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Thursday, May 28, 2009
Claes Oldenburg at the Whitney Museum of American Art
Ice Bag - Scale C (1971) by Claes Oldenburg via NY Times
The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York is currently featuring a Claes Oldenburg retrospective The exhibition explores Oldenburg’s early career as well as his longtime collaboration with wife Coosie van Bruggen. The retrospective details nearly five decades of Oldenburg’s work.
The sculptor is best known for his public art installations. His work tends to feature very large replicas of everyday objects. Another theme in his work is soft sculpture versions of everyday objects. The exhibit comes to a close on September 6th, 2009. For more information visit, www.oldenburgvanbruggen.com or www.whitney.org
the qi peng dynasty (we are duchampions) at envoy enterprises
alexis granwell panel 1 (2009), ink on paper, 8.5” x 11" by qi peng
envoy enterprises is currently preparing for an exhibit involving the work of conceptual artist qi peng. The exhibit, titled the qi peng dynasty (we are duchampions), will involve a complex installation featuring a hybrid fusion between traditional works on paper and painting and cutting-edge new media art. The installation has been described as being based on the idea of autobiography loosely based on James Joyce’s novel “A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man” smashed with Facebook and Xerox.
qi peng combines selected “interview portraits,” which he has published through www.examiner.com as an online art project, between art professionals which he has met in real life or Facebook or Twitter or other social networking websites into a larger installation project. By delivering a cross section of the international art world, focusing on New York City and Los Angeles mostly with a small dose of his current hometown of Salt Lake City, the artist attempts to democratize how the public perceives any particular individual within this complex web of artists, art dealers, museum curators, art workers, and “slaves” who comprise this whole system of people who put together contemporary art for the audience. By displaying offset prints of these portraits like a digital version of August Sander photographs, peng attempts to humanize the art world as an antithesis to the glossy art market and blue chip players portrayed by the magazines.
edward winkleman panel 2 (2009), ink on paper, 8.5” x 11" by qi peng
This installation piece will present secondary documents that will reflect on how the artist’s first solo show in New York City became extant at envoy enterprises. Mixing together proposals, acceptance and rejection letters, critiques, as well some surprising documents that feature a Chelsea gallery, and a painting that is based on a prominent Brooklyn artist with overtones of the idea of “WWPD,” this work becomes a brave exploration of the politics of how exhibitions are created and galleries are curated.
This is a fairly dispassionate view of the artist’s subjective journey from a virtually unknown artist as a displaced New Yorker located in Utah into a slowly emerging artist as a small player within the international art world. He also highlights the challenges of an atypical Utah conceptual artist attaining both “critical affirmation” and “artistic defiance” with and against the somewhat insular New York contemporary art world reframed as the Garden of Eden.
qi peng states that there will be a surprise ending to the whole installation and a possible inclusion of the following events: an artist book signing at a table, an unexpected appearance of the Zero Dollar project by Laura Gilbert, a performance duel between Rick Herron and the artist himself, and guest appearances by famed bootlegger Eric Doeringer and collaborating artists William Powhida and Jennifer Dalton.
william powhida panel 1 (2009), ink on paper, 8.5” x 11" by qi peng
“the qi peng dynasty (we are duchampions)” is qi peng’s first solo exhibit in New York City. qi peng was born in 1976 in Queens, New York City. He lives and works mostly in Salt Lake City and sometimes in New York. His work has been exhibited at The Lab at Belmar, Anna Kustera, James Cohen/NURTUREART, Metro Pictures/Visual AIDS, modern8 gallery, and Projects Gallery. Currently he is represented by The Barbara Ann Levy Gallery in West Palm Beach, Florida.
envoy enterprises is a contemporary art space dedicated to the generation, presentation and promotion of contemporary visual arts practice. envoy enterprises' dynamic program of exhibitions, performances, concerts, artists' talks, publications, video and movie screenings, aims to provide opportunities for artists to exhibit their work within a context of current national and international practice. For more information visit, www.envoyenterprises.com
Mark McGowan: The Reenactment of the Death of Jade Goody
The Reenactment of the Death of Jade Goody (video still) - Mark McGowan
Mark McGowan’s recent performance/installation, titled The Reenactment of the Death of Jade Goody, took place at the Guy Hilton Gallery in East London on May 3rd. For the performance/installation McGowan recreated late British reality TV star Jade Goody's deathbed.
The depiction of Goody’s dying moments has been deemed a controversial exhibition by the media. However, McGowan has stated, “It was not ironic, funny, shocking or disturbing. It was a very emotional experience and of the many people who attended, two people openly cried. Not for Jade, but for their own loved ones who they stayed with and held their hands as they passed away.”
Mark McGowan says, 'It was absolutely extraordinary and beyond expectation, everyone was incredibly emotional. The cardboard boxes that Jade, Jack Tweed and Jade's mum Jackiey wore, were really inspired and captivated peoples imagination.”. The set features a bed on which the artist playing Goody lies while those depicting loved ones sit at the bedside holding Goody’s hands. The performance involves no dialogue or sound in that it is designed to be a tableau representation of what Goody’s final hours may have looked like. The performance/installation, which lasted just over two hours, was attended by over 200 people.
Mark McGowan: Kick George Bush's Ass. Photo courtesy of Charlie Smith, London
Mark McGowan’s work is often provocative. For example, at SCOPE NY 2007 McGowan performed his infamous Kick George Bush's Ass performance during the Collector and Press Preview. However, McGowan has made it clear that The Reenactment of the Death of Jade Goody is a tribute to Goody, who died of cervical cancer at the age of 27.
Concerning criticism over the performance McGowan has stated, "I understand it's provocative and sometime that is my aim, to provoke people. I've been accused of jumping on the Jade Goody bandwagon, but the truth is I think people are just too hung up about death in this country.”.
Emin at work. The cover image for the retrospective.
The Kunstmuseum Bern is currently spotlighting the art of Tracey Emin in an exhibit titled Tracey Emin: 20 years. The exhibit includes over 70 works of art. The exhibit was made possible by the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art-- which compiled the first retrospective of the artist which is currently one display at the Museum of Fine Arts Bern. The exhibit marks Emin's first solo exhibition in Switzerland.
Emin is often accused of creating shocking art simply to attract publicity. However, the artist recently stated that her intention is not to be a troublemaker, stating, "I won't put up with any shit and I won't tolerate injustice, but I never make work to shock. That would be so easy. Anyone could go and shit outside parliament and put a little sign in it saying 'this is art' and it would hit all the newspapers. But that wouldn't be art. Not even if I did it!"
Tracey Emin: 20 Years will come to a close on June 21st, 2009. For more information visit, www.kunstmuseumbern.ch
Mark Rothko and J.M.W. Turner exhibit at Tate Britain
The Tate Britain is currently exhibiting works by Mark Rothko and J.M.W. Turner. The exhibit, which is part of the BP British Art Displays, marks the first time that works by the two influential painters have been exhibited side-by-side. The exhibit reveals their similarities as well as their differences. It is always interesting to see the work of two artists from two very different generations exhibited at the same time. Needless to say, the exhibit is a unique experience. The exhibit will come to a close on July 26th, 2009. For more information visit, www.tate.org.uk.
Eugenio Merino's Controversial Damien Hirst Sculpture: For the Love of Gold
4 the Love of Go(l)d by Eugenio Moreno. Photograph: ADN Galeria
British art critics ranging from Robert Hughes to the Stuckists have been suggesting that Damien Hirst has a hole in his head for years. One could say that sculptor Eugenio Merino agrees with said criticism-- but not in the way you might think. Eugenio Merino has created a life-size sculpture of Damien Hirst-- complete with inflated head (representing ego?)-- which places the British art in a suicide pose.
Merino’s Hirst is posed on his knees holding a Colt 45 to his head-- a bloodied bullet wound glistens as blood runs down the sculptures mouth. The sculpture, titled ‘For the Love of Gold’ -- also known as '4 the Love of Go(l)d'-- was unveiled at the 28th Madrid International Contemporary Art Fair (ARCO) alongside other works by Eugenio Merino that parody Damien Hirst’s art and art world status. The sculpture stirred controversy within hours of being unveiled.
Merino has stated that the sculpture-- which has been placed in a tank similar to the tanks used by Damien Hirst to display the remains of animals in formaldehyde-- is symbolic of the financial crisis that is facing the art world. Merino’s controversial sculpture is a parody of Hirst’s ‘For the Love of God’, a widely successful piece involving a diamond encrusted skull that sold for more than $100 million to a group of investors in 2007-- just before the global financial meltdown.
Eugenio Merino has stated that Damien Hirst is too concerned about profit. Merino has suggested to reporters that Hirst should shoot himself since he is so concerned about money, stating that if Hirst did that the value of his work would “increase dramatically“. Merino has made it clear that the sculpture is a “joke” and that he does not wish harm on Damien Hirst-- in fact, Merino is a fan of Hirst and studied his art extensively while in art school. Merino stated, "It is a joke but it is also paradoxical that if he did kill himself his work would be worth even more,". He went on to say that the sculpture is a metaphor for the current state of the art world.
Eugenio Merino’s visual message about the excess and decadence of the art world has taken an ironic twist in that his ‘For the Love of Gold’ has already been purchased for $41,000. Other reports state that all of Merino’s Hirst parodies have been bought by collectors in Portugal and Holland. Which begs the question-- are collectors missing Merino’s message? Perhaps they are unknowing participants. Merino has stated, "It is ironic. I've never sold so much.". For the love of gold, indeed.
A collage by Cartrain involving Damien Hirst's 'For the Love of God'
Damien Hirst has yet to respond concerning Eugenio Merino's controversial sculpture. It will be interesting to see if he responds to Merino in the same way that he responded to Cartrain-- the young British street artist who made parodies of Hirst's 'For the Love of God' not long ago. Cartrain was forced to hand over the profit he made from selling his parodies-- around $200-- as well as the remaining prints and original works. Some reports have stated that Cartrain's prints and original works have since been destroyed. Which begs the question-- will Eugenio Merino's 'For the Love of Gold' share the same fate?
’The Duc, Viet Nam’ by Brian Doan was damaged by protestors
I recently posted an article about a protest involving an exhibit involving Communism. Over 300 protestors met outside of the controversial F.O.B. II: Art Speaks exhibit sponsored by the Vietnamese Arts & Letters Association Center in Santa Ana. There have been several disturbances at the gallery do to the controversial theme of the exhibit and the fact that it took place in a location near a Vietnamese American community.
Those involved with the protest felt that a similar controversial exhibit would not have taken place near other minority communities. For example, one rights advocate stated that a photograph of a young Jewish person wearing a Nazi symbol standing next to a bust of Hitler would not have been displayed in a heavily populated community of Holocaust survivors. Others have suggested that an exhibit involving African Americans wearing Ku Klux Klan (KKK) hoods would not take place in a predominately black community.
The actions of the protestors has sparked debate concerning what should be expected from curators as far as being responsible for the exhibits they manage. The story has caused a wildfire of comments from individuals online. Some support the exhibit as the perfect example of the freedoms shared in the United States while others have suggested that the exhibit was nothing more than a reckless publicity stunt. Some feel that support for the exhibit reveals that the “scars” within the Vietnamese American community are not acknowledged when compared to the “sensitivity” that is involved in discussions-- both verbal and visual-- involving the history of African Americans and other minority groups in the United States. One anonymous forum commenter stated, “if it involved slavery and the KKK the organizers would have been charged with hate crimes.”.
What is your opinion? Should artists, curators, and gallery owners be held responsible for damage that occurs due to protestors if the work displayed is overly controversial? Should the First Amendment be upheld even if a minority group is hurt in the process? Would the exhibit had been shut down before opening had it involved a different minority in a similar context? Should parts of history be "off limits" until the generation that experienced it are long gone? What say you?
A not so peaceful protest occurred over the controversial F.O.B. II: Art Speaks exhibit at the Vietnamese Arts & Letters Association Center in Santa Ana. The exhibit, which contains works by over 50 artists, offended some members of Vietnamese American community-- many of whom endured great struggle due to Communism in Vietnam.
Those involved with the exhibit have stated that the works on display were not supportive of Communism-- pointing to the fact that several of the images in the exhibit had been banned in Vietnam. However, supporters of the protest claim that the exhibit was ill conceived due to the fact that there are over 158,000 Vietnamese American residents in Orange County-- many of whom escaped communist rule in Vietnam in order to embrace the freedom of living in the United States of America.
A photograph titled ’The Duc, Viet Nam’ by Brian Doan took center stage over the controversy. The controversial photograph by Doan involves a Vietnamese woman with the sitting next to a bust of Ho Chi Minh. The lone woman is wearing a red tank top that bears the yellow star of the Vietnamese flag. The photograph had been defaced-- apparently by protestors-- with a splash of red paint.
Brian Doan was quick to respond to the controversy concerning the meaning of the photograph and the reactions of the Vietnamese American protestors. Doan stated that he his goal was to foster commentary among youths in Vietnam who grew up after the Vietnam War. He now plans to display the controversial photograph as a symbol of his freedom of speech in the United States.
Doan stated that the first generation of the Vietnamese American community needs to accept a diversity of opinions and viewpoints in order to move forward. He stressed the fact that the history surrounding Communism in Vietnam is a shared experience that the second generation of Vietnamese Americans are exploring in their own way. The organizers of the exhibit have displayed strong support for Doan and his controversial photograph by stating that image is a critique of Communism.
Many of the protestors-- which were over 300 strong-- wore military fatigues. Some protestors chanted “Go back to Vietnam!” outside of the exhibit. Others took more direct action by destroying images of the Vietnamese flag. Children stomped on the flag of Vietnam while supportive adults stood near.
Critics of the exhibit have stated that the artists involved with the controversial exhibit were merely seeking publicity rather than fostering dialogue about the historical implications of the Vietnamese American experience. One observer noted that the organizers should have known that factions in the Vietnamese American community would take an aggressive stance against an exhibit involving Communist ideology even if it was intended to be a critique. Others suggested that Vietnamese Arts & Letters Association had stabbed the Vietnamese American community in the back.
Those involved with the protest felt that a similar controversial exhibit would not have taken place near other minority communities. For example, one rights advocate stated that a photograph of a young Jewish person wearing a Nazi symbol standing next to a bust of Hitler would not have been displayed in a heavily populated community of Holocaust survivors. Others have suggested that an exhibit involving the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) would not take place in a predominately black community.
What are your thoughts on this exhibit? Do you think the organizers craved publicity? Do you think their intentions were true? Should artists, curators, and gallery owners be held responsible for damage that occurs due to protests if the work displayed is overly controversial? Should freedom of expression be upheld even if a minority group is hurt in the process? Would the exhibit had been shut down before opening had it involved a different minority in a similar context? What say you?
Ice Bag - Scale C (1971) by Claes Oldenburg via NY Times
edward winkleman panel 2 (2009), ink on paper, 8.5” x 11" by qi peng
william powhida panel 1 (2009), ink on paper, 8.5” x 11" by qi peng
Mark McGowan: Kick George Bush's Ass. Photo courtesy of Charlie Smith, London
A collage by Cartrain involving Damien Hirst's 'For the Love of God'
