June 2009 Archive

Michael Jackson–the medium, the message, the art

I read this observation about Michael Jackson in Friday’s Times: Michael Jackson will be remembered as a great and widely imitated mover. Other things about him will be remembered too, but it is amazing how many of them are apparent in his dancing. The sweet boy, the angry dissident and the weirdly glamorous star are all there; and so is the androgyne who gives off conflicting male/female signals in the course of a single number.–Alastair Macaulay

What we want to see Friday…and next Wednesday, too

First Friday falls on the official July 4 holiday this month so it’s slim pickings but we found these gems for you. Friday, July 3

Visual culture planet — where art and sci-fi meet

James Rosenthal is a Senior Lecturer in Art History at the University of the Arts and teaches Visual Culture on the new MFA degree program at Moore College of Art and Design. I am interested in how visual culture today overlaps with the more theoretical side of science fiction.  The notion of the dystopian future, in particular, sits on the art world proper and results in a lot of work that is abject. A long list of contemporary artists come to mind starting with Mike Kelly, Chris Burden, Matthew Barney, Bruce Nauman, Leon Golub, Cindy Sherman and about any “neo-Expressionist” you ... More » »

Monday morning reading assignment

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has a new leader, Timothy Rub, 57, former CEO of the Cleveland Museum of Art.  Here’s the link to the Inquirer story in case you missed it. And to press your paranoia buttons, here’s a link to a chilling column by Monica Yant Kinney about artist Justin Nagtalon at T&P Fine Arts in South Philadelphia and how his show of non-grafitti art got seized by the Philadelphia police without a warrant in what seems to be a case of police stalking using the internet.

John Vick: How It’s Made

Post by John Vick Execution is essential to understanding. The way in which an idea is conveyed, a picture made, or an installation constructed greatly influences the viewer’s interpretation of the piece. This is true regardless of artistic intents or aesthetic penchants. Even with supplemental information, such as wall text or artist’s statements, poorly executed work will be neither convincing nor appealing.

10 Questions For Peter Schuyff

10 Questions For Peter Schuyff, after a studio visit in Amsterdamn. Painting, Music and life in the land of the Dutch Masters.

Hot off the presses–The Print Center finds its inner kid

Andrew Jeffrey Wright performs his notorious, x-rated stand-up comedy act at the Print Center tonight. 7:30 p.m., only five bucks! Now that’s an unlikely pairing–prints and comedy!

Twelve Gates: Contemporary art from India and Pakistan–in Philadelphia

In the swarm of art from around the world, Philadelphia has remained markedly regional in what its galleries show. But a new gallery specializing in South Asian contemporary art recently opened. The first exhibit at Twelve Gates, located right next to Snyderman, features work (until June 27) by four artists who have been influenced by the Eastern traditions of miniature paintings, as well as more Pop-inspired work from a fifth–New York artist Asma Shikoh, who is a Pakistan native.

Seraphine, a beautiful movie about an artist

Seraphine, the movie about the naive painter Seraphine Louis that won 7 Cesars this year (the French Oscars) is coming to Philadelphia July 17 (Ritz 5 and Bryn Mawr Film Institute). I watched a screener and have to say its a beautiful and thoughtful movie with a sad story at its core. All movies about artists should be this lovely.

Weekly Update — Pentimenti’s summer group show

Here’s my post on Pentimenti. Here it is in this week’s Weekly. Working with six local artists new to her gallery, Pentimenti’s Christine Pfister organized Think Global, Go Local as a show about relationships.  It’s an exhibit of clean, sleek, beautiful work consistent with the gallery’s aesthetic and has two surprises — an architectural piece that bulges like a pregnant wall of a house and two sculptures that puncture a freestanding gallery wall, their “heads” on one side and “tails” on the other.