retrospective of FAILE’s work just round the corner at their Rathbone Place gallery. This will give you a better idea of how they made it to this point and is also full of layers, fun and mania. Faile and Bast have brought a rare treat to London and I hope they continue this explosive approach to exhibiting. Possibly over the canals of Amsterdam or fluttering through Time Square.

b-Loud: Samuel Aoun Charbel – The Humanity

// January 12th, 2010 // View Comments // b-loud

Samuel Aoun Charbel is an architect, sculptor and painter from Fanar, Lebanon. He considers himself a realist expressing  the state of humanity as he sees it through his art; evoking reactions from his audience as a truth seeker as opposed to creating merely to please/amuse the viewer. His art is dark, thick with emotion and  awe-inspiring. Charbel doesn’t consider “artist” a career choice but rather a calling that cannot be ignored. He is the second artist to be featured in the b-uncut “Special Exhibition” gallery. His exhibit “Fattoush Beirut” opens today and will last through the 7th of March.

b-uncut: What was your very first artwork?

SAC: It was a moment when I was listening to Beethoven and I was just letting myself go, freely expressing the music with  strong strokes or  soft ones…it came directly from my ear through my physical body and I couldn’t see it visually…It was this moment of expression that I considered my first piece of art.

b-uncut: Describe the one you love the most—why?

SAC: Usually the latest one, and then I hate it again and do something better or aim for doing better or more before I start to hate it again…I like my art for a short period of time, I critique my art more than I should.

b-uncut: What are your methods? Your inspirations?

SAC: I find my inspirations around me all the time; it’s the rebel feeling inside of me…we’re living in cities conceived for the benefit of a few…the interest of the ordinary people is ignored, the spatial experience is only visual to mark the power of some…it’s the lack of humanity in everyday life that creates in me a feeling that I transform into my art.

b-uncut: What did it take to make it to where you are now?

SAC: The motive….The injustice and the materialistic dominant context of our world motivates me to stand and express…it’s a responsibility that I feel inside of me and I can’t shut myself down and hide my feelings…

b-uncut: Who has helped you along the way?

SAC: I share an education and culture with a circle of friends. They stand near and support me when I need help.

b-uncut: Your paintings are intricate, expressive, and emotionally complex—does your art define you? Or do you keep your professional life separate?

SAC: Well it surely defines me, I even discover myself through my art…it’s an honest expression of the soul and state of feelings…

b-uncut: If you were to design the ultimate dinner party, what 5 artists (dead or alive) would you include for stimulating conversation?

SAC: Nureyev, Goya, Da Vinci, Beethoven, Chaplin. It would be a combination of different fields of art .

b-Quick!

b-uncut: Your favorite swear word?

SAC: …

b-uncut: Most attractive/least attractive quality in a significant other?

SAC: Most attractive is the simple combination of sensitivity and intelligence. The less is the materialistic quality.

b-uncut: Your biggest (albeit endearing) flaw?

SAC: Will know that later ( maybe in 5-10 years) due to the decisions or choices I’m experiencing at this stage.

b-uncut: Your parents advice you should have followed, but didn’t?

SAC: none

b-uncut: The superhero power you wish you had?

SAC: To fly!

b-uncut: The celebrity you’d like to meet?

SAC: Roberto Benigni

b-uncut: Your least favorite interview question?

SAC: The swear word

b-Honest!

b-uncut: Where do you see yourself in…

One month? Painting and moving images…

One year? Exhibiting a combination of paintings, sculpture and video art, somewhere in Europe.

One decade? Dead…but maybe as an example of a person who alighted on the human factor and shook open emotions with his art.