artblog international
artblog international internationally artblogging
Letter From Paris: La Lumière Parle at La Maison Rouge
Light speaks. And its voice is perhaps never as strong and clear as in the City of Light. La Maison Rouge, the exquisite art space and foundation in the Bastille quarter of Paris, is proving it with Neon, Who’s afraid of red, yellow and blue? Curated by David Rosenberg, this illuminated carnival of flashing and glowing colored light is the first and perhaps largest exhibition of illuminated tubular art works. And it’s noisy, too, with the low persistent electric buzz flowing through the show – think: Flashing Tiki Lounge martini sign after midnight on the Vegas strip. Over 80 artists ... More » »
Ceci N’Est Pas Une Critique de Robert Crumb
The Musee de l’Art Modern de La Ville de Paris is hosting a retrospective of Robert Crumb. There is a lot to see. There is so much writing and drawing that one is reminded of newspapers of the 60′s and 70′s whose front pages were a gray on gray haze. I cannot give an objective appreciation of the show. I am not sure that I like Crumb’s work. It is the first time that I have seen it in 40 years. However, I do appreciate it. He was and is enviably prolific and deft with his pen (people lived for ... More » »
A Hint of a Smile for Hans-Peter Feldmann at Serpentine
On a slim wall between two of the Serpentine’s galleries, a note with cutout letters, like a ransom letter, is posted: “Art must have the right to risk being bad.” The message made me smile. But it then made me think, is Hans-Peter Feldmann giving himself a way out? Or is he, instead, merely reflecting on the natural process of art making? While the answer seems to be the latter, Feldmann’s work, showcased in survey in the current Serpentine show, repeatedly creates the space to question and explore the artist’s intentions, eliciting the raising of an eyebrow, a hint of ... More » »
A Meticulous, Collectible Delight in London
Collectible, first and foremost, is a deftly-curated compendium of artistic talent. Having the work of 66 artists assembled in a small gallery/studio space sounds overwhelming. Yet, somehow, the scale of the art in Collectible makes for a welcome cross-disciplinary exploration. The artworks that thrive most in the current show are those pieces that are meticulously and minutely crafted.
Mark Kostabi – Move to New York, you’re not getting any younger!
Mark Kostabi is well known for his accomplishments and controversies. The biggest controversy surrounding Kostabi is his ability to market paintings that he may or may not have touched. This seems overblown considering successful artists have always used studio assistants to help in the mass manufacturing of art. Kostabi’s irreverence towards the artist’s hand is by design, I suspect he is involved in the creation of his paintings to a large extent, contrary to his media persona. Cult of personality is being carefully cultivated in Kostabi’s world. Mark makes no apologies for his pursuit of fame, fortune and what it ... More » »
Rites of Spring – at Somerset House! A Friday picture post
Ten thousand ceramic daffodils have sprung up in the courtyard of London’s historic Somerset House. The work of London-based Chilean artist Fernando Casasempere, Out of Sync creates a simultaneously beautiful yet jarring installation. While springing up at the same time as their sunny natural counterparts, these clay-and-iron daffodils work against nature, hardened and without movement, lithe only in form. The lush turf laid over the courtyard initially beckons viewers–a respite in the middle of the city–yet ultimately denies entry with its forbidding ‘Keep Off The Grass’ signs. Similarly, the flowers, industrial yet handcrafted, belie their true nature. Out of Sync ... More » »
Letter From Paris: Markus Hansen’s Palindrome
“My one regret in life is that I am not someone else.” – Woody Allen Markus Hansen, the Paris-based German artist, is trying in more than a decade’s worth of projects to see what it might be like to be someone else, and then to confront that very notion of being someone else. Using a Felix the Cat bag o’ tricks to flesh out the narrative or even the feeling he’s someone else (you), one senses the tugging or nudging – imagine Peter Pan’s moment he lost his shadow – out of one’s singular identity. It’s a bit more than ... More » »
And the band came marching in – at Hauser and Wirth! A Friday picture post
[Ed. note-This is a new Friday feature, a picture post on a day we publish the news post in the left column. Short and visually spiffy. A good way to begin the weekend!] Just as I was leaving the preview for the dual shows of Michael Raedecker and Mary Heilmann at Hauser and Wirth, a band came marching in. Literally. The Royal British Legion Band, complete with drums and brass instruments and drum major, processed right into the middle of the room of Raedecker’s work. Perhaps just a festive acknowledgement of Mardi Gras, it definitely was a fun and unexpected ... More » »
‘It’s the Political Economy, Stupid’ in New York and Grayson Perry’s ‘The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman’ in London
It’s the Political Economy, Stupid is an exhibition of work by ten artists or collectives, at the Austrian Cultural Forum through April 22, 2012. Curated by Oliver Ressler and Gregory Sholette, this is a smart exhibition that I suspect will be preaching to the converted, but in style. By means of a slide show, sculptural installation, wall drawing, and numerous, single-channel videos, the international group of artists address the politics of our current economic crisis. This is the gallery version of Occupy Wall Street. Dred Scott literalized the metaphor of money to burn by asking volunteers on Wall Street to ... More » »
Rivane Neuenschwander in Dublin, Lygia Pape in London, and a book on Art under Conditions of Political Repression
Rivane Neuenschwander: A Day Like Any Other opened at the New Museum, New York in June, 2010 and I caught up with it at its final stop, the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA, on through January 29, 2012). Organized by the two museums, the exhibition was also seen in in St. Louis, Scottsdale and Miami. Neuenschwander is from the first generation of Brazilian artists to come to international attention early in their careers, but she inevitably stands on the shoulders of the Frente and Neo-Concret artists of the late 1950s-1960s (Helio Oticica, Lygia Clark, Lygia Pape and others). Some ... More » »
Next Page »
