Transition by Paul Emmanuel
[Image source: Spier]

Art has long served as a vehicle for exploring notions of identity and collective guilt.  The German artist Anselm Keifer creates large scale canvases depicting war-scarred landscapes.  His pieces often include train tracks and other reminders of the genocide that took place on his nation’s soil.  The South African artist William Kentridge creates equally bleak environments visibly haunted by the memory of apartheid.  His animated films are populated with characters whose psyches are as scarred as the landscapes they inhabit. Paul Emmanuel: Transitions, a new exhibition at the National Museum of African Art in Washington, DC shows us a different perspective on collective guilt and societal transformation.  Paul Emmanuel, a white South African artist presents us with a series of images about ritual and identity construction.  Emmanuel’s pieces convey the notion that society organizes a man’s life is into different stages, each marked by a ritual.  He also shows how these rituals can be consciously altered, or can take on new meanings over time.  In this way, societal traditions can become an important vehicle for change.

In 2004, Emmanuel began thinking about how the military creates and propagates notions of masculinity.   He became fascinated by the ritual of shaving the heads of new recruits. Emmanuel spoke to his brother and friends who had gone through the process during the apartheid regime in the 1980’s.  They described a frightening, dehumanizing experience.   Emmanuel decided to see what this ritual had come to mean in post-apartheid South Africa. He attended and photographed the head shavings of the January 2005 intake at the Third South African Infantry Battalion (3SAI) in Kimberley.  Rather than a cold, authoritarian nightmare, Emmanuel was amazed to find “quiet lawns with well tended flower beds full of roses. No shouting…No evidence of the violent breaking down of the human spirit.”    As Emmanuel watched black and white soldiers go through the same seminal moment of transition, he discovered that the process now represented community building, national pride, and the overcoming of past evils rather than prejudice, violence and control.

In Transitions, Emmanuel explores this and other rituals that he calls Read more…

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Artists Pamela J. Smith and R.E. Wall sit on the scaffolding in front of the Miller Valley School Mural titled “Go on Green” in Prescott, Ariz.
[Photo by Matt Hinshaw, The Daily Courier/AP, Image source: USA Today]

Public artworks have always inspired controversy. By existing in communal space, they convey ideas about local residents. When people disagree about what imagery best represents their neighborhood, trouble ensues. Murals are particularly good at sparking debate. Unfortunately disputes over the large scale paintings often reflect fierce, thinly-veiled class and racial anxieties.

A 2008 battle over a proposed  mural in Philadelphia was particularly ugly. When the renowned Philadelphia Mural Arts Program was commission to create a piece in the tony Rittenhouse Square neighborhood, a small group of elite residents raised a ruckus. Some opponents objected to the mural’s design, which featured construction workers assembling a sculpture of lady justice. These grumblings were quelled once the artist, Michael Webb, agreed to switch out the day laborers for less intimidating conservationists (I’m not kidding). Others opposed placing any mural in Rittenhouse Square. Murals have traditionally gone up in edgier parts of Philly and some residents feared that their upscale neighborhood might suddenly be associated with these locations.

The battle over the Rittenhouse Square mural eventually Read more…

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Smoke + Gun by Alice Leora Briggs
Published in Dreamland: The Way Out of Juárez by Alice Leora Briggs and Charles Bowden (2010)
[Image source: Hearing Voices]

Death, suffering and evil are concepts that most of us try not to think about. Nevertheless, they are always there, lurking in the back of our minds. Maybe this is why dark times inspire good art. For Alice Leora Briggs, death is not something to be feared or ignored, but an integral part of life to be examined. Her morbid fascination began when she was seven years old, when her brother fell to his death at Grand Teton National Park. Briggs work shows the probing curiosity and intensity of someone who has seen some of what the worst of what life has to offer and feels compelled to bear witness.

The artist found her subject in the violence plaguing Ciudad Juárez. The Mexican border city, home to 1.3 million people, is one of the areas most affected by the drug wars that are devastating the country. In 2006, President  Felipe Calderón dispatched 10,000 troops and federal police officers to Juárez. Despite his efforts, approximately 4,200 people have been killed since the 2006 crackdown, giving the city a higher murder rate than Baghdad.

Exodus (2008) by Alice Leora Briggs
[Image source: Santa Fe]

Briggs made a number of trips to Juárez between Read more…

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New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, NY
[Image source: Art We Love]

The 2010 Pritzker Architecture Prize was awarded to the Japanese duo, Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa.  Their firm,  Sanaa, is responsible for creating some of the most daring and elegant buildings of the last decade, including the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York (2007), and the 21st Century museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan.

21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Japan
[Image source: Hankblog]

The Pritzker, which has been called “the profession’s highest honor” and “architecture’s Nobel” is awarded annually to a living artist.  The prize consists of one hundred thousand dollars and bronze medallions inscribed with the ancient Vitruvian saying, “firmitas, utilitas, venustas,” or ”firmness, commodity and delight.”  The prize was founded in 1979 by Jay A. Pritzker and Cindy Pritzker of the Hyatt Foundation.  The couple’s passion for architecture was deepened by their collaboration with designers and architects on the development of their signature hotel chain.

In addition to Read more…

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Dumpsters refashioned as swimming pools in Brooklyn, NY
[Image source: Laughing Squid]

Great design transcends the coolness factor and makes us re-examine the places and objects we see everyday. One company, Macro-Sea, is launching community-oriented projects that are clever, fun and utopian in their ambition.

Last year Macro-Sea conceived of the Dumpster Pool. The designers constructed what they call a “lo-fi country club” in a trash-filled lot in Brooklyn. The mini oasis consisted of three adjacent swimming pools made out of repurposed dumpsters. Imbued with the DIY spirit, the project was cheap and easy to assemble. A local construction company donated the lightly used dumpsters, which were  then cleaned and lined with plastic. A filtration system was also installed. An unpaid crew assembled the project in exchange for the right to use it. The space was also made homey with the addition of Ikea garden furniture, grills, a bocci court and music via an ipod and speakers. The Dumpster Pool is a prototype for a larger project: Macro Sea envisions duplicating this low budget, recreational space in strip malls across America.

The idea of  placing everyday objects in liminal spaces and somehow creating attractive community centers is delightful and inspiring. Unfortunately, like real country clubs, the Brooklyn project was a wee bit more exclusive than one might have hoped. Last summer, the space hosted a series of lectures and cool events but all were private. There is something a bit unpleasant about a low-budget, pseudo-populist art space that restricts access to the hip and fabulous.

This year, Macro-Sea has topped their previous project with Read more…

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Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904)
[Image source: The Relative Absolute]

The Corcoran Gallery of Art is possibly the best place to see photography in Washington.  In the past two years, the museum’s curators have shown us work by artists as wonderful and diverse as William Eggleston, Edward Burtynsky and Richard Avedon. The gallery’s current exhibition, Helios: Eadweard Muybridge in a Time of Change is a comprehensive, thoroughly enjoyable retrospective of Muybridge’s art. Many people know Muybridge as a pioneer of stop-motion photography and moving pictures.  Helios shows us that he was also an accomplished artist, documentarian, businessman and all-around eccentric.

Born Edward James Muggeridge in the town of Kingston, near London, the artist changed his name several times throughout his career. As a bookseller in San Francisco in the 1850′s, he went by E. J. Muygridge. As a photographer, he called himself Eadweard Muybridge (a possibly reference to King Eadweard). While documenting life and coffee production  in Central America, he christened himself Eduardo Santiago Muybridge. An earthly nomer did not suffice when his work was involved. Muybridge named his business Helios, after the Greek sun god and adopted a winged camera as a logo.

The photographer’s tendency to rename himself was but Read more…

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The Visitor (1995) by Marlene Dumas

The rise in popularity of contemporary art over the past decade has led the price tag on many living artists’ work to soar exponentially.  One of the painters who has truly benefited from this upswing is Marlene Dumas. In 2002,  the South-African born Neo-Expressionist had sent few paintings to auction and her record sales price was approximately $50,000.  In 2008, The Visitors,  her Kirschner-esque painting of six working girls waiting for a john, sold at Sotheby’s for $6.3 million, making her the most expensive living female artist.

Although the market has been good to Ms. Dumas, the artist’s distaste for speculative art buyers has led her to create a ‘blacklist’ of individuals to whom Read more…

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A visitor admiring A. Clarke Bedford’s installation at the Hillyer Art Space in Washington, DC

A. Clarke Bedford loves old things.  As an artist, he is adept at bringing out the charm, personality, and inherent strangeness in all things outmoded. While quirky, his collages and assemblages are also beautifully constructed. His seamless craftsmanship is likely a product of Bedford’s professional training. When he is not creating a new piece or adding to his collection of fine antiques and esoteric junk, Mr. Bedford works as a Conservator of Paintings and Mixed-Media Objects at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

In his new show, Wundergarten: Salvaging the Family Archive at the Hillyer Art Space in Washington DC, Bedford explores how old photographs and discarded objects can serve as repositories for our collective memories.   For this installation, he collected Read more…

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The Louvre

A few weeks ago, contemporary artist, Pascal Guérineau  entered the Louvre, looked over his shoulder, and surreptitiously affixed his small painting of two skulls to the wall.  This strange incident was not Guérineau’s first act of gerilla curating.  The previous month, he hung another cranially-themed work at the Musée Maillol. The offending piece was discovered a few hours later at closing time.  The museum’s director, Olivier Lorquin was less-than thrilled by the stunt.  He referred to the artist’s actions as “ignoble” and dismissed the proffered drawing as “bad, useless, a real piece of crap.”

Guérineau’s actions highlight the frustrations of contemporary artists who are unable to gain recognition for their work. Guérineau claims that he was not simply seeking attention, but offering a symbolic gesture towards the throng of under-appreciated, rarely exhibited artists who are ignored by France’s museums and galleries.  He explains  ”A museum like the Louvre has thousands of people coming through every week. They should be able to discover some of the message of contemporary French art – on society, on their lives, on pain, on poverty.”

Ironically, while Mr. Guérineau has indicated a desire to infuse France’s museums with fresh blood and new ideas, his recent stunt is essentially an imitation of Read more…

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Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Running Fence Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972-76, photograph 1976
Color photograph by Wolfgang Volz, mounted on aluminum panel, 149.8 x 224.8 (59 x 88 1/2)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Promised Gift of a Private Collector in honor of Dorothy and Herbert Vogel 2001
© Christo 1976, Copyright © 2010 National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972-76
[Image source: Paul Michael Richards]

Many critics and viewers of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s 2005 project, The Gates, found themselves wondering “what’s the big deal?” The piece consisted of thousands of rectangular sections of orange vinyl, each hung between two matching posts and arranged in a line stretching across Central Park.  Christo and Jeanne-Claude  sought to temporarily unite New Yorkers in a moment of aesthetic contemplation, admiration for man’s ability to alter his surroundings, and enjoyment of being outdoors. Instead, the work left many viewers cold. Critics called it an eyesore and parkgoers complained that the posts posed a danger to cyclists.

Christo, The Gates, 2005
[Image source: Wired New York]

While one might be tempted to attribute the project’s failure to grandiose ambition, the success of Running Fence, an older Christo Jeanne-Claude collaboration, shows us that The Gates was not nearly ambitious enough. An exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, “Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Remembering Running Fence“ revisits this extraordinary work.  In 1976, the artists completed the construction of a 24.5 mile-long ‘fence’ that stretched across Northern California’s gentle hills before disappearing into the ocean.  The fence consisted of an endless ribbon of white nylon secured by intermittent steel posts.  In the wind, it swelled gently, like an engorged sail or white sheets hung up on a clothes line.  Running Fence‘s visual success did not lie in the structure itself, but in its interaction with the monotonously beautiful surrounding landscape.  A gallery of photographs in the SAAM exhibit shows us that the piece looked different depending on the time of day and where one stood.

Ultimately, it is Read more…

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[Image source: ArsValue]

With the possible exception of Milton Glaser’s I love New York,  no single piece of typography has garnered more attention than Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE design.  The artist originally created the image in 1964 to adorn a Christmas card being sold at the Museum of Modern Art. In 1970, a sculptural version made of corten steel was exhibited in New York. Since then, versions of the sculpture have been placed in public areas across the United States and in several countries.  The piece has been translated into numerous  languages, including Italian (amor), Hebrew (ahava) and Sanskrit (prem).  This latter version has recently become the subject of an ugly legal battle between the 81 year old artist and his former business partner, John Gilbert.

Gilbert claims that  Indiana signed a licensing agreement in 2007, affording him the right to create and sell tapestry and scultural versions of the PREM design. According to the New York Post, Gilbert initially paid Indiana  $50,000 dollars for the rights. The artist later received an additional $50,000 in royalties.  Nevertheless, Indiana had a change of heart, reneged on the deal, and is now claiming that Gilbert’s pieces are not authentic.  Indiana’s caprice has led to the  cancellation of scheduled auctions at Christies in Dubai and Sotheby’s in Milan.  Gilbert is currently suing Indiana for breach of contract in a New York federal court.  Indiana is counter-suing, demanding all profits from sales of PREM scultures and for damages for trademark violations and violations of the Visual Artists Rights Act.

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Jeff Koons: design sketch for the 17th BMW Art Car
2010 © Jeff Koons, Image Source: Cartype

On April 6th, international art star, Jeff Koons revealed his design for his BMW art car.  The company has been commisioning artists to adorn  vehicles since 1975.  The project started when Hervé Poulain, an auctioneer and race car driver asked his friend, Alexander Calder, to paint the BMW 3.0 CSL that he planned to drive at  24 Hours of Le Mans.  Later art cars have also made their racing debut at the annual competition.  24 Hours of Le Mans has been held every year since 1923.  The challenge, which is often referred to as the Grand Prix of Endurance, requires cars and drivers to compete for 24 hours. The vehicles are operated by a team of drivers who switch off periodically to prevent the racer from becoming overly fatigued.

1975 BMW 3.0 CSL Art Car by Alexander Calder
[Image source: Cartype]

When in action, Koons’ magnificent contribution will be a blur of color.  His design involves  Read more…

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Saint Serapion (1628) by Francisco de Zurbarán

A new show at the National Gallery of Art is bringing long-overdue attention to seventeenth-century Spanish painting and sculpture.  Xavier Bray, who curated The Sacred Made Real: Spanish Painting and Sculpture, 1600-1700, explains in an NGA podcast that historically, American collectors avoided these stark pieces due to their dark, gritty realism and overt Catholic associations. As a result, seventeenth-century Spanish paintings and polychrome sculptures are not nearly as plentiful in museum collections in the United States as we might have imagined.

While the most accomplished painters from this period, such as Diego Velázquez, and Francisco de Zurbarán, are known in America, museum goers are generally less familiar with the exceptional Spanish Baroque sculptors.  Several of the statues on view did not leave Spain before this show debuted at the National Gallery, London last October.

Our underexposure to these masterpieces can partly be attributed to the important cultural role that they still play in their native country. Many of the figures of Jesus, Mary and the saints reside in churches, acting as devotional objects for visitors. Every year during Holy Week, they make an appearance in a ceremony that takes place all over Spain. In large, colorful processions, 30-40 men hoist onto their shoulders heavy floats carrying life-sized, Seventeenth century sculptures.  Although these enormous physical burdens can weigh up to two tons, the floats’ devoted carriers sway rhythmically, allowing their motion to bring the sculptures to life and to recreate various scenes from the Passion.

While nothing could Read more…

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Well, Susan, 2004-05 by Maira Kalman
[Image source: How Blog]

The intelligent curating at Philadelphia’s Institute of Contemporary Art always makes a walk through its galleries worthwhile. The ICA should also be lauded for the tremendous variety of subjects and media that it tackles. In past years, the small museum has explored video art, experimental architecture, ceramics and even puppetry. The Institute’s current offering, a retrospective of author/illustrator Maira Kalman’s art is another unexpected but thoroughly enjoyable show.

Maira Kalman: Various Illuminations (of a Crazy World) is the first museum survey of the artist’s work. On view are 100 framed pictures hung just below eye level and arranged in a line stretching across the gallery’s walls. Four embroideries, which are less interesting than her works on paper, are also on view. 

Kalman’s pictures are arranged by theme rather than chronologically. This strategy compliments the whimsical, playful way in which she approaches her subject matter. While her work is narrative, Kalman does not deal with time in a linear fashion.  She is interested in exploring life as we perceive it, replete with memories both personal and collective and filtered through the occasional neurosis. Kalman offers us snapshots from history, images from her past, as well as glimpses of quiet, everyday events. When tackling historical figures, she often paints them into lively little scenes. Her gouache, Matisse in Nice (2004-05) depicts the portly artist from the back in the process of painting a zaftig young model. The every-day, quality of the composition makes us feel like we are looking at a snapshot from his life.

New Yorkistan, 2001 by Maira Kalman and Rick Meyerowitz

Kalman’s politically and societally-focused pieces are Read more…

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Brooklyn Museum iPhone Application

Museum-goers today are very different than they were one hundred years ago.  Art institutions have been updating their communications and marketing strategies in order to attract and hold the attention of socially active, tech-savvy visitors.  A recent special section on museums in the New York Times explores some of the ways that culture centers are adjusting to people’s changing tastes and lifestyles and attempting to woo a younger crowd.

Across the country, museums are finding new ways to combine education and technology. Many institutions are taking advantage of our fondness for iPhones, BlackBerrys and other portable multi-media gadgets. The Dallas Museum of Art offers a smartphone tour of its 19th century works.  Fans of the Brooklyn Museum will be thrilled to hear that a new iPhone application gives them access to images from the collection.

Museums are also transforming their websites into sophisticated educational tools.  The P.S.1. Contemporary Art Center recently Read more…

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