Tag Archive "sculpture"

Reality collage: Chad Gerth and Lydia Jenkins Musco at Tiger Strikes Asteroid

Flying over snow-covered mountains in western Pennsylvania long ago, I was struck by the ambiguous appearance of this wintry landscape, as viewed from 30,000 feet. Was I looking at mountains—or and dunes in the desert, waves in the ocean, ripples in a pond? Chad Gerth’s urban photographs and Lydia Jenkins Musco’s constructions of urban materials [Tiger Strikes Asteriod, February 4 - 27, 2011] both explore the difficulties the eye faces in making sense of the world.

Studio interview: a look through the glass of Bohyun Yoon

Bohyun Yoon has been taking photographs of the people of Philadelphia . One of them turned out to be my friend Wendy, who was out in Rittenhouse Square walking her standard poodle Nelly when Bo approached. She talked, he talked, and they found out they had me in common. Wendy’s face is now one of the nearly 150 faces that make up Bo’s newest installation–150 different faces that have nothing–and everything–in common.

Fired up about clay, the tour — Part 2

This post continues the tale of our NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) shuttle bus tour on Mar. 31 of ceramics exhibits in the Fishtown/Northern Liberties parts of town. Little Berlin “Scene,” an international show organized by Jennifer Woodin at Little Berlin is spare and a little chilly. The grid of ceramic knots held up by wire by Henny Linn Kjellberg (of Sweden) reminded us of how many other grids we had seen that day — at Tyler, up on Amber St. and elsewhere.  Grids are great, but we had trouble conversing with the ceramic knots in the ... More » »

Clay shows begin–Ai Weiwei at Arcadia; bodies at the Mutter

Just when you thought that you were finally making headway through the riches of the Philagrafika shows, 90 clay shows and events are starting to open all around town. The multiple shows are in conjunction with the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) conference in Philadelphia from March 21 to April 3. I went to two that were early off the blocks, and they are as different as can be.

Chris Ofili at the Tate Britain

The Chris Ofili mid career survey at the Tate Britain reveals a sexually charged and scatalogical body of work reminiscent of Gilbert and George’s The Naked Shit Pictures. This survey contains overlooked sensations and under-exploited materials. The energies driving the early works have been tamed and the latest works are in an amorphous state of disarray. This could be one of the futures most exciting shows if Offili finds the new path he is looking for.

The Belly Of The Artist

Juliana Cerqueira Leite’s show “UP DOWN IN OUT” at the Trolley Gallery in London is a welcome addition to the current   crop of artists who are measuring the world using themselves as the yardstick.  Whether it be  Marlene Dumas  spreading her arms to measure the length of her grave or Antti Laitinen digging tunnels or bucking watery currents with a made to measure island or Rebecca Warren tussling with material that is too heavy for her,  artists are physically wrestling with the weight of earthly and human  substance.

Weekly Update 2 – Big Room Now at the Icebox

This week’s Weekly has my review of Ryan Trecartin and Lizzie Fitch’s Big Room Now installation at the Icebox. Here’s the link to the art page. And here’s my flickr for more photos, and check out Libby’s flickr set. Pairing DownHe adds his touch to her papier-mache sculpture. She stars in his YouTube video. Ryan Trecartin and Lizzie Fitch with Lindsay BeebeMr. Ashley, 2006Mixed media82 x 26 x 36 inches (208.3 x 66 x 91.4 cm) Ryan Trecartin and Lizzie Fitch moved to Philly last summer after Hurricane Katrina interrupted their year in New Orleans. Their new collaborative sculptures in ... More » »