Sunday, 14 December 2008
Saturday, 6 December 2008
Karen Knorr
Just stumbled across a great photographer; Karen Knorr. She photographs highly decorative interiors with animals and birds inhabiting them or acting as in some case the artist or sitter. I think they are gorgeous and want to see them in the flesh.
Opening of The Photographers' Gallery: Katy Grannan; The Westerns
Last night I worked the brand, spanking, new opening of the Photographers' gallery which is now situated in Oxford Circus. Showing in the main gallery were large format pictures of people living on the west coast of America by Katy Grannan. One of the subjects of her photographs were transexual duo Gail and Dale. the images are often striking and have an awkward beauty to them but are often uncomfortable- reflecting the subjects posed discomfort and nudity.
The most striking images were of one of her subjects; Nicole. In most of the photos she seems either distressed or poses a state of hysteria. In one photo she's wearing a bleached-blonde wig, crouched on a hotel bed, snarling ferally at the camera. the images seem to suggest abuse - addict, drifter, along with a growing belly.
However, the way they are shot elicits a romantic sense to the images and the most powerful image of nicole, with a expressionless face holding a baby. The only thing we learn about nicole is her name and where the images were taken.
Grannans' photos are both shocking, powerful and romantic. Her work seems to evoke the struggle for the 'photographic truth' and make us think more about the subject than the printed image.
Saturday, 15 November 2008
Keith Tyson installations'
(His website is also amazing).
t seems as if ‘Large Field Array’ mixes different models for describing the world.
“Yes. Certain patterns and systems are laid out in the structure. You have the signs
of the zodiac, chemical elements like sodium, helium, oxygen and so on and so forth.
Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto
line up in a planetary strip. In one direction, you’ll find mathematical truths. In another
direction it has material truths. One line follows the path of human life, another one
the way of heat and entropy. These lines are of course arbitrary. It doesn’t matter if
you know or if you don’t. It is like an abstract painting. Instead of asking how does
yellow go next to blue, I am asking how one form can go next to another form as the
consequence of these invisible forces. Scientifically speaking, a sculpture is an
interference pattern of both laws of physics and quantum forces, but also of art
history and other kinds of forces. Each one of the 300 pieces is the sum of all
possible forces acting upon it. Each sculpture is basically the result from the things
around it. Looking at them, you understand that they are partial. We are always
looking for the original thing which of course there isn’t. There is just the world. There
is no great truth in any of these sculptures. The great truth is that they are all
interconnected. The way in which the art world will take an object and put it in
isolation and say: there it is! - that is such a myth. I am trying to create a theatre
where that is impossible. You cannot enter Large Field Array and control it. It is
overwhelming. And it is actually a little bit terrifying. I want that feeling of terror when
you walk through it. That there is too much to grasp.”
Josiah McElheny @ White Cube, Hoxton Square
Island Universe
Upon entering the first floor space you are greeted with an explosion of five highly reflective, chrome-plated, aluminium spheres. There are roDs protruding off each sphere ending with lightbulbs some on with the filament inside and some without. It feels a bit like I am looking at design art, as they do represent chandeliers, at first glance it seems as though it should be in a trendy wine bar.
However, they are a play on the Lobmeyr-designed chandeliers in New York's Met Opera house. There is also something distinctively scientific about them; so is it coincidence or influence that the design of the chandeliers and the discovery of the first data supporting the Big Bang both occured in 1965.
McElheny has collaborated with a cosmologist; David Weinberg to create the scientifically correct sculptures as well as illustrations of the Big Bang theory.
The film on the second floor is one of the best video pieces I have seen in a long while... filmed in super 16mm at the Metropolitan Opera House NY each of the five sections depict the types of universes in the installation. The music and editing convey a rhythmn that shifts, freezes and develops in relation to the scientific speculations about other words.
Art that relates to Science and vice versa is always so fruitful and is definately a great partnership. It always inter-relates and McElhenys' installation and video is a romantic view, investigation into portraying a scientific theory of the big bang through a visual kaleidoscope.
I also saw some of his sculptures last year in The Donald Young Gallery in Chicago, Illinois along with artist Joshua Mosley.
Monday, 20 October 2008
Creatures Great and Small , Kinetica Museum @ Rove gallery
The new trend in contemporary F.art has got to be Kinetic Sculpture. Saw the Kinetic show @ the kinetic museum, there was an amazing piece by American artist Jack Pavlik whom constrcuts harmonious sliding steel bands; which slide and propel forward in a uniformed sequence.
"In sculpture you can have an idea, an exact idea but the final result will come from experimentation and the limits of the material. In this mutual give and take, a transformative process takes place; where there is an evolution of both form and idea. In my work I have been combining flexible and rigid materials, materials that merge a biomorphic, surreal pattern of black shapes and lines, with geometric metal frames and structures that work at the same time to move, and contain the active forms of the piece, creating what I hope is a humorous, surreal form of sculpture." - Jack Pavlik
Frieze Art Fair 2008
Attended Frieze art fair this week, as I am sure so did half of London. It was exactly what I expected having been two years ago, the steel faced curators and collectors swanning around. However it was great to see pieces up close by some of my favorite artists; Grayson Perry, Ed Ruscha, Wolfgang Tillmans and Cindy Sherman.
One of the highlights (apart from eaves dropping on how much some of the pieces sell for) was the icelandic art collective; 'Kling og Bang'. They re-created a small run-down shack Sirkus located in the middle of Rejakavik, I enjoy being completely envelpoed in site installations and how they can transport you from a ceratin space into a different dimension alot Like Christopher Bruchels installations.
Sirkus was also a favorite watering hole for many of the creative people in Rejkavik, it was cramped, smelly, your shoes sticked to the floor but I loved it.
Sunday, 12 October 2008
Clara Clark in discussion with Rebecca Geldard @ The Standpoint Gallery
Having worked with Tanner prize winner Clara Clark over the summer, it was hard for me to critique her work or view it as a spectator. Which is why I attended her discussion about the sculpture on show at The Standpoint gallery.
Art Rock
Went to Rosa Tyhursts' Dj night, which is an eclectic mix of world pop, punk and electro. It also involved an art competition to introduce the first years to Kingston University. It also featured music from Christina Sanders and Pete Georgallou.
Wednesday, 8 October 2008
New work
Bought a toy killer whale today; named him Rhys. Rosa and I are hoping to make a porcelain cast of him and another trout toy I have and involve them in our next collaboration maybe involving this track by Mr Scruff; http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=QSpfZ9I1Qok
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