I found this amazingly quirky music video on museworthy - another great art blog I like to follow. The video is by a band called “Hold your Horses”, and the song is titled “70 Million”- it is a highly amusing overview of western art. I really wish I had this to study with back in Art History 101 - sure beats flash cards. Test your knowledge and see how many works you can name.
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While working at Art Dubai I got a chance to pay homage to one of my favorite exhibitions - Iran Inside Out. I first met the exhibition in NYC @ the Chelsea Art Museum. It was love at first sight. The exhibit was aesthetically flawless, a perfect 10 in the beauty category. Unlike most infatuations with beauty, which end up being fleeting attractions, this exhibition had substance - the full package if you will. It was wrought with thought provoking content, political turm oil, & sex appeal. It was like Nancy Pelosi meets Bar Refaeli wearing lingerie lounging on a bed of iranian rice - amazing.
my second visit with Iran Inside Out was just as engaging. Housed in the Farjam Gallery, the smaller space allowed for only a select number of works to be shown. To make things even more intimate -the curators of the exhibition - Till Fellrath & Sam Bardaouil of artreoriented - showed up to give a guided tour. Since I like to keep my love life private - I wont show you the whole tour, but here is a little snapshot showcasing a work by Newsha Tavakolian titled Maria (2007)
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So it’s morning time over here in Asia, but for most of North America it’s bed time. Here is a little fuel for thought before you slip off into dream land.
A couple of days ago I attend an art forum which addressed the concept of public art and exhibition. Part of the conversation which I found particularly interesting was the concept of multiple “publics”. When we say public exhibition do we really intend for the enitre general public to appreciate the art? Is it still a success if only a select group of the public participates in the exhbition? Are we living in a fantasy land if we assume that the 2 hour long performance art taking place on the city side walk will be attended by the local baker? Or if Dallas Contemporary has a public exhibition, and its well attended but only by a certian type of already seasoned art intellectuals - is it still a pubic opening? Does the local baker care about art? Should he care about art? How much of the public do we hope to engage in our shows? Is it possible to engage the enitre public?
All of these were interesting questions posed at the global forum. Unfortunately, their was no definitive answer - just lots of healthy, heated debate - and isn’t that the whole purpose of contemporary art anyhow - to get us thinking and questioning everything we assume to be true….
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Because I like my curry like I like my art, I traveled to the Middle East where the contemporary art scene is hot, hot, hot.
Now I know that curry doesn’t originate from the middle east, but due to the large number of Indian immigrants, the UAE and the rest of the neighboring regions are home to some of the best curry concoctions around. Consider it the middle eastern version of “tex-mex”. I am obsessed with it, almost as much as I am obsessed with the art.
Check out Helloooooo.com for coverage of my time spent in Doha, Qatar at the Global Arts Forum. Discussion at the conference spawned some good material for a morning muse….or I guess for you all back in Dallas it will be more of a night - cap.
linkI can’t believe I am in the Middle East, and working with Art Dubai! Stay tuned for exciting coverage from the fair, including exclusive VIP parties and tours. I am in Doha, Qatar right now eating breakfast and getting ready to tour the amazing Islamic Museum of Art.
linkAn Elephant Never Forgets ~ Armory Show 2010
yes it has been almost a week since the start of the Armory Show ~ but just when you were about to forgot how cool it all was ~ I am here to remind you again. So whether you are re-living your fond memories of frolicking through the rows of booths with a glass of moet champagne ~ or just living vicariously through those of us who did, the 2010 Armory show is a week not soon to be forgotten, because- well- I wont let you
ok ~ now maybe I took the champagne and frolicking thing a little too far because the details of the glorious week seem to be a bit hazy. I know my favorite piece was a psychedelic animated sculpture by Tony Oursler and I know my favorite satellite project was not actually a satellite project but the Whitney Biennial. For a more detailed re- count of the weekend here are several links, which will give you a well rounded perspective of the show.
Art In America - Top Ten From the Armory Show
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Check out this article from Telegraph ~ A building sold at auction in Liverpool is the subject of an interesting debate. Developers want to rid the building of a popular & very rare Banksy mural because they feel it takes away from their housing project. However, this means destroying a very valuable work of art. As they say, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” I guess this just highlights the notoriously amazing subjectivity of art.
Here are some examples of his other works ~ decide for yourself ~ trash or treasure?
