September 2004 Archive

Two art stars take a walk in space

Laura Owens and Yinka Shonibare–two big names in the art world–are at the Fabric Workshop and Museum, showing work made in residency there. Owens was one of the artists included in the 2004 Whitney Biennial, and Shonibare is one of four Turner Prize finalists for 2004 (the winner to be announced in December). Space walk Shonibare’s installation, “Space Walk,” shows a man and woman floating in an imaginary deep space (they’re hanging from the ceiling, and their space ship is reduced to a photo projected on the wall). They are connected to eachother by a tube and they are not ... More » »

Obscure (in the best sense) and clear

Post by Meredith Weber “Back to the Front” at the Slought Foundation is a new show featuring the work of emerging artists from the Philadelphia area (see Colette’s post for more on this show). Many of the pieces are imaginative, and well worth the trip to University City. Jessica Mein’s “Calvino-Senhor Palomar Series,” (detail above right) is the piece that offers the most visual and intellectual satisfaction. Mein’s piece consists of several small canvases arranged in a grid-like format. Text covers the canvases (which are presumably from writer Italo Calvino’s “Senhor Palomar”). Mein has obscured most of the print with ... More » »

Through the eyes of a child

Post from Sanja Benak [Editor's note: artblog will be running a number of pieces from students in Colette Copeland's "Syntax of Art Writing" class at the University of Pennsylvania.] At first, Pepon Osorio’s “Trials and Turbulence” installation at the Institute of Contemporary Art doesn’t give you the impression of art at all, up until you give it a second glance and see much more to it than expected. Everything is placed to reflect the gradual process which a foster child has to go through when looking for a new home. As you walk in, you see the cubicle (image above ... More » »

Up close process

Los Angeles painter Laura Owens came to town for the Fabric Workshop and Museum’s exhibition of her work produced as an artist-in-residence there, and about 100 people showed up to hear what she had to say (image left, installation shot of “Untitled,” 5 and 6 of and edition of 7 variants, at the Fab; each one of the pieces is 69 1/2″ x 50″). Mostly she talked about her process at the Fab, working with three embroiderers–Courtney Hager, Candace Lathrop and Lauren Durgin–and project coordinators Olivia Schreiner and Candy DePew. She talked about picking the fabric–an Indian raw silk heavily ... More » »

Slought gets down

Post by Colette Copeland Slought Gallery‘s “Back to the Front: Emerging Artists” exhibition, deviates from the gallery’s mission, which is to engage philosophical and theoretical concerns with contemporary art practice. The result–the emerging/emerged artist show is one of the most visually accessible exhibitions to date. Highlights include Tamara Kostianovsky‘s “Hair Map” (image right), previously exhibited in the Window on Broad Street. Human hair ‘populates’ an outline of the United States, mounted on Plexi-Glas to create a three-dimensional, visceral quality. The work lends itself to many interpretations, leaving the viewer to ponder implications of DNA testing, population census and national identity. ... More » »

Outtahere

I’m off to the Midwest today — business and family. Back next week. Libby has her firm hand on the artblog rudder. Sail on me hearties.

Bohr and order

Vox Populi member Doug Bohr‘s solo exhibit in two rooms at Vox Populi is a spare, elegant hot-air balloon ride over the earth delivered through maps, a found book, and a few nicely-placed sculptural objects. To call the exhibit minimal doesn’t really get to the heart of it although there is a restraint that borders on zen understatement. Bohr’s maps — free-hand renderings in gold leaf and gouache on mylar — interpret demographic information about the world’s resources and populations. They feel like they’re from a Victorian gentleman’s museum, one fueled by a quest to know the world, to research, ... More » »

Bad girl videos from the fab Patty Chang

I went to the Fabric Workshop and Museum to see the Yinka Shonibare and Laura Owens work but what I wasn’t expecting, not having noticed any promotional materials on it, were videos from performance artist Patty Chang. I’ll get back to Shonibare and Owens later. The 14 videos, dating from 1998 to 2001, show Chang fiercely defying any notion of dignity and decorum. My first take was this was a woman who had zero patience with any stereotypical ideas of Asian womanhood. Chang is outrageous in a gigantic nursing-mother sized bra, one side open to reveal, instead of a breast, ... More » »

Alice in giant land

Like many things in Philadelphia, Girard College is a first. It’s the first private boarding school for underpriviledged children. Established in 1848 by Stephen Girard, revolutionary war era philanthropist, the school’s gated campus, like many things built 150 years ago, is dotted with grand buildings with overscale architecture and wondrous, decorative details. Founders Hall, (pictured right), with an entry door that is scaled for giants and a pillared porch suitable for presidential oratory, dwarfs the humans who scale its marble steps. What better place for art by Tristin Lowe — Girard College’s first artist in residence — that deals with ... More » »

More on comic book crewel

I was wondering about a thing or two after I wrote the previous post on Xiang Yang, so I talked to gallerist Shelley Spector. The show included 72 pieces, and the images come out of popular magazines and other pop culture sources. If the tension on the threads is uneven, they will sag or pull, so Xiang stays focused on each piece until it is completed. Some of the pieces take four of five days (and he does eat and sleep; he just doesn’t switch to another project or put the project aside). I had been thinking about how this ... More » »