Archiviato in: the world around us | Tag: American election US, Barack Obama, Peter Fuss, Rodriguez-Gerada
Barack Obama is the super star of the moment. And contemporary art took note of it transforming his image into subject matter (both as image and as a issue toward which reflect on the present time) for today’s production.
Few hours ago CNN published this article online on the intervention by the Cuban-born American artist Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada in Madrid. The artist claims that “The size of the piece is intrinsic to its value.” And in his dossier about the work – titled “Expectatio” – he broaden the discourse: “Obama’s personality — his youth, personal history and message of a new politics — has fused with the historical moment to create someone larger than life.” Furthermore, he states that the huge size alludes also “to the global impact of this election”.
In a changing world, now that – in this 2008 American election – we can expect to have a huge flow as never before, are going to vote; that for the first time there is a black man candidate for the US presidency, and a white woman as vice president (Sara Palin for the Republican Party) politics has returned to be a creative issue. And it is expressed in the shape of this year’s Democratic candidate. His silhouette, then, becomes an evocative message to be displayed in great dimension either covering down a building facade or, as in Rodriguez-Gerada as a huge portrait (139.28 meters long by 82.67 wide) to be desplayed just the day before the elections. Almost as to say: we need an icon, in which to trust, recognisable from its outline .
Easily, memories of other famouse shilouettes of the past come to mind…(Mao in Warhol portraits, just to mention one)
Archiviato in: want to see
It has been a week since I am thinking to write something about the current show at Hangar Bicocca and Spazio Oberdan in Milan. Since I haven’t had time yet to go and see the show myself, I just post the link to the exhibiting spaces hoping to fine some time to see the show, and get my personal impressions of the actual pieces on show.
I quite like Alfredo Jaar even if he struggles me with his pieces. Impossible to remain immune by the spreading virus of awareness!
Spazio Oberdan (The show in this space will close on Jan 25, 2009)
Turner Prize creates debate. It is unavoidable, and, to a certain extent, even necessary. Such is contemporary art: It means discussion, and creates discussion through its provocation.
Once again this autmn four contemporay artists have been shortlisted for Britain main prize for contemporary expression. Far too many good (and also less excellent) writers, critics, journalists, and experts have been writing on the artists, the choices of the curators, the pieces selected. Thus, better not add words to the words – since, moreover, I haven’t got the chance to see the actual installations…yet.
The whole system of the Prize is quite self-referential: British contemporary art in Britain. Thus, that is one of the biggerst stage for today’s expression. Lukily even if you are not in the City – and you want to waste some time scrolling online articles – you can easyly follow the debate. It is time consuming but still with just few clicks you can keep informed, watch slideshows of the works, and even take video-tours (here one published on the Guardian online.)
The prize online
Installing the exhibition
If you don’t know what the Turner prize is….click the link!
The four artist shortlisted:
Runa Islam
Mark Lackey
Goshka Macuga
Cathy Wilkes
Archiviato in: the world around us | Tag: art markets, contemporary art collectors, The Guardian
While the American economy id dealing with one of the, probalby, bigger crisis of the past 150 years, art faces the consequences.
An recent article by Katya Kazakina - a little bit too essential and not exhaustive – points out one of the visible effects of the crisis transferred into art collecting. I am not so sure that the compartment will suffer the events extensively but surely the general trembling certanity od American economy it is having certain evidences.
Art collecting, after all, is a luxury that charm the higer-up society that are differently interested by the crisis. The issue is then to be referred most to those art lovers that do not handle the crazy sums contemporary art “masters” have achieved. And buy supposed prospective art-superstars for few thousands dollars not mostly as an investments but rather because “they like that piece.” This goes under the a cultural model that is not used to the concept of saving. (But in front of the recent events, what good is saving?)
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Update: October 8th, 2008
There are no good news for contemporary art collectors recently. Andrew Davies of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors underlines how “The contemporary art sector has rocketed over the past few years, with a sudden correction now a strong possibility.” – Report by Simon Bowers published on the Guardian.
Archiviato in: getting about | Tag: Adrian Paci, Quadriennale di Roma, Temporary Shelter Center
Adrian Paci (Albanian artist born in 1969) won this year’s Rome Quadriennale. I recently saw his work at Mart in Rovereto in the show Eurasia curated by Achille Bonito Oliva. Among (few) other moving pieces his recent video Temporary Shelter Center worth the view. This time again the artist from Albania, now living and working in Milan, is dealing with the representation of peculiar human’ conditions. The staged (and digitalised) story reproduces a pretty common experience for travellers: people standing up in line to get on a plane. But as soon as the camera widens the view the reality becomes wierd and unique. There is no plane at all. And the queue is made only of male immigrants standing still at the end of the stairway.
In Paci’s works there is often a new definition of the identity both of individuals and population (usually marginalised), and often the issue of migratory processes is implied. There is an unspoken sense of threat that brings together people in the need to move from their homeland in search for opportunities. (Or even, more frequently, emigrating in order to survive.)
The artist reflects and expresses concepts linked to a certain sense of home, human relations that become personal details as well as parts of a common experiences of life. In Temporary Shelter Center he takes the idea of immigration, and he explores it thorugh evocative (and provocative!) moments of the actual journey toward the “promised land.”
Through his works the artist is telling us his personal story as an immigrant. In some way through the aesthetics of his characters he is searching his roots, and reproducing momoires he is recovering from his parting.
Archiviato in: Art+Architecture, the world around us | Tag: Brion-Vega, Carlo Scarpa, cemetery, Cimitero monumetale, Italy, Treviso, Venice, Wallpaper
“Possiamo dire che l’architettura che noi vorremmo essere poesia dovrebbe chiamarsi armonia, come un bellissimo viso di donna. Ci sono forme che esprimono qualche cosa. L’architettura è un linguaggio molto difficile da comprendere – è misterioso, a differenza delle altre arti, della musica in particolare, più direttamente comprensibili… Il valore di un’opera consiste nella sua espressione – quando una cosa è espressa bene, il suo valore diviene molto alto.” (Carlo Scarpa, 1976)
Carlo Scarpa was born in 1906 in Venice and died 30 yeras ago. Curiously I first bumped into his works that celebrate the death in which he managed to achieve a high level of beautiness before knowing his other realisations.
There are places – as his cemeteries or tombs or even, let’s call them so, architectonic elements – that help us experience a peculiar moment of quieteness and reflection, and that perfeclty exemplify his say: “the value of an artwork consists in its expression – when it is well expressed, its value becomes really high.“
Easily the solemnity and magnificence of burial grounds’ entrances make us silent and meditative.
I had thouhgt about those places-non places also during O’AIR this past summer conversations I had with Heldi Pema. The Albanese artist gave me an interesting point about Milan’s Cimitero Monumentale: it represents an open air sculpture museum (or rather a sculpture park – a part from its use as place for the eternal rest.) But who consider it as such? Who ever goes there primarily to take a tour through the statues? The prerspectives? The architectures? I have never passed through those gates myself. Not even once (no matter how, I put it in my “places to see once in a lifetime” for the next time I’ll have some free time in Milan.)
However, the walking – consciously! – in a burial ground unquestionably awakens a certain awe, a respect that has to do with some Western (Christian?) culture and approach to death. I am not able to make further comments about it but it is true that most of the time we are too occupied to deal with the whole sensation we perceive, and the purpose that bring us to those places for-the-eternal-rest that we don’t even consider the experience of beautiness created for those who are gone. (Usually, it has to be said, not expressly designed to pleasure those who are alive…)
The magazine Wallpaper recently published its fashion shoot in Scarpa’s Brion-Vega Cemetery near Treviso, Italy.
Have a look.
