I would love to see this exhibition of Sigmar Polke at Leo Koenig in NY. Polke was a German painter and photographer who is known for his unconventional approaches in creating art works. He revolutionised the visual art world with his use of various chemicals and techniques. The photo exhibition contains a series of photographs taken between 1964-2000 at the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo and a series of photograms produced with radioactive processes.
via contemporary art daily
Jérôme Zonder, ‘Jeu d’enfants no.1’, 2010
Wunderkammer, taken with my iPhone
At me Collectors Room is showing ‘All cannibals?’, an exhibition created in collaboration with, la maison rouge, in Paris. Dr. Jeanette Zwingenberger curated this show combining permanent collections of cabinets of curiosities (Wunderkammer), and collectors’ items of various media. Obviously, this show is not for the faint at heart. A lot of it is left to the imagination of the viewer. The show is not about man-eating ‘savages’. Zwingenberger reports that the exhibition is about “the imaginary, the subjective, the biological and social-political relation to oneself and to the other, form the perspective of ingestion”.
The show contains both contemporary and historical works. They are organised around the following themes: Wunderkammer, fairy tales, mother-child relationships, cannibalism and the sacred, and corporeality.
Some of photographers included in the show were Cindy Sherman, Pieter Hugo, Bettina Rheims, and Yasumasa Morimura. Besides photography, there is sculpture, painting, drawings, installation and video art. Next to the ticket booth, there’s also an interesting video of Patty Chang, ‘Melons (At a loss)’ (1998), who is seen spooning out her own breast, a cynical take on anorexia in society.
The show is fascinating for its diverse content on such an interesting concept. I really enjoyed it and found it very inspiring.
Alec Soth, 2008_08zL0107 (large nude), Broken Manual, archival pigment print, 2008, 177.8cm x 142.2cm
I posted a few months ago a link to Alec Soth's project & accompanying film by Laure Flammarion & Arnaud Uyttenhove, 'Somewhere to disappear’, where American men who voluntarily hid from society were photographed. I had the chance to see Soth’s photos of his project ‘Broken Manual’, currently showing at Loock Gallery in Berlin.
The prints are absolutely amazing. They were massive and all framed. Soth used a large format camera which you see him hauling around in the video. It’s interesting how these men, who retreated from society, were comfortable enough to be photographed. This probably reflect Soth’s affinities with his subject; he mentions in the film how he would like to have his own cave. Talk about the idea of escapism. This show was by far my favorite photo exhibition for its concept and quality of work. The gallery space was well lit which made me appreciate the prints even more. I liked the little room allocated to the screening of the movie. However, the room was too bright to enjoy the movie comfortbaly. Overall, ‘Broken Manual’ is a beautiful exhibition documenting the ones who decided to live on the edge.
'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.
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.
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.
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.
Chervinsky’s photos are carefully arranged and reminiscent of Dutch paintings. There is also an element of experimentation with perspective. All shot on film with a medium format camera. Simply clever.
Last project: ‘Study of ethnographic triptych’
Latest project Shorter than shoulder length can be viewed here
Marina Abramovic, Balkan Baroque I. Photograph: Courtesy of the artist for the Guardian
Very inspiring interview with Marina Abramovic on her career as a performance artist.
Iori Tomita, ex-fisherman who studied ichthyology and now artist, produced this beautiful collection of dyed skeletons of various marine life specimen. Something to add to our cabinet of curiosities!
'Loudly, death unties' is the 1st in a Trilogy by Nicholas and Sheila Pye, fellow Canadians. I had the chance to see it at the Linden Centre for Contemporary Art. Their photography is also amazing.
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.
by Chinese director/photographer Fan Ho
A still-life arrangement of found objects and sentimental gifts.
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.
