If it's anything like that trailer for hellboy 2 you're going to have your hands full.
Friday, June 27, 2008
How to scrapbook on a tightened budget after your child costs you an arm and a leg talking to their 27 year old "partner" in alaska.
On a routine exploration of Seattle (via google maps) I discovered the nexus point of another universe. It's only a matter of time before it births a hairy multi-tentacled beast. Watch out Seattle.
If it's anything like that trailer for hellboy 2 you're going to have your hands full.
If it's anything like that trailer for hellboy 2 you're going to have your hands full.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
That First New Page or Strategies For The Ill Prepared.
I have a show opening tomorrow night in Portland. There is at least one sculpture involved, that I know of, and at least one photograph. It is something of a collaboration between myself and Charlie Olson, whom I have know for quite awhile now. It looks like this...
That is if you cover up the left half and extrapolate what's there already five, maybe seven, fold. Still there's certainly something up our collective sleeve that you have yet to see. With the exception of Caitlin and Brennan and of course everyone who has walked by the gallery over the course of the last week. I would give you the address, but given the astronomically low chance of anyone who hasn't already been invited reading this in the next 24 hours I'm not going to bother.
I saw something in the store that I've seen a lot of recently and was surprised as to what exactly the pressing demand for such an object was. Funny.
That is if you cover up the left half and extrapolate what's there already five, maybe seven, fold. Still there's certainly something up our collective sleeve that you have yet to see. With the exception of Caitlin and Brennan and of course everyone who has walked by the gallery over the course of the last week. I would give you the address, but given the astronomically low chance of anyone who hasn't already been invited reading this in the next 24 hours I'm not going to bother.
I saw something in the store that I've seen a lot of recently and was surprised as to what exactly the pressing demand for such an object was. Funny.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Floral Integration Methods (final)
Final Day
I ended the trip at Coney Island, falling into the Atlantic Ocean. Which apparently comes as a surprise to just about no one. Thank god it was out on a rock jetty and not on the beach where I could have been unlucky enough to fall on some of the sand mixed in with the broken glass. This is where I fell in.
I really liked New York. It was not a bad time.
I ended the trip at Coney Island, falling into the Atlantic Ocean. Which apparently comes as a surprise to just about no one. Thank god it was out on a rock jetty and not on the beach where I could have been unlucky enough to fall on some of the sand mixed in with the broken glass. This is where I fell in.
I really liked New York. It was not a bad time.
A List of the New Essentials (Day 6)
The Armory Show
I liked a lot of the work at the Armory Show. I did not like the Armory Show. It felt a like my idea of Wall Street--which I did not see in New York. People were predicting where the market was going, talking off the cuff about exorbitant amounts of money, and you know... wearing suits. As if business had been driving along, seen the art sticking its thumb out on the edge of the interstate and decided it would make for a good story if they gave it a lift. On a side note I pulled a huge faux pas when in an attempt to take my sweatshirt off I pulled off my regular shirt. All the way. There were nipples and embarrassment flying all over the place, like glass during a head on car crash. About the actual fair/show/whatever, here are some great Holzer pieces...
Also there was a large Ryan McGuiness that was pretty fancy,
and a Barry McGee,
and this illustration.
I liked a lot of the work at the Armory Show. I did not like the Armory Show. It felt a like my idea of Wall Street--which I did not see in New York. People were predicting where the market was going, talking off the cuff about exorbitant amounts of money, and you know... wearing suits. As if business had been driving along, seen the art sticking its thumb out on the edge of the interstate and decided it would make for a good story if they gave it a lift. On a side note I pulled a huge faux pas when in an attempt to take my sweatshirt off I pulled off my regular shirt. All the way. There were nipples and embarrassment flying all over the place, like glass during a head on car crash. About the actual fair/show/whatever, here are some great Holzer pieces...
Also there was a large Ryan McGuiness that was pretty fancy,
and a Barry McGee,
and this illustration.
The Hidden Dangers of Making Your Own Paper (Day 5)
Sculpture Center Tom Burr
The general consensus seemed to be that Tom Burr’s work was impressive due to the level of thought behind each and every one of his decisions. After some of my own thinking I believe this to be incorrect. Or perhaps correct, but not super important. It might be more fitting to say that the decisions he is making are blatant. So much so that it’s like Tom Burr is standing in the room with you, slapping you in the face.
Now I like that. I like that a lot more than just thinking Burr was careful with his choices and that he thought long and hard about all of them. He’s a well known artist, working conceptually and should damn well be thinking about his choices. I almost feel it’s more important that his work feels constructed than why he’s making the choices. That somehow having to make these choices is important in process only, and the development of a theatrical environment.
Wack! (P.S.1)
In the stylings of Sherrie Levine I’m just going to link you to what Caitlin wrote... http://cburkhart.blogspot.com/2008/03/ps-1.html.
The general consensus seemed to be that Tom Burr’s work was impressive due to the level of thought behind each and every one of his decisions. After some of my own thinking I believe this to be incorrect. Or perhaps correct, but not super important. It might be more fitting to say that the decisions he is making are blatant. So much so that it’s like Tom Burr is standing in the room with you, slapping you in the face.
Now I like that. I like that a lot more than just thinking Burr was careful with his choices and that he thought long and hard about all of them. He’s a well known artist, working conceptually and should damn well be thinking about his choices. I almost feel it’s more important that his work feels constructed than why he’s making the choices. That somehow having to make these choices is important in process only, and the development of a theatrical environment.
Wack! (P.S.1)
In the stylings of Sherrie Levine I’m just going to link you to what Caitlin wrote... http://cburkhart.blogspot.com/2008/03/ps-1.html.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Is the Coptic Stitch Right For You? (Day 4)
MOMA (color chart)
I like color. It would appear that many artists also like color. Our interests are so in tune with one another that I think I may just have to friend them on facebook. I’m going to “poke” you Baldessari!
I’m always amazed at the discussion that goes on over color being under-represented. David Batchelor’s Chromophobia heatedly argues an existing prejudice against color. The MOMA exhibition is in a way antithetical to this view. Color has been used, liberally even, for a long time when it comes to, not just art, but design as well. Color has not been put on the sideline in favor of some monochromatic dystopian future. But, rather finds its way into almost all work at some level, and only when conceptually necessary is it omitted.
Whitney Biennial
The Whitney Biennial was curated to showcase the lesser known and the up and coming. It was, coincidentally, awful. There were several exceptions to this rule. Along with a pants poopingly good film by Omer Fast, there was a great series of sculptures by Walead Beshty. Like a glove over an aquarium, multiple Fed Ex boxes were fitted over glass cubes, which were then shipped to the Whitney. The cracking, splintering, and subsequent buckling of the glass cubes chronicled their trek through the shipping system. I feel that these were likely chosen for material reasons. The simplicity and relatively cheap/simple construction of the work played into the idea of new artworks, as if the curator wanted to be positive that those who visited the Whitney knew exactly what they were looking at.
I like color. It would appear that many artists also like color. Our interests are so in tune with one another that I think I may just have to friend them on facebook. I’m going to “poke” you Baldessari!
I’m always amazed at the discussion that goes on over color being under-represented. David Batchelor’s Chromophobia heatedly argues an existing prejudice against color. The MOMA exhibition is in a way antithetical to this view. Color has been used, liberally even, for a long time when it comes to, not just art, but design as well. Color has not been put on the sideline in favor of some monochromatic dystopian future. But, rather finds its way into almost all work at some level, and only when conceptually necessary is it omitted.
Whitney Biennial
The Whitney Biennial was curated to showcase the lesser known and the up and coming. It was, coincidentally, awful. There were several exceptions to this rule. Along with a pants poopingly good film by Omer Fast, there was a great series of sculptures by Walead Beshty. Like a glove over an aquarium, multiple Fed Ex boxes were fitted over glass cubes, which were then shipped to the Whitney. The cracking, splintering, and subsequent buckling of the glass cubes chronicled their trek through the shipping system. I feel that these were likely chosen for material reasons. The simplicity and relatively cheap/simple construction of the work played into the idea of new artworks, as if the curator wanted to be positive that those who visited the Whitney knew exactly what they were looking at.
Ten Collage Don'ts and Three Collage Do's! (Day 3)
Chelsea is so hip that even the buildings have gradients applied to them. Chelsea? More like Chelsea 2.0.
Marcel Dzama
If I had the same first name as Ducamp I’d probably make some referential artwork as well. Though I might make it a little more in line with the other work I was showing in the same room. Dzama, who is clearly diorama crazy, went with a series of found objects over his typically fabricated ones to use behind his peepholed door. I thought this was a strange choice, and I have to wonder if it would have been stronger were it a re-interpretation of Duchamp’s piece using the language Dzama has already developed. Beyond this though I would have to say that I liked the piece. I’m not sure of the level of intention behind it, but the wood adjacent to the peephole was stained with what I assumed was disgusting face grease. Fearing acne this made me very careful not to put my eye right up against the door. The idea of this door being a shared experience, one where the imprint of the viewers leaves a physical imprint on the piece is... nice.
Installations
I was genuinely surprised by the amount of installation work in Chelsea. This being very much the opposite of what I would have expected inside of a gallery. Both of these pieces were clearly constructed for the site (or at the very least adapted for the site).
This one is hilarious.
Brian Jungen
I think what Jungen had on display in Chelsea, the football jerseys woven into Native American Blankets, was great conceptually. Unfortunately they were very similar to his well known masks made from appropriated Air Jordans. Even his whale skeleton constructed of plastic lawn chairs. I think the problem I’m having is that he has managed to make such visually arresting objects, which are, at the same time rock solid conceptually. Not really a problem, but when he makes something with the same concept, that he has used in previous work, but which is now stronger than the physical execution of a piece... is misleading? Maybe the pieces are strong in a different way, his understating of the physical in the work contributing to something. Or maybe I am just not a huge blanket fan.
DiVa Containers
The DiVa containers were a series of cargo containers that were supposed to be showcasing “new media art,” whatever the hell that is. Judging from most of the work shown it just means video on an LCD screen. Which I don’t have a problem with. It’s just that I’m not sure if I would classify this as “new media”. For that matter I would prefer not to classify anything as “new media”. I thought the whole categorizing fad had finally blown over.
There were of course exceptions... There is a pink Chinese lion in the middle of one of the DiVa containers in Chelsea. The head rotates 360 degrees projecting a mirrored video of a symphony orchestra from it’s eyes. Now the connections here wasn’t entirely clear to me at first. In fact the connection is still not clear to me. But, after thinking on it several times over a period of hours It might have something to do with reflection hiding the individual. The orchestra is obscured and distorted through the reflection, but the lion missing its partner is easy to examine as an individual object. Maybe this is a sort of cultural reflection where one culture views another as a continuously reflected entity. Like the reverse of one individual standing between two mirrors and being perceived as a crowd.
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