XMAS at the TATE

A bit of Christmas cheer before the end of the year! Check out this year's Tate Xmas Tree, Make Your Own Xmas by Bob and Roberta Smith.


Make Your Own Xmas, 2008 Copyright: Bob and Roberta Smith Photo credit: Sam Drake / Tate Photography.

MCA Building News

Sam Marshall of Marshall Architects has been revealed as the Principal Architect to create the $50 million extension to the MCA, Sydney. The project is set to be completed in 2011 with a focus on better educational facilities and people circulation throughout the building.

Images to come although from first look it a relatively tame extension all be it a very sophisticated and clean one with the original building not being overwhelmed by the new. This project has been hotly anticipated so I will update as soon as any new information becomes available.

Virtual Art Basel Miami Beach

If you didn't make it to Art Basel Miami Beach this year you can check out the galleries and artists that exhibited on artnet. You can also revisit galleries and artists that you enjoyed, if you were able to attend. It has an interactive map and you can search artists, galleries and look at the different curatorials sections throughout Art Basel Miami Beach. This interactive look at Art Basel Miami will be on artnet from December 3, 2008 until February 7, 2009. Worth a look.

Desperate times at the ADAA?

On receiving an email regarding the ADAA Collectors' Forum The Global Economy and the Art Market: A New Perspective in Uncertain Times it seems that judging from this collectors and dealers are definitely struggling with uncertain economic times especially in the USA.

I would suggest that it is the more unpredictable or less committed collectors that would perhaps be buying less art or being cautious. Buyer's with serious collections and knowledge would understand that this is the time when some serious bargains are to be had (and to use some economic jargon) a bit of a readjustment period.

The Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) which is holding this forum seems to be made up some of American's oldest and established galleries and dealers with speakers from Yale, The Guggenheim Foundation and one half of Luhrig Augustine Gallery, Roland Augustine (President of the ADAA) all speaking. Clearly this is a genuine example of the seriousness in which the art market in American is taking this financial crisis. On the upside, if there is one, I hope that younger and emerging artists will benefit in more investment due to their lower prices - here's hoping.


ADAA Collectors' Forum
The Global Economy and the Art Market:
A New Perspective in Uncertain Times

Saturday, December 13, 2008 10:00 am-noon
New York Historical Society December 13, 2008

Manfred Mohr - Klangfarben Series

P-1272_19001
2007-8
pigment ink on paper
15.75 x 15.75” / 40 x 40 cm

Bitforms, NYC presents Manfred Mohr's collection of works based on the geometry and multi-dimensional aspects of cubes. Although I probably understand little of the maths behind these works the exploration of shapes and composition is always engaging and these works are a clear link with the abstraction art of the 1970s to today contemporary painting. The exhibition will mix paintings and video images of Mohr's work, which is also currently exhibiting at PS1 - the contemporary satellite venue of MOMA New York.

The Klangfarben series will be on show from Dec 6 - Jan 17, 2009 @ bitforms and Mohr's works will be part of a group show on Reductive art @ PS1 until the 19 January 2009.

Portraits stay popular

Portraits have always been popular with Australian audiences, with the Archibald Prize at the Art Gallery of NSW being one of its biggest exhibitions every year. Even overseas, Annie Leibovitz's exhibition at England's National Portrait Gallery has been doing extremely well with audiences although her celebrity connection probably helped out in this area. It is no surprise then that the Government has sprung for a new National Portrait Gallery in Australia. Located next to the National Gallery in Canberra it is set to change the precinct which is populated with many other museums.

The work on the new gallery has been going on since mid-2006 and the design and construction process is up on the NPA website and is a great look at the way galleries are built. The gallery opens on Thursday the 4th of December with My Favourite Australian from 4 December 2008 - 1 March 2009 in conjunction with the ABC program and is set to be another crowd favourite.

Cildo Meireles at the TATE MODERN

Showing until the 11 January 2009 at the Tate Modern, Cildo Meireles is part of some of the very engaging exhibitions that I had the great pleasure to see this year. The interaction with viewers and public programs that I have spoken about before really comes to play in this exhibition. One of the founders of conceptual and social art Meireles's works are also very enjoyable and relatable.

It was the simple works that completely captured the audiences' imagination. From Mission/Missions (How to Build Cathedrals), made from gold coins and communion wafers or Southern Cross a tiny sculpture I saw a woman nearly step on. This exhibition demonstrates the excited and joy that contemporary art can bring.


Cildo Meireles
Mission/Missions (How to Build Cathedrals) 1987
Daros-Latinamerica © Cildo Meireles
Approximately 600.000 coins, 800 communion wafers, 2000 bones, 80 paving stones and black fabric
235 x 600 x 600

Art Basel | Miami 2008

Art Positions - Young Art by The Beach is part of a series of events put on by Art Basel Miami and is set to be part of the new and young art galleries peppering the usual suspects. Zoo Art Fair in London and the number of street art fairs blooming across the world indicate that fresh young galleries are in high demand and counteract the monopoly that many gallery "brands" have over festivals. At our own Art Sydney, Off The Wall and Next Generation exhibitions within the overall presentation are always a highlight.

Image: One of the artist at Art Positions
Rivington Arms: Darren Bader, as = poaching the poachers.
(Back Room Installation Shot), 2007. Mixed media, dimensions variable.

COFA Annual 2008

Roaming the sweaty hallways of the COFA annual is was made abundantly clear that the artistic taste for multiple layers was not going to work, and that is it very hard to look cool while sweating through a red beanie and black leggings.

The typical COFA visitor seemed to be around 23 yrs old and it is at these events that I discover that I have absolutely no individual dress sense since there are are about 1000 people dressed exactly like me. However as usually the art is interesting and engaging with the touch of the self absorbed but overall a very inspiring outing.

This exhibition is always worth a look and a great place for talent spotting. As usual the sculpture department on the Ground Floor really shines and visitors seem to really get involved with works. Although enthusiasm usually starts to wain by the 3rd floor so any comment on this area is bound to be off.

Soda_Jerk @ Primavera

Primavera at the MCA, Sydney is once again a fun and interesting look at the work of young somewhat unknown contemporary artists around Australia however the contribution by the not so unknown Soda_Jerk was a standout. Having seen a little of their process of mixing different films together on Not Quite Art I was so excited to see an example of this process at the MCA.

Soda_Jerk (with Sam Smith) Astro Black: A History of Hip Hop (Episode 1) (video still) 2008 digital video, 6.35 minutes. Courtesy and © the artists

PRIMAVERA 2008: EXHIBITION BY YOUNG AUSTRALIAN ARTISTS is on until the 30 November 2008 so don't miss out.

GRANTPIRRIE

... is set to open tomorrow night with two great exhibitions and really seems to be continuing the great work coming out of the Redfern and Waterloo galleries including gbk, BREENSPACE, Anna Schwartz @ Carriageworks and the usually Danks St gang. This stuff is definitely making it worth the schlep out there - good work!


GRANTPIRRIE
19 November - 20 December 2008

Lionel Bawden
New works on paper

and through the square window

Cash Brown
Priceless

Degree shows coming up!

From November onwards it is degree show opening season all over Sydney. These exhibitions always remind of the start of the x-mas season and are lots of fun especially if you like cheap white wine and squashed sweaty hallways but on the upside these shows are filled with some amazing and exciting new works. There are of course a few that are a little school (high that is) art show but in saying that the good overwhelming out ways the bad. The big three coming up are:


The COFA Annual, Paddington:

Opening on Thursday 27th Nov
Thu, 27 Nov - Sun, 30 Nov 2008



Sydney College of the Arts, Rozelle:

Undergraduate Degree Show
Opening on Tuesday 18 November
Tue 18 Nov - Sat 29 Nov 2008

Postgraduate Degree Show
Opening on Tuesday 9 December
Tue 9 Dec - Wed 17 Dec 2008



National Art School, Darlinghurst

Opening on the Friday the 5th of Dec
Fri 5 Dec - 13 Dec 2008

Not Quite Art

The first series of Not Quite Art was the most talked about arts programs amongst my friends and colleagues that I can remember. The second broadens the scope of discussion to our understanding of cultural change within the arts. The old story of "how the Internet is changing everything" through the eyes of Marcus Westbury is a fresh take on somewhat stale the subject.

It seems that Australia as a geographically isolated country has certainly been affected by this change and very quick to jump on the bandwagon. Frankly many aussies are over having television series presented late at night and months behind and artists who are apparently protected by copyright laws seem just to want to get there work out there. As usual there are few scrooges raining of the creative parade although most artists just pop up there umbrellas and keep creating - good on them.

Side note:
Not to make this the Marcus Westbury fan club but he is also involved in a great new project Renew Newcastle which he broached in the first series of Not Quite Art. Marcus also has a blog http://www.marcuswestbury.net/ which has lots of updates of what he is up to.

Modern art education

The Tate galleries have added some interactive works in their exhibition that actually jump a few hurdles in engaging audiences and thank god for that.




The inclusion also of both interactive games and interactive screens as well a lot of opportunities for feedback is another great addition to the gallery experience.

The feedback area for The Turner Prize 2008 was an amazing inclusion and frankly much more memorable than the actually prize itself. The level of engagement with these interactive spaces was what really surprised me. The usual cynicism that goes along with arts education was completely removed and people genuinely wrote what they thought (good and bad), watched videos, drew and played and read the information available to them.

This was so much more fun that my childhood gallery visits. Thankfully art and fun is finally being combined!

The Musée des Arts décoratifs

This newly renovated wing of the Musée du Louvre, Paris - The Musée des Arts décoratifs is a perfect example of how a museum can be renovated to create an amazing experience for the viewer. Having been in the swing of visiting many galleries in a row this museum was a breath of fresh air. As each floor dedicated to a different era and the evolution of design is clearly demonstrated without being didactic. In particular the collection of chairs from the 60s is an installation in itself. The perfect visit for the history of object design. 

Rothko at the Tate Modern

To say this is one of the most emotional exhibitions I have ever seen seems like a bit of an odd comment but it was. Despite the busy crowd and large number of works Rothko's canvases completely immerse the viewer. A bit of an agnostic, Rothko's deep paintings capture amazing spirituality without being condescending. The murals which were intended for the Seagram building but never used due to Rothko's withdrawal from commission for the very posh restaurant of the Four Seasons are an amazing changing addition.

I spent 2 hrs in this exhibition and would have spent more if the gallery wasn't closing. The audio tour is also fantastic and you can listen to some of the music that he painted in the background. Information and displays which explain the conservation and content of his painting technique is the best presentation of this that I have seen. This is a complete must see!

More photos of Tate Britain and the very interesting public programs to come.

Jeff Koons on the Roof of the Met

This exhibition located on the top of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY and was very popular with visitors although the view from the roof may have help this along. Jeff Koons is commonly know as the artist who started out in advertising and shines (no pun intended) in this arena. Despite having seen these balloon works before, the location and subsequent reflections created in the works makes for interesting viewing. On until the 26th of Oct it is definitely worth the lift up to the 5th floor.

See the website for more

Catherine Opie @ The Guggenheim

Catherine Opie: American Photographer.

September 26, 2008–January 7, 2009

The Guggenheim itself was a little disappointing. What looks like a majestic climb from the outside was a slightly awkward and hardly spiritual experience. The large void in the middle does little but bring all the noise from the foyer into the gallery spaces. These letdowns were easily fixed when I stumbled across Catherine Opie's epic retrospective. This exhibition in a word is genius.

Although contemporary portraits are all the rage at the moment Opie's portrait lend themselves to a much more thoughtful rather than Vanity Fair appearance. Her most recent collection of personal photographs explore the understanding of gender is the most natural and real way. Her landscapes are mesmerising as they take on their own personality and mystery. It is worth listening to the audio tour for this as Opie personally discussing each separate series.

CATHERINE OPIE AT THE GUGGENHEIM

Funny Finland?

PS1 - Arctic Hysteria: New Art from Finland
June 1, 2008 - September 21, 2008 (although it was still on when I went on the 29th of September).

This exhibition which brings together some of Finland's wackiest and surprisingly funny works. The stand out work was a collection video taped performances of workshops undertaken by artists Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen with a variety of groups across the globe. These workshops create comic songs derived from complaints brought up at the community workshops. Discussing serious political complaints in Singapore to wondering why the beer is expensive in the Birmingham, England city centre.

The joy derived from these works shouldn't be underestimated - sometimes people connect more discussing the things that annoy them more than the things they love. Brillant! Check out all the performances at www.complaintschoir.org.

Architecture exhibitions at MOMA NY

Dreamland: Architectural Experiments since the 1970s
July 23, 2008–March 2, 2009

This exhibition on the Architecture and Design Level of MOMA, NY captures the inventiveness that the New York architectural landscape inspires and the invention of a modern city. This collection of imagined and real buildings captures the Utopian concepts that emerge out of such a large and busy city. 

     

Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling
July 20–October 20, 2008

The fabrication of buildings has been the modern dilemma for architects and this beautifully curated exhibition demonstrates the variety as well the bizarre concepts in the creation of quickly built homes. The collection of models and a large life size pre-fab post-war building captures the lack of character in these buildings. Images of Japanese and other nationalities buildings are very interesting in comparison. 

Olafur Eliasson Waterfalls in NY

This amazing installation by Olafur Eliasson in conjunction with the New York Government has put together these waterfalls all around the Brooklyn bridge area. These amazing waterfalls use the water from the river and then pump it back. The sunlight catches the flow of water and rainbows are created. It is quite spectacular. The industrial nature of the works means that it actually hard to tell it is an artwork as opposed to just water recycling but that does make the work very interesting. The work will only be on until the 13th of October check out the official website http://www.nycwaterfalls.com/

BCAM AT LACMA

The LACMA in Los Angeles has recently undergone a big renovation so my timing in visiting it was pretty perfect. However in what seems to be an amazing addition is the Broad Contemporary Museum of Art. Broad, (named after the benefactors Eli and Edythe Broad - not as in general art) is an astounding collection of what is basically the best and comprehensive contemporary & pop-art collection I have seen.

Including works by Damian Hirst, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Ed Ruscha, Andy Warhol, Ellsworth Kelly, Cindy Sherman, Jean-Michel Basquiat, John Baldessari, Jeff Koons, Chris Burden, Mike Kelley, and Richard Serra.This private collection which has been donated is not only a whos who of names but some of their most astounding and important works. This collection is basically gasp after gasp for those of us to don't live next to the MOMA or a similar institution.

Clearly it is Eli Broad's intention to make this rival and it does the likes of New York or London in terms of the collection and breadth of works. The security obviously was very tight, so I couldn't take photos however check out the online collection at the LACMA website.

the getty - LA

My first international post from lovely LA:

The Getty Center is on top of an LA Hill looking down on the massive 405 Highway and the rich houses of Bel Air. This building just screamed the money and donations that American's contribute to the arts here and this building has the best of everything and the nicest tram leading up to the gallery I have ever seen.

Although the Getty Center by Richard Meier is an style an amazing piece of Modernist architecture has some classic modernist moves. From the eaves "that represent what the building purpose is", to the geometric use of squares and light coloured materials.

This is a really awe inspiring building and the although the museum's contents have absolutely nothing to do with Modernism it is still an amazing example when people have too much money and too time but do something great with it.

I heart Shaun Gladwell

Finding this hilarious sticker on the back streets of Chippendale was amusing for a few reasons. One the person who wrote it had enough knowledge about him to spell Shaun correctly. Obviously it can be spelt Sean and a variety of other spellings.

The second amusing thing about this is that this sticker is obviously homemade & I haven't seen it anywhere else and the HATE is filled in.

The sticker could have been put there by a skater - although Gladwell is usually the poster boy for the urban dwellers. The skater kids might not be feeling the love.

Gladwell is one of those artist who have also risen to "fame" quite quickly and reasonably well-known by the general public. Although he has been a little overexposed you can't hold that against him and some of his recent works have been very engaging. Shaun should probably take this as a compliment at least people know who is he enough to hate him.

The art of shopping

Walking around Sydney shops recently it made we wonder how much design has infiltrated our public spaces. Although crazy shop front windows have always been a sales technique, the front of any well heeled designer stores are starting to look remarkable like some kind of art installation but with more clothes.

This may well be a case of shops becoming more savy but mostly it is a bit of fun. Many fashion labels now work with artist in the creation of t-shirts and shoes and other customized items. But one has to wonder how much artists are getting paid for their contribution to these ventures - rather than the more traditional designers.

Check out these two shop installations - one for the Spring in David Jones and one for Louis Vuitton.



Both seem to grasping on to some coolness factor here although the age bracket viewing the Spring Fashions at David Jones was a little more interested in the Birds of Paradise (the flowers). Louis Vuitton seems also to be grasping at straws a little, my motto withstanding - CCTV is all over the art scene at the moment so they are at least on the pulse.

Surprise attack gardening

A trend that seems to around at the moment is "guerilla gardening" which was started in New York in the 1970's, but is currently undergoing a revival. This random joyful expression changes public spaces and involves groups of people getting together to create gardens quickly and in strange and unusual urban spaces. The beauty of this seems to be that completely unwanted and unloved spaces are used and with rent and space pressure a little garden could go a long way. There is a story about this in the current YEN magazine and a website tropolism has a decidated section to pop-up gardens in New York City. I wonder however are there any Sydney Guerilla Gardeners out there?

Sydney Design Week 2008

Sydney Design Week recently rolled around again and the unbelievable may have happened, my undying love of laser cut jewellery may finally be over. I do love the stuff however there are so many one can see in a day. Many of the designers at the Young Blood Market although they seemed very talented and had great work on offer - the repetition from booth to booth and from this year to last year was not especially inspiring. Some very interesting artists had taken over the bottom courtyard and were creating artwork on the spot for donations. This was a great addition and added a bit of spontaneity to an otherwise nice day out for a bunch of yuppies. Thank God for artists that need a bit of cash!

Welcome!

Welcome to constructing art! I hope you enjoy my posts about Art, Design & Architecture in Sydney & Australia. Please feel free to email me through the about me section regarding any upcoming events that relate to my blog, inc. exhibition openings and talks. I look forward to all your comments & hope you enjoy my international posts from next week.