Here we go 'round the Maypole
We gets a lot of invites at TheArt Newspaper offices, but today we received what could be our first ever summons to an actual Maypole dance this weekend (though there are some hazy memories of skipping around holding ribbons as schoolchildren). To celebrate the long awaited arrival of Spring, artists Maria Kozak, Damaris Drummond are hosting a May Day performance tomorrow in New York’s Petrosino Square at the corner of Kenmare and Lafayette. As the invite informs us: “A pagan ode to fertility and the rites of spring, the Maypole dance dates back centuries…Evoking the archetypal myth, the performers will dress in sheer, pagan dresses designed by Carolyne Cass. The ritualistic dance becomes a live sculpture as the performers dance with ribbons, wrapping and unraveling the maypole.” We’re so excited at the prospect of some warm weather this weekend we might just take a turn around the totem ourselves. For details visit http://damarisland.com.
From In The Frame
Published online: 30 April 2010
This month:
Freud on film in France
Expect to see Lucian Freud appear on film alongside a zebra at the Pompidou Centre in Paris next month. The camera-shy octogenarian makes a rare appearance in a new 15-minute work set to be shown from mid-May as part of the Pompidou's "Lucian Freud: L'atelier" show (until 19 July). Film-maker Tim Meara's "Small Gestures in Bare Rooms" features key figures in Lucian's life. "At the core of the film is a sequence that sees Freud and [dancer] Amy Hollingsworth in a 'dance' of reminiscence. It is as though she is a memory of the remarkable characters that have passed through the studio, from the extreme performance artist Leigh Bowery, to the latter’s assistant and wife Nicola Bateman, and Freud’s first ‘official’ lover Lorna Wishart. The latter famously gave the artist a stuffed zebra head as a present, which appears in a number of the early works," said a press statement (...hence the zebra).
From In The Frame
Published online: 29 April 2010
Gupta's hairy Mona Lisa hits Vienna
Ubiquitous Indian superstar artist Subodh Gupta is making his presence felt in Austria with the unveiling today of Et tu, Duchamp? in front of the Kunsthalle Wien. This gargantuan, hirsute reworking of Duchamp’s moustachioed Mona Lisa, (L.H.O.O.Q, 1919), presented by the public art organisation KÖR-Kunst im Öffentlichen Raum, should stop Viennese passers-by in their tracks.
From In The Frame
Published online: 28 April 2010
Remembering Willoughby Sharp
Willoughby Sharp, who died on 17 December, was a rare, real boho and co-founder with Liza Bear (pictured together), a Brit, of the artmag, Avalanche. “We met in 1968,” says Bear. “It took two years to get the first issue out. The locus of communications was Max’s Kansas City [a New York nightclub and restaurant]. We would sit at that big table in the back. People knew. The buzz was out.” The art world was minuscule, there was no downtown gallery scene and the field wasn’t crowded. Britain’s Studio International was respected, as was Artforum, but Avalanche saw itself as harder core. “The focus of the magazine was on the artists. We weren’t planning to do a writers’ magazine. We were to use documents of the artists. Or do interviews,” Bear says. Between 1970 and 1976 there were 13 issues. Why stop? “We were both doing our own work. But it wasn’t just that. The art world had changed. It was going back to painting. We stopped because we didn’t see any reason to go on.” Avalanche is being published in a boxed edition by Primary Information, including the first eight magazine-format issues in facsimile and the last five issues as a bound volume in an initial edition of 1,000. “And there will be a signed and numbered limited edition. I got Willoughby to sign it at the hospital a few weeks before he died. It was very hard for him. He couldn’t talk but he nodded he wanted to do it all at once.” The book launch is being held at Printed Matter on 22 May.
From the New York Diary column
From In The Frame
Published online: 28 April 2010
A "once in a lifetime" artist is honoured
The art world gathered last night at the Metropolitan Museum to honour the memory of installation artist Jeanne-Claude, who died in November at the age of 74. With her husband Christo, the artist was known for the massive wrapping projects that the couple produced around the world. Mayor Bloomberg, who helped bring to fruition the installation of 23 miles of saffron colour curtain in New York’s Central Park known as The Gates, spoke at the memorial. “I’ve had the honour of meeting many artists in my life, but Jeanne-Claude was perhaps the most passionate, the most meticulous and the most impervious to the word ‘no’,” Bloomberg said, alluding to the determination the artist had in seeing The Gates realised, which took over 25 years from the initial conception. “She was the kind of unique and vibrant artist who comes around only once in a lifetime.” Australian public art producer John Kaldor, who helped the pair create their first wrapped landscape project in Sydney said Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s relationship “was an inseparable partnership of art and love. Born on the same day, two people as one. They built on each other's success and strengths.”
From In The Frame
Published online: 27 April 2010
Wanted—robbers make off with Biennial work
The Art Newspaper has covered many art heists in its time so our antennae recently twitched with news of another art theft. Artist Clara Ursitti's Sunny Nissan car was stolen this weekend in Glasgow — only ten days before it was due to go on show at the Tatton Park Biennial in the north west of England (8 May-26 September). Ursitti has imbued the 1994 model with the luxurious scent of a Rolls Royce which no doubt appealed to the car thieves. "This Nissan is so desirable - with the essence of Rolls — it gets stolen," says the artist. And the name of the planned Tatton Park installation? "Ghost". Please contact Clara with any information on the car's whereabouts: (www.claraursitti.com)
From In The Frame
Published online: 27 April 2010
The Met takes Starn twins to new heights
The normally staid Metropolitan Museum revealed its daredevil side this morning with the unveiling of its new rooftop installation by twin contemporary artists Doug + Mike Starn. Big Bambú, the pair’s intricate web-like sculpture built from lashed together bamboo poles, opens to the public tomorrow, but Doug told The Art Newspaper at the press preview that "It's amazing to us that the museum had the balls to do something so crazy." The work will be continuously transformed by the brothers with a team of rock climbers throughout the run of the exhibition. Daring visitors will be able to view the sculpture up close during individual tours along elevated pathways within the sculpture, leading to dizzying heights 110 feet above Central Park. The museum offers a word of caution to visitors who may have a heart or respiratory condition; are pregnant; have a history of seizures; have acrophobia, vertigo, or claustrophobia; or have balance problems, recommending they enjoy the sculpture from the Roof Garden level, rather than climb aboard a tour. Photos of the installation can be viewed on the museum’s flickr pool. For more details on tickets and tours, check the project’s page.
From In The Frame
Published online: 26 April 2010
All hail Hill of Tarvit
Hurrah for the Hill of Tarvit mansion house near St Andrews in Scotland that will re-open on selected dates this year. The turn-of-the-century residence closed its doors last year as part of a controversial cost-cutting exercise by the property's owners, National Trust of Scotland (NTS). But now fans of the renowned Arts & Craft architect Robert Lorimer, who remodelled the house and gardens in 1905-06, can pop in to see his handiwork on certain days (www.nts.org.uk). "The financial issues there remain challenging, however, we have now approved an innovative 3 year business plan which we hope will significantly improve revenue at the property, by focusing on establishing its reputation as a hub of hospitality and functions in Fife," said Kate Mavor, NTS executive.
From In The Frame
Published online: 26 April 2010
Zahi bites into the Big Apple
We know that Zahi Hawass, the flamboyant director of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, likes speaking his mind. But the illustrious archaeologist's candour apparently hit new heights this week at the launch of "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" at the Discovery Time Square Exposition in New York. According to www.dnainfo.com, Hawass exclaimed at the opening press conference that "this priceless artifact should be at the Met...Why is King Tut not at the Met?", prompting John Norman, the official in charge of the touring show, to point out that "we were unable to satisfy the economic goals [of the Metropolitan Museum]." Still, it's good to see that a chunk of the hefty $27.50 admission fee will help fund antiquity conservation efforts in Egypt.
From In The Frame
Published online: 23 April 2010
Wales (finally) gets contemporary
A common In The Frame gripe is the lack of viable contemporary art projects in the beautiful land of Wales (last month, for instance, the town of Cardigan rejected a major public work, Turbulence, by Mexican artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer). So news of a contemporary art extravaganza to be held in the north western coastal spot of Barmouth in June keeps the Welsh art flag flying. For the fourth production in the inaugural season of National Theatre Wales, entitled For Mountain, Sand and Sea, performance artist Marc Rees will transform the entire town into one big art installation based on the memories of its inhabitants. "Glamorous usherettes, blind harpists, swarthy sea captains and resurrected elephants will bring the experience to life, through smoke-filled discos and up historic hills," according to a cheeky press statement. Rees recently won the bid for the Cultural Olympiad project "Artists Taking the Lead" when Wales will at least be graced with a mobile art space - the fuselage of a DC9 aeroplane which the artist will transport across the country.
From In The Frame
Published online: 22 April 2010
Bend it like Beckmann
Liam Gillick, Douglas Gordon, Philippe Parreno and Mark Leckey are among the big names set to appear in the cheekily titled show "Men with Balls: The Art of the 2010 World Cup" at apexart in New York (10 June-11 July). This testosterone-charged art world celebration of the Beautiful Game, which coincides with the World Cup in South Africa, promises "a series of works, objects, and activities that will expand the spectacle into a more conceptual and sensual rumination on the meaning and significance of football/soccer". The show hopes to emulate the "experience of being together with others in a group, watching a game". But it's not all about male bonding over a couple of beers. "The World Cup is a spectacle in the strictly Situationist sense...something bound up with difficult and recalcitrant questions of conflict, memory, history, place, social class, masculinity, violence, national identity, tribe, and group," observe the organisers.
From In The Frame
Published online: 21 April 2010
Museum ditches Moss
She may be, arguably, the world's most famous supermodel but even Kate Moss has to face defeat now and again. So with a heavy heart, we report that the prestigious Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris has cancelled a show devoted to the British waif-like beauty, which was set to open March 2011. The museum reportedly pulled the plug because of a slump in sponsorship. Will a UK museum now take up the Moss mantle?
From In The Frame
Published online: 20 April 2010
Hot air over the art world
With a cheeky nod to the volcanic eruptions in Iceland that have recently caused havoc for flights across Europe, the Reykjavik-based i8 gallery has issued a pr-savvy email stating that "the volcano show continues". And what exactly is this explosive event? "Lawrence Weiner's powerful and timely installation runs until the 8th of May. Mother Nature's exhibition end-date unknown," cryptically adds the gallery. And that's not the only "volcanic" art happening trumpeted this week. New York gallery Casey Kaplan has announced the publication of "Irrational Exuberance: Dancing on the Lip of the Volcano", an account of the 2008 Frieze Art Fair in London reflected in interviews by Tim Blanks.
From In The Frame
Published online: 18 April 2010
Handsom vamp tops Forbes' (Fake) Rich List
We always keep a close eye on Forbes Rich List to see how the world’s wealthiest collectors are faring, so we were happy to see an update this week on the Forbes Fictional 15, a register of the wealthiest character in literature and movies. Like their real life fellow oligarchs, the Fictional 15 are often involved in the arts, though with their more innate taste for action and adventure, some are more daring in their pursuit of acquisitions. Both C. Montgomery Burns, billionaire nuclear power plant owner from the cartoon The Simpsons, and genius industrial heir Artemis Fowl, hero of the eponymous book series, are known to have stolen great works of art. But the club’s newest member, 370-year-old vampire Carlisle Cullen from the Twilight series of books, has a romantic connection to old masters, owning a portrait of himself by Baroque Italian painter Francesco Solimena, which Forbes tells us is “the subject of an intense bidding war between notoriously cold-blooded hedge fund manager Steven Cohen, known to chill his trading floor to below 70 degrees to keep employees on their toes, and Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, hoping to stock up girlfriend Dasha Zhukova's art gallery.” For more details and a slideshow, see Forbes.
From In The Frame
Published online: 16 April 2010
Andy gets a big head in Brooklyn
If we weren't already looking forward to the Brooklyn Museum’s gala party next week, we certainly are now that we’ve learned a giant 20-foot piñata shaped like Andy Warhol’s head is part of the festivities. The dessert-dispensing likeness is among the treats lined up by Jennifer Rubell for the interactive “dining experience” installation she has organised for the gala, which also includes “drinking paintings and suspended melting cheese heads”. (Yum?) As per tradition, guests will be invited to try their strength against the papier-mâché effigy, but no word yet if there is a 15-minute time limit. The monumental noggin is already hanging in the museum’s Rubin Pavilion, so we might just sneak over and look for any weak spots.
From In The Frame
Published online: 15 April 2010
Poor angels
While looking through the Library of Congress’s newly relaunched Prints & Photographs Online Catalog (so much fun! link below), we came across an image by Depression-era documentary photographer Dorothea Lange that seemed strangely familiar. Did Dorothea pose the two migrant farmer’s children to resemble Raphael’s well known twin cherubs from his Sistine Madonna, or was it serendipity? Perhaps bored tykes have just been making that same face for centuries.
Link.
From In The Frame
Published online: 14 April 2010
Banksy takes a bow in Hollywood
Los Angeles might be the perfect city for Banksy. It’s got the glam that he loves to tarnish, a hardcore base of graffiti art supporters and it readily embraces spectacle. The scene-stealing street artist delivered on all fronts for yesterday’s premiere of his documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop. Hosted in the historic Los Angeles Theatre, the opening drew celebrities who walked down a ragged, paint tagged red carpet, with elaborate installations set up along the street, including a wrecked limo which guests were invited to spray paint. Meanwhile, inside, ushers were replaced by ski-masked guerrillas and fake cops danced on streetlamp stripper poles. A true Hollywood story.
From In The Frame
Published online: 13 April 2010
The future's so bright...
Jenny Holzer's spectacular LED installations are dazzling — so much so that warders at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, UK, which is currently hosting a headline-hitting show of the US artist's works (until 16 May), have taken to wearing sunglasses.
From In The Frame
Published online: 12 April 2010
Coney Island's scholarly freaks
The Freaks are coming back to Coney Island this weekend for the annual Congress of Curious Peoples, An Amazing Collection of Human Marvels, a event of performances, exhibitions and films by 21st century sideshow artists until 18 April. This year, however, the show will be combined with the Congress FOR Curious Peoples, a spectacle of events including a two-day symposium, a five-day lecture series and Super Freak Weekend, with appearances by sideshow alumni The Great Fredini and Eak the Geek. While plenty of scholarly learning is encouraged, the curious conference isn't forgetting its raucous roots and tonight's opening night party promises "cheap beer and drinking games" as five nominees are inducted into the Freak Hall of Fame "in a drunken celebration of Coney Island madness".
From In The Frame
Published online: 09 April 2010
Don't hold back Lizzi
One of the most illuminating insights into New York-based artist Lizzi Bougatsos's work comes from Lizzi herself who has an exhibition of works opening this week at James Fuentes LLC on Manhattan's Lower East side (until 2 May). So how does she approach her art which draws on the iconography of consumerism? "Where's my science? There is no greater contribution than to be in love with the world n aware in all this suffering and illusion. Dire Straits I tell ya. Just gimme comedy, some type a bitch telling it straight. Instead of switch on the drowsiness, blurred vision, muscle pain, weight obsessions, sore gums, lung/breathing disorders. I'd rather sing outta tune in front of 10,000 people than cook a clambake on the beach. Well, that's a lie. Our America. Get it together people. We all SLUT FREAKS," she says.
From In The Frame
Published online: 08 April 2010
Elbow singer gets all arty
Esteemed UK musician Guy Garvey, better known as the lead singer of Elbow, has put his drawing skills to the test for a forthcoming show of works by the Manchester-based artist Oliver East (International 3 gallery, Manchester, 1 May-5 June). East's "Berlin and That" show reflects the artist's experience of walking from Berlin’s Alexanderplatz to Frankfurt (Oder) on the Polish border. The journey was rendered in ink and watercolour, with East giving 52 A3 pages to 52 friends, including Garvey, to alter as they please. But this is not the first time the pair have come together in the name of art - East designed the album cover for Elbow’s The Seldom Seen Kid.
From In The Frame
Published online: 07 April 2010
La France et moi, selon Hirst
Damien Hirst has been spilling the beans on his love-hate relationship with French museums in the latest edition of our sister paper, Le Journal des Arts. "I was in discussion with the Louvre because I was thinking of showing my diamond skull [For the Love of God, 2007] there," says the Brit artist,"but the Louvre wants a new work. I was also in talks with the Pompidou Centre but that stalled because I had to put together an exhibition for the François Pinault Foundation gallery on the Ile Seguin. But that project came to nothing [the French billionaire abandoned plans to build a contemporary art museum on the island in Paris in 2005]." With a cheeky nod to the French, Hirst has just opened an exhibition at the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco (until 30 September)—the sovereign city-state located in the south of France.
From In The Frame
Published online: 06 April 2010
V&A gets no satisfaction
The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has cancelled an exhibition on legendary UK group the Rolling Stones which was scheduled to open in February 2011. It was an idea being developed with the band’s former bass guitarist and photography fan Bill Wyman. Problems arose over getting the right balance between telling the story of music and showing the impact of the Stones on design, which was the museum’s primary interest. Reluctantly, the show, quirkily entitled “Rolling with the Stones” (after Wyman’s book of the same name), was dropped. It would have been the ideal opportunity to highlight the V&A’s 1970 work of art by John Pasche for the Jagger-like tongue and lips logo, bought at a US auction two years ago for $92,500.
From In The Frame
Published online: 02 April 2010
The Art Newspaper on the iPad
With the launch of Apple’s iPad, TheArt Newspaper is happy to announce a new edition to join its family of publications and goes truly international with an Esperanto-language version. La Arto Jurnalo will be solely available on the iPad and will include unique features such as an audio track for each article read by native Esperanto speakers and the option of Esperanto subtitles for all videos on our online TV channel. Future editions in Sindarin, Nadsat and Klingon are planned.
From In The Frame
Published online: 01 April 2010
Migrant Mom's Makeover
In honour of April Fool’s Day, we’d like to bring our readers’ attentions to the encyclopaedic Museum of Hoaxes, which documents and describes the history of pranks. Among the online galleries of notable deceptions are some famous works by photographers that have been thought to be faked. These include Capa’s The Falling Soldier, which critics often argue must have been staged, and Doisneau’s The Kiss, which the photographer finally admitted was posed using actors. Perhaps most surprising is the 2005 April Fool’s Day joke published in Popular Photography magazine, which gave Dorothea Lange's poingant Migrant Mother image an airbrushed makeover to remove those nasty wrinkles and grubby children. Gullible readers were so upset by the Photoshop “fix” that they wrote hundreds of letters and emails to complain. Link.
From In The Frame
Published online: 01 April 2010