Deutsche Guggenheim -> Once upon a time: Fantastic narratives in contemporary video by Claudia Phares

 

Mika Rottenberg, Dough (2006)

'Once Upon a Time' is an exhibition featuring 6 international artists who are adapting modern fairy tales through video art. My favorite was 'Dough' by Mika Rottenberg who created a fable where labourers in an assembly line use their bodily excretions to operate the ‘sweatshop’. The installation consists of a box-like cabin with no visible opening propped against the wall and there’s a movie fan hanging over it. Once you turn the corner, you enter this tiny room where a video is playing through an square opening connected to the cabin. There’s a claustrophobic effect in that room; the same feeling expressed in the video.

Another artist whose video art dramatizes alienation in an industrial context is Cao Fei. I was deeply moved by her video ‘Whose utopia’ (2006) where the setting is at the OSRAM China Lighting Ltd. factory in the Pearl River Delta. 

by Claudia Phares

My friend Boris Elgadsen, a German artist, whom I met in Melbourne a few years ago invited me to this live drawing event. Zhen, a Melbourne artist was doing a performance drawing session at PvonK Gallerie. 

Zhen would draw what was going on in the room; as times passes, parts are the drawing is rubbed off to be replaced by another moment in time. 

The quality of the video isn’t HD but you get the idea. The atmosphere was great; there was good food - something very different to other openings I have been and of course, live music.

Manjari Sharma: Staged photography at its best by Claudia Phares

I saw Manjari Sharma's Shower series at Paul Kopeikin Gallery in LA last January. Her portfolio is worth checking out for its beautiful portraits. She has just started a new series on Hindu deities which involves extensive preparation and staging. I like how she integrates her cultural values in her photographic projects. The first final image is simply fantastic. Read more on the preparation of the shoots here.

Book: Roger Ballen by Claudia Phares

I missed Roger Ballen's exhibition at the Monash Gallery of Art back in 2009. As a consolation, I purchased the exhibition catalog. I love his minimalist black and white photographs. They are full of intrigue and emotionally charged. There is humour, sadness, and tenderness. Ballen lives in South Africa where he's photographed for many years children, animals & the mentally challenged of the area. I have yet to read his latest book, Roger Ballen: Photographs 1969-2009, which looks amazing. Jonathan Blaustein reviewed the book here.

Birth.art by Claudia Phares

Arlene Texta Queen’s Chaos Happens All The Time
 

Birth is probably the least explored concept in the art world. Unlike the concepts of  life and death, taboo is still strongly associated with birth. Twelve artists (including one man) used video, drawing, photographs, sculpture, & painting to interpret their experience with birth and motherhood. I attended the opening on June 14th and I couldn’t help noticing the strong feminine energy. I felt a sense of empowerment and fascination at the exhibition. ‘Birth.Art’ was curated by Tilly Morris and her friend, Jasmine Salomon, a midwifery student. The show runs until June 30th.

Fiber-based printing: worth the time & care by Claudia Phares

I revisited one of my photos which I previously printed on resin-coated paper. This time, I used fiber-based paper. The difference is striking: the additional tonal range adds another dimension to this FB print compared to the RC print. There warmth that is a characteristic of FB paper is noticeable. Unfortunately, this scan doesn’t give justice to the original. FB prints require a 2nd fixer and are very fragile when wet. The extra time (and money) spent on using FB paper is well worth it, especially if one is after high-quality archival prints. 

by Claudia Phares

My homage to Wolfgang Tillmans

Make Til you fake it -week 12

Tillmans keeps it a secret when it comes to talk about the exact process used to make  this series.

5 elements used:
1-work was created without a camera

2-darkroom manipulations with l…

My homage to Wolfgang Tillmans

Make Til you fake it -week 12

Tillmans keeps it a secret when it comes to talk about the exact process used to make this series.

5 elements used: 1-work was created without a camera

2-darkroom manipulations with light

3-process was left to chance

4-presence of chromatic zones

5-idea of nothingness