Written by: Renny McFadin Renowned contemporary artist Adrian Ghenie, born in Romania in 1977, decorates his work with various defaced figures and gruesome scenery. Through these more morbid elements, he aims to investigate and highlight the more violent parts of Europe’s history. By intertwining a multitude of fears- personal, collective, historical- Ghenie successfully documents the traumas of 20th century Europe for a 21st century audience. Often armed with a palette knife and stencils, Ghenie attacks the historical figures displayed on his canvas in a manner akin to Francis Bacon. Ghenie's works are constantly imbued with elements of the Northern European Renaissance. By borrowing the rich texture found in many renaissance paintings, Ghenie easily depicts contrasting elements to create an aura of uneasiness and precaution, another commentary on a rough past. Crystal clarity contrasts collapse. Fluid, dripping paint contrasts the sharp scrape off of the canvas. Chiaroscuro mars all of his works, and yet calls upon a nostalgia of the renaissance we never experienced. Frequently Ghenie provokes thought regarding the political and scientific ideologies of the 20th century. Charles Darwin seems to be a recurring subject, amongst other notable individuals like Joseph Mengele. Communism and eugenics often make an appearance in his work- again depicting a part of Europe often swept aside in lieu of more insouciant ideals. Perhaps this is why his work could be deemed controversial, or maybe his obvious perversion of other artists? For example, in his piece The Fake Rothko, a man is depicted retching aside a Rothko painting. Conceivably, this could incite joy? Pleasure? Or maybe a deep rage or confusion? This seems to be an adequate response to such strong works.
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Written by Maya Koehn-Wu and Natalie Kim Agnes Varda As of this past Friday, March 29, 2019, celebrated artist and filmmaker Agnes Varda has sadly passed away at the age of ninety due to complications from cancer. Varda was a critical artist and active filmmaker in French New Wave cinema. Over her lifetime, Varda made over thirty films. She first entered the spotlight in 1955 with the film La Pointe Courte. Varda secured the title of “grandmother of the French New Wave” after the 1962 production of Cléo de 5 à 7. Banksy resurfaces for the original “Brexit Day” Banksy’s largest canvas work, around thirteen feet long, has recently been reinstalled at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery. The painting features Parliament inhabited by monkeys. The painting was originally displayed in the 2009 exhibition of “Banksy vs. Bristol Museum,” where it provoked much conversation and controversy. The paintings timely reappearance perchance alludes to the chaos and “zoological state” of the British government over Brexit negotiations with March 29th marked as the deadline for Britain to decide on how to leave the EU. Tszshan Museum - Hong Kong’s First Buddhist Art Museum This past week, Li Ka-shing, Hong Kong’s richest citizen, a 90 year old billionaire, opened up Hong Kong’s first Buddhist Art Museum at the Tsz Shan Monastery in Tai Po. The project cost around 400 million dollars to build. Ka-shing began construction of the monastery in 2003, where it opened twelve years later in 2015. The monastery remains nestled in the hills of northern Hong Kong, where a massive 249 foot-tall bronze statue of Guanyin, the goddess of mercy, remains ever watchful. Check out this link to see the museum’s collection: https://tszshanmuseum.org/en/appreciation Difficulties at the Louvre A new installation at the Louvre Pyramid was created to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the construction of the pyramid by gluing paper strips to give the impression that the pyramid had doubled in height and emerged from the depths of a mysterious canyon. Unfortunately, the new addition is now no longer, as a combination of the heat of the sun making the paper strips dry out and peel and the desire of tourists to take bits home as souvenirs caused the installation to be shredded to pieces. However, instead of upsetting the artist, JR, he took the events in stride, saying “The images, like life, are ephemeral… Once pasted, the art piece lives on its own. The sun dries the light glue and with every step, people tear pieces of the fragile paper. The process is all about participation of volunteers, visitors, and souvenir hunters.” X-Ray Rocks! Scientists from the Shumla Archeological Research and Education Center have recently unveiled a new technique to uncover the various layers and elemental makeup of the pigments used to create prehistoric paintings. Their idea uses a portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, a handheld X-ray instrument which measures the fluorescent X-rays of the desired material, to gain insight into the creation of the piece as well as the prehistoric societies without having to damage the art. They have already tested the technique in Texas’ Rattlesnake Canyon which contains numerous pictographs and found that black pigments made of manganese were hidden under the layers of red iron oxide, giving evidence of art from the hunter gatherer societies which lived in the area from 2500 BCE and 500 CE. Guns in America Renowned French artist JR embarked on a collaborative project with TIME Magazine to spark a debate on guns in America. He gathered numerous people from all sides of the debate, videoed and photographed them wearing and acting out their opinion of guns, and photoshopped them together to create a mesmerizing image, representing the diverse views all over the country. He has created multiple forms of the project: a photograph, video mural with movement, making it similar to a GIF, and an online interactive allowing the viewer to click on each person and hear what they think on the issue. The physical work will be shown at numerous galleries around the country to allow people to view the piece in its full magnitude and further absorb the significance behind it. Here is a captivating video explaining the process and giving insight to the people involved: http://time.com/guns-in-america-behind-the-project/ Citations:
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-remembering-legendary-filmmaker-agnes-varda https://news.artnet.com/art-world/agnes-varda-death-announcement-1503634 https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-remembering-legendary-filmmaker-agnes-varda https://news.artnet.com/art-world/banksy-chimpanzees-brexit-day-1504156 https://news.artnet.com/art-world/buddhist-art-museum-hong-kong-1503925 https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2019/04/3-uncoveringth-1024x683.jpg https://news.artnet.com/art-world/new-x-ray-technique-rock-art-1505458 https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/louvre-jr-technical-1504972 https://thenypost.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/louvre-collage-03.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=618&h=410&crop=1 https://www.connexionfrance.com/var/connexion/storage/images/media/images/jr-pyramid-art-damage/844290-1-eng-GB/JR-pyramid-art-damage_articleimage.jpg https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2018/10/time-guns-cover-final-1024x467.jpg https://news.artnet.com/art-world/artist-jr-collaborates-time-magazine-produce-special-project-guns-america-1380307 http://time.com/guns-in-america-behind-the-project/ Written by: Renny McFadin Erró, an Icelandic contemporary art treasure, is best known for his works within the Pop Art collage scene. His real name is Guðmundur Guðmundsson (born 1932), and he has studied in a multitude of art institutes. From the Oslo Academy of Fine Art to the Florence Academy of art, Erró has done it all. He has studied the art of engraving, fresco, painting, and more. His works are a cumulation of an abundance of icon styles. Surrealism and Pop Art have shaped the way that Erró creates his art today. His works span a type of imagery akin to consumer culture, i.e. advertisements, comics, and posters … appealing to the consumerist aspect of Pop Art. Clear inspiration from renowned artists like Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, and James Rosenquist can be found in Erró’s work. In 1989, Erró donated the majority of his life’s works to the City of Reykjavik. A grandiose number of 2,000 works were donated, spanning the mediums of painting, watercolor, graphic art, sculpture, collage, etc. (I mean, seriously, what can’t this man do?) This generous donation was not only multimedia, but also covered the length of Erró’s own life. Today the collection has obtained a sum of about 4,000 works by Erró. Thus, the Erró Collection in the Reykjavik Art Museum was established. A man of many talents, Erró has provided yet another portal to the magnificent world of Icelandic art. Written by: Natalie Kim and Maya Koehn-Wu Robert Rauschenberg JFK Art at Auction The estate of Robert and Beatrice Mayer has decided to sell a collection of prized art works including works such as Andy Warhol’s Liz and Roy Lichtenstein’s Kiss III. However, the most anticipated work of the auction is a piece done by Robert Rauschenberg, an American painter and graphic design artist, titled Buffalo II which depicts President John F. Kennedy with many items that, to Rauschenberg, symbolized America, such as the space race and commercialized goods. The importance of the over eight foot tall screen print is that it was made in the same year Rauschenberg won the Gold Lion award and broke records as the youngest, as well as the first, American recipient to win it. It also has cultural significance as it was made not long after the assassination of JFK in 1964. Originally, the piece cost $16,000, but it is now worth almost $50 million. The family stands to gain over a 300,000% profit. Trump Appropriates Funds for Own Portrait This is the third painting of Trump that has reportedly been bought by the President using funds from the Trump Foundation. The portrait, painted by artist William Quigley, was sold at a charity auction where, according to Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen, he used art collector Stewart Rahr as a straw man and refunded the billionaire for his $60,000 purchase. Quigley was also reportedly told by the President to increase the starting bid so he wouldn’t be embarrassed. Furthermore, he demanded that portrait be the most expensive sold at auction. Damien Hirst Hotel Suite?? The Palms Casino located in Las Vegas is now home to a luxury hotel suite designed by British artist Damien Hirst. The rather unusual, but jaw-dropping, “Empathy Suite” costs a whopping fee of $200,000 for a two night minimum stay, making it one of the most expensive hotel rooms in the world, and has repeating motifs of butterflies, preserved fish, and pills. This isn’t the first collaboration between Hirst and the resort; in the past, Hirst has installed a personally designed bar and will be installing a 60 foot sculpture of a headless demon in the pool. Contemporary Istanbul New Artistic Director Contemporary Istanbul, a leading art fair in Turkey, has named Anissa Touati to be the new artistic director, and Esra Ozkan as curator of Plugin - the fair’s media section. Contemporary Istanbul is an annual event that gives an opportunity to show off the city’s thriving art market. Touati has stated that the general theme will reflect the question of Mediterraneanism and is excited to generate more discussion and build more local and international partnerships and relationships. The fair is scheduled to take place from September 12-15. Michael Jackson Art Exhibition In Bonn, Germany, an exhibition starring the work of 40 artists will feature and honor the music of Michael Jackson. Despite recent findings hinting towards the star’s pedophilia and sexual abuse of children, the exhibition is still planning to move forwards and will open up on March 22. It remains to be seen how critics and fans will continue on the legacy of Jackson. As of now, the art world is still celebrating the legacy of his work. Cats and Art Museums Recently, a museum dedicated to cats was opened in Amsterdam. In tribute to his pet cat, John Pierpont Morgan, the founder, Bob Meijer, decided to wholly theme the museum in relation to cats. For many centuries, cats have been featured in artwork - beginning with the felines of Ancient Egypt to today’s contemporary images of cats on instagram. The name of the museum - De KattenKabinet (Cat Cabinet) features cats in a range of different medias and mediums including film, photography, sculpture, music, and posters. Two young cats additionally live as permanent residents and keepers of the museum. Want to virtually tour this museum? Check out this link: https://www.kattenkabinet.nl/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=39&Itemid=61&lang=nl Sources:
https://news.artnet.com/market/christies-rolls-first-pop-art-blockbusters-spring-season-1478608 https://news.artnet.com/art-world/trump-painting-1475962 https://news.artnet.com/art-world/look-inside-damien-hirsts-new-200000-night-vegas-suite-palms-1478332 http://www.artnews.com/2019/03/05/istanbul-contemporary-anissa-touati/ https://www.contemporaryistanbul.com/ http://www.artnews.com/2019/03/05/istanbul-contemporary-anissa-touati/ http://www.artnews.com/2019/03/05/michael-jackson-on-the-wall-sexual-abuse-allegations/ http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20190221-amsterdams-museum-dedicated-to-cats-in-art http://arsenovic.net/oldblog/kattenkabinet-the-cat-museum-in-amsterdam Written by: Renny McFadin Molly Zuckerman-Hartung, born in 1975, is relatively hot in the world of current abstract art. A Yale graduate whose “paintings do not have value because they are in the museum. They have value because they are in dialogue with and a continuation of other paintings.” She works primarily in the abstract painting sphere, but many of her works can be considered highly sculptural as well. She self identifies as a painter, and no, nobody told her to do this. Her paintings incorporate collage, found objects, cutting, weaving, and scraping. In her 95 Theses on Painting, Zuckerman-Hartung creates paintings that show her way of “deciphering the codes of visual information and experience that structure capitalism in our time.” One of her friends, Danielle Gustafson-Sundell, describes her art as “generous and witty, sharp as fuck, critical and messy. and, and, and... (and this, and what if this, and also, and another thing...) these are talkative paintings (and i think contrarily gorgeous) and, like the best of conversations, they keep me thinking long after the afternoon ends.” And this is a fantastic description of Zuckerman-Hartung’s works. They are critical. Contrarily, they are messy. It’s a smooth combination of these characteristics that makes Zuckerman-Hartung’s painting so charismatic. And with exhibition titles like, Fuck Nice, Negative Joy, and QUEEN, what would you expect? With these incredible forms of assemblage, Zuckerman-Hartung truly creates a funky, trippy world with which we can all submerge ourselves in. It’s unique. It’s new. It’s “sharp as fuck”. It’s … current. Written by: Natalie Kim and Maya Koehn-Wu Art on Sedgwick Art on Sedgwick is a community initiative on Sedgwick Street, Chicago, a neighborhood largely divided between the upper and lower socio-economic classes. Affluent housing occupied by predominantly upper class whites faces low-income housing that accommodates a predominantly lower class black community. The street marks the distinct divide. Up until recently, the division and separation remained; however, Charlie Robinson Branda, a specialist in nonprofit organization management founded an art studio in order to bridge the two communities. Art on Sedgwick is now a thriving community center that has helped to bring together children from both sides of the street, and has helped redefine community identity; establishing the power art can have in unifying and healing. Check out this video link to learn more: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/art-unites-deeply-divided-neighborhood_us_5babdac0e4b0a4e65d62402e Follow-up on Banksy’s Christmas Present In Port Talbot, a Welsh Town, Banksy made his grand reappearance on the side of property owner Ian Lewis’ garage. The image is of a child playing in the falling ash - a reference to the towns industry and pollution emissions. Since the work’s appearance, an estimated 20,000 people have come to see the piece. Lewis recently sold the piece titled “Season’s Greetings” to Banksy expert John Brandler for six figures (around 100,000 dollars). The piece is expected to stay in Port Talbot for a few years but may be moved to the town centre. Speculation on the Van Gogh Brother’s Mystery Nude Perhaps one of the most seated discussions in Van Gogh Brother’s collections is that of a seated nude - who’s authorship and identity remain unknown. There is speculation that John Peter Russell, a painter who studied under Van Gogh, is the master of the work. There is additional questioning to the model’s identity. In association with Russell, her identity is guessed to be Marianna Mattiocco, Russell’s lover. Mattiocco frequently wore her hair up in a bun, which appears throughout works in which she modeled, however, in the Van Gogh painting, the figure is depicted with dark hair, while Mattiocco was blonde. The speculation persists, and, while there is proposed authorship to the painter and model’s identity, the mystery behind the painting still remains largely unsolved. J.R.R. Tolkien is Secretly an Artist? While most know J.R.R. Tolkien as the author of the bestselling series The Hobbit, he also is talented in many other fields such as art, mapmaking, and linguistics, utilizing all three to aid in his creation of the world-renowned series. While he is a gifted author, he used his abilities in mapmaking and linguistics to contribute to the fantasy land of Middle-earth by mapping the world and creating his own languages to be utilized in the plot. These traits could likely be inferred throughout the reading of the novels, but what most don’t know is that Tolkien also created a couple of his covers, such as the original book cover for The Hobbit. A new exhibit originating at UK’s Bodleian Library at Oxford is now being displayed at the Morgan Library and Museum titled “Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth” and is a showing of Tolkien’s many artistic works which include watercolors, maps, and scenes from his lifetime. He didn’t hold a high regard for his art, with the exception of his first book cover, but it’s a fairly impressive collection of works that were created by a truly gifted individual, in many more subjects than one. Here is a link to view some of Tolkien’s works: http://www.tolkienestate.com/en/painting.html Pay Gap Changing Museum Prices Beginning February 24, the MCA Chicago will lower the price of admission for women who believe they are being affected by the gender wage gap between men and women. The new fee will be $12 instead of the usual $15, 81% of the full price, representing the 81 cents women are paid in comparison to each dollar men make doing the same job. This policy was created in response to the inequality women face, particularly those who are minorities, and how even though they are being paid less, they are expected to pay the same amount for goods and services. The exhibitions that inspired this change were Howardena Pindell’s “What Remains to be Seen” and Laurie Simmons’ photography exhibition “Big Camera/Little Camera”, both women who have advocated for the feminist movement. Heir to Michelangelo’s Legacy The Royal Academy of Arts in London has shocked an immeasurable number of people by making the decision to show an exhibition that pairs traditional works done by the famous old master Michelangelo with the controversial videos of Bill Viola, an artist who creates videos on the topic of the essential events in human life such as birth and death accompanied by sounds to ensure the viewer is focused on the work. Some in the art community are outraged at the fact that the museum would dare to even compare the two and believe Viola to be too egotistical, while the museum defends its decision by stating that both artist use the common themes of life in their works and actually have more in common than one might think. Needless to say amongst all of the controversy, it should be intriguing to see how the public reacts to this exhibition. Learn more about Bill Viola: https://www.theartstory.org/artist-viola-bill.htm View a short video about his content and his works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xArFDtN3B2M Citations:
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/blog/mystery-nude-in-van-gogh-museum https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/jrr-tolkien-art-morgan-library-1449088 https://news.artnet.com/art-world/mca-chicago-gender-gap-1448572 https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/michelangelo-viola-1448545 https://arrestedmotion.com/2018/12/streets-banksy-seasons-greeting-port-talbot-wales/ https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/jan/18/banksy-artwork-garage-wales-sold-six-figure-sum https://www.apnews.com/392898918e3a46df83a0e520084f6f6b https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/art-unites-deeply-divided-neighborhood_us_5babdac0e4b0a4e65d62402e http://www.artonsedgwick.org/index.html https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliebranda Written by: Renny McFadin Lola Donoghue, a contemporary abstract artist currently living in Galway, Ireland, primarily subjects her paintings to a palette of muted, pastel colors. With this white-on-white atmosphere she creates within her works, the bright, neon colors she uses imbues a modern, energetic feeling that sets an aura of freshness and excitement. Donoghue graduated from the Limerick School of Art and Design with a first class honors degree in Fine Art. Currently, she has not had any exhibition of her art, so she primarily sells online. This fast-selling process allows her to avoid the hassle of exhibits, but also have a thriving, profitable career. Although, Donoghue did say, “I would hope to exhibit in the future once the timing and the fit is right.” The price of Donoghue’s works ranges from about €400 to €5k ($472 to $5,899), and she has sold four paintings to the world famous musician Sia. Donoghue’s paintings are primarily inspired by the outside world and what she observes in everyday life: “My paintings are personal reflections and interpretations, they are always in an emerging process, I like when I discover things by accident and I usually let this dictate the direction of the painting ….” Her works are generally formed through a subtractive process of painting. With a focus on negative space, Donoghue begins her paintings with an underpainting- full of bright and vigorous colors and strokes. From there she adds glazes, and thick layers of paint, all while making sure this underpainting is still visible in some aspect. Her work is a statement on today’s culture and social environment, and seeks to explore and interpret the nuances and popular trends in contemporary society. These works imbue the unseen emotion of the 21st century, without using blatant, kitschy imagery. Donoghue’s ethereal paintings seek to hint at “the unconscious, clashing narratives and the tension and balance that exists therein.” Written by: Maya Koehn-Wu and Natalie Kim Banksy Resurfaces Port Talbot, a Welsh Town, which, according to the UK is one of the most polluted and “most deprived” areas received a gift on a resident’s garage. Banksy, a street art superstar, has received much attention recently for his artistic statement in shredding his own work, “Girl with the Balloon.” On December 19th, “An Image of a Child Playing in the Falling Soot” was created. This work is a powerful statement on the industrial ancestry and heritage of the town as well as the massive pollutive industry. Picking up the Rubble After Brazil’s devastating fire in its National Museum in September, in which it lost many many priceless works, several international organizations and governments are coming together to assist the museum’s long road to recovery. Domestically, the Brazilian government has put aside 14.3 million in tax concessions to repair the museum and an additional 640,000 to fund graduate programs. UNESCO generously pledged 1.3 million in loans. The German government has also offered its assistance. In response to all the research lost, The Smithsonian Institute, the Fulbright Commission, the US diplomatic mission in Brazil, and the US Department of State will send 14 researchers of whom lost their research in the fire to the Smithsonian’s research lab for 30 days. Rothko Chapel Closing and Speculation on New Art World Regulation The Rothko chapel is officially closed for reconstruction. This non-denominational chapel will be closed for the majority of 2019 while it undergoes a 30 million dollar revamp over the next three years, beginning with the construction of a new skylight and entryway. The chapel consists of 14 different contemplative panels and attract over 90,000 visitors a year. Furthermore, as the art world has gotten bigger, legislators have looked towards passing some form of legislation regulating commerce. As such, there is concern that the Illicit Art and Antiquities Trafficking Prevention Act will be passed in 2019, which would require artists to report any transactions over $10,000, and those with annual sales over $50,000 to submit their financial records to the government or, in other words, force the anonymity of the art world to go public. Why are Art Museums Being Sued? Artist Robert Cenedella, also known by the name of “Art Bastard”, sued multiple well-known art museums including the Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum for coordinating the exclusion of Cenedella’s and other artists’ work from being exhibited. He argued that the museums are trying to eliminate competition so very few artists are able to gain fame and notoriety for their work. The judge, however, disagreed and decided that the case was not persuasive enough to warrant the 100 million dollar settlement as the lawyer contradicted himself by saying the art museums don’t follow a specific criteria for choosing artists and works but also saying they select by conspiracy, meaning that they would favor certain criteria elements over others. Even though Cenedella lost the lawsuit, he is still able to revise his argument and refile a complaint against the museums. Is the Oil Industry Controlling Art? Ralf Beil, director of the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg art museum in Germany, was fired from his job after trying to show an exhibit about the oil industry’s role in war and the modern age of machinery and plastic. There is speculation that a wrongful firing has taken place. Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg is funded by the Volkswagen Art Foundation. This fact makes it seem obvious why Beil was fired (the foundation is trying to hide its dirty laundry), but the foundation claims that this was not the reason he was let go. In the past, he has had a few more controversial exhibits such as how the Nazi regime was present in that particular area during World War II and showing a video of the head of Volkswagen admitting to the company’s exhaust fraud. Further controversy surrounds the fact that Beil was told that he would be given free range of the programs in the museum regarding content and what is exhibited. Who is Samantha Fields? Painter Samantha Fields is known for her works that show a distorted perception of reality, painting scenes that appear smokey or through the lens of a camera. Her work is mainly about the disasters in her personal life, the political atmosphere, and the environment. Fields attended the Cleveland Institute of Art and Cranbrook Academy of Art where she met her husband and now is based out of Los Angeles and works as Professor of Art at California State University, Northridge. She creates her work using photographs she took chasing storms across the U.S. and then vividly enhancing the light contrast to make the scenes more intense. Fields is able to mimic the matte texture of photographs by using a Japanese airbrushing technique. If you would like to see more of her work or read more about her, here is her website: http://www.samanthafields.net/ Citations:
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/banksys-port-talbot-1424842 https://news.artnet.com/art-world/help-for-brazil-national-museum-1423744 https://news.artnet.com/art-world/art-industry-news-december-12-2018-1417558 https://news.artnet.com/art-world/art-bastard-suit-dismissed-1426297 https://news.artnet.com/art-world/we-are-living-in-a-world-with-ever-diminishing-ethic-values-ousted-museum-director-ralf-beil-on-the-urgency-of-artistic-freedom-in-the-face-of-big-sponsorship-1424839 https://www.laweekly.com/arts/meet-an-artist-monday-painter-samantha-fields-10004046 https://www.artsy.net/artist/samantha-fields Written by: Renny McFadin Ragnar Kjartansson, born in Reykjavik, Iceland, tends to encapsulate the entirety of mediums that art has to offer in his works. Literary, musical, theatrical, technical, technological, filmic … you name it. This can partially be accredited to his childhood. Being raised by an actress and a director/playwright does tend to have artistic consequences. Kjartansson describes his works as pieces that are “always about a feeling, but there’s no story.” So, he likes to tap into the concept of human nature to help emulate and create feelings of happiness and transcendence. His tragicomic works “combine sorrow and happiness, horror and beauty, drama and levity” (Artsy). Basically, his works aspire to reach a place of utopia within the human mind. The execution of this is always solid, the medium, however, can differ greatly. According to “The Broad”, Kjartansson’s works can be split up into three distinctive mediums. Live, recorded, or immersive. Live, in the sense of only done once, in the flesh. It’s there, then it’s gone, therefore its living. Recorded in the sense of his renowned, The Visitors (2012). A set of videos of nine musicians, repeating the same lyrics, all in the same household. All of the performers take on different instruments and interpret the tempo, and performance of the lyrics in unique ways. All nine of these videos are screened in a gallery at once, and the experience can be described as an “entirely absorbing ensemble piece that was alternately tragic and joyful, meditative and clamorous, and that swelled in feeling from melancholic fugue to redemptive gospel choir” (Hilarie Sheets). Lastly, immersive. Immersive like his piece Woman in E (2016), where a woman in a gold dress on a pedestal strums the chord E on a guitar within the gallery. Immersive as in present in the gallery. Obviously, Kjartansson’s repertoire of practiced works is immensely large, and immensely impressive. He continues to make works that poke and prod at the human mind and conscience today. And continues to spark our interest with his “opulent, ironic, and deeply human” (Artsy) works. Written by: Natalie Kim and Maya Koehn-Wu Cultured Kitties Two cats that live in Japan have spent the past two years trying to to be admitted into an art museum, being thwarted each time by the security guards. The art museum in question, Onomichi City Museum of Art in Hiroshima, has denied access to the duo, named by the museum, Ken-Chan and Go-Chan. The art museum’s Twitter page has posted videos about the cats’ numerous attempts to sneak into the museum before being ushered out by the security guards. Their 45,000 followers are all supporting the kitties attempts to become more cultured, even offering to pay the 300 yuan or $2.65 admission fee, but the museum still refuses to budge on its no animals policy. Ken-Chan and Go-Chan are now fairly internet famous, with the museum picturing them on a variety of merchandise. Watch Go-Chan try to enter the forbidden location: https://twitter.com/twitter/statuses/1057547012923523072 Destroying Art to Protest the Destruction of Art Ron English, an American artist, bought graffiti piece, Slave Labor, by Banksy on November 14, 2018 at Julian’s auction for $730,000. The work itself was taken off of the side of a London discount store at a Julian’s auction, a practice that Banksy and English both detest as it is removing the work from the location that gives it part of its content, just for people to purchase and “own”. English’s plan is to whitewash the entire piece to protest this practice, and says that he will continue to do so with as many street works as he can. He plans on selling the new whitewashed version for an elevated price of one million dollars, an homage to Banksy’s stunt when he shredded his print at auction and, thus, raised the price of the work. Jeff Koons Sued for Plagiarizing Art American Artist Jeff Koons was sued in Paris about four years ago over a sculpture titled Fait d’Hiver, which translates to “fact of winter”, for plagiarizing the concept from Franck Davidovici photograph in a 1980 fashion company’s ad. The work was part of a series titled Banalism, which has had a total of five lawsuits against it for plagiarism. Koons has so far lost three and settled one in court, being ordered to pay the injured party by the French government. These occurrences question the line between plagiarism and appropriation, as Koons is well known for his incorporation of brands and pre-existing ideas and objects in his art. The Art of an Abandoned Town Pyramiden, is an abandoned coal-mining town located in the Arctic Circle between Norway and Greenland. The town is ultimately named after a pyramid-shaped mountain located 30 miles from Svalbard capital, Longyearbyen. In its heyday and under Soviet Union control, there was more or less 1,000 inhabitants. After the fall of the Soviet Union, and with the dwindling of the coal mining operation, support for the settlement weaned, and the settlement was altogether abandoned in 1998. The town, today, remains wholly untouched by time - with the vacant 1998 facilities, including the northernmost swimming pool, grand piano, and monument to Lenin. Today, however, artists are daring to venture back for a one-off showcase of music, dance, and submersive blast to the past, in which 50 select guests are allowed to attend. The magic perhaps of the showcase is not only that the different performances are exhibited in different settings, however, there is inherently no distractions in Pyramiden; the town is just so remote (the only way to get to it is by an hour and a half boat ride). Featured performances from the artists include Annasuolo, Julie Alapanes, Kartellet, Marian Torset, Mork, and Violet Road. Source: https://www.cnn.com/style/article/svalbard-russian-ghost-town/index.html Want to learn more about the Expo? Check out this link: http://www.ryk.no/en/northern-expo-2018/ Stolen Picasso Found, Only to be Found Fake Picasso’s “Tête d'Arlequin”, Henri Matisse "La Liseuse en Blanc et Jaune", and Monet’s “Waterloo Bridge, London,” and “Charing Cross Bridge, London,” were all stolen from the Kunsthal museum in an art raid in 2012. The raid “loot” was estimated to be close to 21 million dollars by the prospective Romanian Prosecutors. Ultimately four Romanians were convicted a year later to six years in prison, and reimbursement of the lost money; however, the stolen paintings were never recovered. One of the robbers’ mother claims to have burned the paintings to protect her son, and museum officials found the claim to be substantiated due to the traced pieces of canvas and paint found in her oven. However, in recent events, in an anonymous letter revealing the whereabouts of one of the seven paintings, Picasso’s stolen “Tete d’Arlequin” resurfaced, found underneath a tree in Tulcea County by novelist Mira Feticu. Investigation and speculation has concluded that the painting is ultimately fake, and perhaps part of the project, “True Copy.” Exploring the Effects on Art in the Instagram Age With the general advancement in technology and the blossoming of the digital age, there is a unique and very clear shift in art presentations that is defining how the virtual lens is shaping our modern day culture. Not only selfies, but videos on instagram have resulted in big, submersive, interactive pieces that no longer have to be site-specific, but rather can travel virtually all around the world. Popular modern day art installations that engage not only the art audience touring the actual site, but also viewers everywhere, include Studio Swine’s, “New Spring” that features a fountain that emits scented bubbles, and Kusama’s light installations that explore infinity. In general, many instagram-famous artists tend to share common characteristics in their works in the sense that they are big, highly immersive, fantastical and escapist works - which ultimately reflect the surreal form of the 21st Century’s Pop Art - highly engaging, and optimized for social engagement. Citations:
https://qz.com/quartzy/1466332/two-cats-have-been-trying-to-get-into-a-japanese-art-museum-for-two-years/ https://news.artnet.com/art-world/jeff-koons-plagiarism-lawsuit-1354876 https://www.cnn.com/style/article/svalbard-russian-ghost-town/index.html https://www.cnn.com/style/article/stolen-picasso-romania/index.html https://www.cnn.com/style/article/instagram-installation-art/index.html |
AuthorsNATALIE KIM is a junior at MLWGS and is committed to informing others of history being made in the art world. Archives
April 2019
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