May 2009 Archive

Pepón Osorio’s big heart

The artist with the biggest heart in town is Pepon Osorio. I am not even referring to his big paper-covered heart sculpture, My Beating Heart, one of three older pieces showcased right now at Taller Puertorriqueno.  I am talking about Osorio himself.

The Feminine Imaginary: Manon, Unica Zürn and Marilyn Minter in NYC

Recent art history that describes the 1970s as entirely Minimalist leaves out a lot; the same can be said for the predominantly U.S.-centric view. The Swiss Institute is showing the first solo exhibition of Manon’s, a survey from the 1970s to recent work (through June 30), and it’s an eye-opener.

Dali’s Liquid Ladies

At its essence, Puppet Uprising is not a consortium of puppeteers from up-beat Philadelphia, but a presenting company – a core of people tapped into the traffic of alternative performers circulating the country, who find venues and assemble audiences for these pieces.  They make it possible for the inclined public to see work that would otherwise find its element in backyards or living rooms.  The genre ranges wildly in style and in tradition (or lack thereof), but as creative expression it falls more under art than theater.  Uprising has grown in this direction from roots in radical puppetry, and is ... More » »

Virtual brushes on New Yorker cover

In case you were wondering about the blurry-eyed romantic hot dog stand scene on the cover of this week’s New Yorker, the drawing titled “Finger Painting” is by Jorge Colombo who made it with his finger on an iPod using the Brushes application.  Steve said, Oh there must be a photograph in there that he just fuzzied up.   But a video on the Culture Monster site shows the drawing came into being from scratch without a photo. There’s a little interview with the artist at the New Yorker’s website…which also says the artist will be adding new iphone drawings ... More » »

Weekly Update – Slought’s emerging artist shows

This week’s Weekly has my review of 1:5:25 at Slought Foundation.  Below is my copy with some pictures. Video is a huge part of the art world and many galleries now include the medium as part of their regular programming.    Shows of all video art are less frequent although they too occur. Slought’s “1:5:25” is an all-video show curated by a team of 5 and presenting works by 25 artists or artist groups.   A veritable dim sum video banquet of stuttering, fast-paced, culture-questioning videos, the show is good but it raises the question:  How much video is too much?

Metals on display – Part 2 of Susan Myers’ report on SNAG

The 2009 Society of North American Goldsmiths Conference (SNAG) ended this weekend after three days of exciting lectures from artists and historians including Neri Oxman, Camille Paglia and Albert Paley among others. Of course all the out of town conference attendees have nothing but wonderful things to say about Philly! On the eve of the final night banquet, which will feature the usual “questionable house band and dancing by those who should not be dancing”, I would like to continue my insider’s report on the conference exhibitions, many of which will still be on view long after the dancing is ... More » »

Kids, kids, kids in the blogosphere: What My Kids’ Art Says and Tiny Art Director

Dan Consiglio who runs the blog What My Kids’ Art Says invited me to critique a child’s drawing on his site. I know you’re probably thinking why would she do that? If you check out the blog you will see that the whole thing is very tongue in cheek. I love the spirit of it. And of course I do truly love kids art so why not.  Here’s the link to my critique.  And because serendipity is rampant on the web, I just got sent a link to another child-obsessed and tongue in cheek blog, Tiny Art Director, tales of ... More » »

On Making Lots of Woodchips – Evelyn Keyser at 87

Philadelphia artist Evelyn Keyser recently turned 87. An amazing woman, she successfully managed home-life and a stunning career as an artist. I had the good fortune to be able to speak with her about her sixty year career, during which she sold nearly every piece she ever made and completed nine public commissions for the city of Philadelphia.

Blue Ridge holiday 2

The raccoon I told you about is slyer than a fox. The second night Dennis replaced the Krispy Kreme donut with a can of cat food. The following morning, there was no activity at the trap. The raccoon relocation program had lost another round.

John Vick: One Quiet & One Loud

John Vick is a curatorial fellow in the Department of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  He has a Master’s degree in Art History from the University of Pennsylvania. Successful artworks seem to fall under one of two humors – they can call attention to themselves overtly or be so plainly understated as to provoke curiosity. This has been true of modern art for quite a while. Consider the simultaneous success of the frenetic work of Jackson Pollock and the contemplative work of Mark Rothko. At present, when images, video, and sound are more readily available ... More » »