Archiviato in: the world around us | Tag: Damien Hirst, For the Love of God, Peter Fuss, Who Killed Barack Obama?
Polish artist Peter Fuss spoke out. US are to experience past history once again: as it happened to J. F. Kennedy, Lincon, M. L. King and Malcom X, the candidate for the Democratic Party is to be killed. Fuss is known for his iconic (rather than ironic), sometimes debunking messages written and designed on billbords, for his “For the Laugh of God” the cheap reproduction (“cheap Polish labour”) of Damien Hirst’sFor the Love of God, the most expensive artwork ever realised, and his Santo subito, multiple (mass) reproduction of Pope John Paul II.
This time the main story tells the possible (in Fuss’s view quite inescapable) death of Barak Obama. Or better say, the artist is crying out the lament “Who killed Barack Obama?“, underlining in his own worlds the notion of the “global thought of Obama’s unavoidable death.” The work describes the sense of fear with a news-like style using only black, white, and gray, and in a way represents the power of the visual conditioning. Fuss is immortalizing the moment of an event not even yet happened, as if it was an actual document of a archive of the past. And there is no way out.
(Here an interesting selection of works by Fuss)
Archiviato in: getting about | Tag: BlogFest, Manifesta 7, Rovereto, Trento
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I spent few days in Riva del Garda (TN) to attend the event VeDrò. I hoped to have the chance to visit Manifesta 7 (here the locations) but did not managed to. I have to wait until September 12, when I will be again in Riva for the BlogFest 2008. (I hope to be able to attend the MARTcamp scheduled on Friday 12th at Rovereto’s contemporary art museum.)
Not everybody living in the neighbourhood consider the biennal art event an opportunity. Some consider this reunion of super-contemporary art expressions something just for fans of the genre. Then there should not be an intent to bring contemporary art to the masses.
Actually, is Manifesta bringing newlty into the cities involvedattempting to draw new spectators to the spectacle of the newst art expressions, or is it merely exploring new ways to show the spectacle ofthe newst art expressions ? (Are we really dealing with a spectacle?)
Archiviato in: Photography | Tag: Alec Soth, Alessandra Sanguinetti, best shot, Ed Ruscha, Edwin Low, Jamshid Bayrami, Jonathan Andrson, Photography
As a tale, the description of the genesis of a work or series of works, is passionately narrated if it is told by the very hand who drawn the piece.
The memoires of a lived experience – as simple as it can be – traces an history that in reality is condensed in seconds – or even in thousandth of seconds – but opens the imagination to a variety of possible other histories or stories. And then to other, and other again…..in a possibly endless series of associations.
Here are quotes of some artist’s words regarding their “best shot” questioned by Leo Benedictus: Jonathan Anderson and Edwin Low; Jamshid Bayrami; Ed Ruscha; Alessandra Sanguinetti; Alec Soth.
Archiviato in: about... | Tag: art critic, Sports and art, The Guardian, writer, writing
I have been writing for Italian newspapers and magazines since I was 17. I have talked about oddities or – what I like most – on issues related to the arts, and – what allows me to feel I am a part of the contemporary art system – reviewing art shows. Interestingly often I pervceived the sense that I was not being given the right space for my considerations on paper: either I was given too few carachters, or too much!
A part from the issue of words conut, another focus of my daily reflections (since this is the time of the month when I have to produce a certain amout of articles and reviews, and I find myself struggling on which expression to use to save characters, or the thought to erase not to be repetitive) regards my experience as a art writer. I cannot consider myself a professional art critic, and considering the experiment that recently took place on the Guardian I wonder wether anyone can become a interesting art-writer?
Have I been influenced by the experiment published by the Guardian that took place recently?
Here the link: sports writers talk about art!
“This artist is deeply dangarous”
Archiviato in: Art+Architecture | Tag: Daniel Liebskind, Gehry, Hyde Park, London, Olafur Eliasson, Oscar Niemeryer, Serpentine Gallery, Summer Pavillion, Toyo Ito, Zaha Hadid
Surprise! One of my favourite architects designed this year Serpentine Summer Pavillion!
There are far too many reason to go visit London not only for its historical beauty but for its long tradition of experience in contempotary experimentation. It is extremely impressive the amount of projects and events that have a huge impact not only on the experts gravitating around art in general but capable to attract even unexperienced amateur (as well as unaware turists). Big projects and extremely higt quality to please very different tastes.
The projects for an external pavillion at the Serpentine, in the heart of Hyde Park, date back in 2000 with Zaha Hadid first intervention.
Gehry’s work, which will be opened on July 20, follows the projects by Olafur Eliasson and Kjetil Thorsen (August 24-November 11, 2007); Zaha Hadid (who also designed the year 2000 project) and Patrik Shumacher (July 12-July 21, 2007); Rem Koolhaas and Cecil Balmond (2006); Alvaro Siza, Eduardo Souto de Moura and Cecil Balmond (2005); Oscar Niemeyer (2003); Toyo Ito (2002), and Daniel Liebskind (2001).
Archiviato in: Art+Architecture | Tag: Antony Gormley, Cao Fei, Fourth Plinth, HAyward Gallery, Lombard Freid, London, New York, RMB City, Second Life
The city is all around us. And in architecture rules.
There’s some kind of tension, and mutual attraction between architecture (its shapes, structures, and the implications one can think of), and contemporary art/artsits.
Lately few shows are questioning the issue, and the combination of the two aspects are getting closer. Speaking of architecture, and more precisely about cities’ structuring, is becoming a starting point to deepen different meaning of contemporary human condition.
In this distant dialogue artists and architects confronts mostly through their works influenced – as some are – one by another.
This sort of distant relationship allows to open discussions about the way to decipher not only this or the other project/work of art, but also to re-consider our contemporary human society (or daily living, if you prefer).
The discourse is pretty wide. Choosing few examples, though, we can concentrate on specific focus.
Recently in the Hayward gallery in London the show “Psycho Building” is exploring the experience of architecture. Architectonical elements are interpreted, and used to make a different conscience of human lived space (ie: Geltin, Normally, Proceeding and Unrestricted With Without Title).
Yet London is waiting to get the two selected project to be installed on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square. Here we are talking about an awareness of a monumental intervention that defines a portion of an open space. Interestingly, Gormley proposes that the public become the work itself as if to say: I stand in the space, and become a structural part of it.
A new proposal concerning the binomial is Cao Fei’s RMB City (here a review of the show in New York City) that explores the concept of the architecture, of the city structure through the virtual space of Second Life. Here the implications widen, we are dealing with a three dimensional space built in a series of algorithms and mathematical functions. Potentially endless, and potentially empty since it is lived by untouchable simulacra of human beings.
