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Back at the beginning of November we posted on these exquisite tantric drawings in relationship to recent work by Fred Tomaselli. Now we’ve just become aware that a stunning new book on these contemporary abstract drawings was coincidentally released just days before our post, and it contains many more examples than were included in the original Drawing Center show and publication from 2004–2005.
Blog
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More tantric drawings to stir your soul
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The aesthetics of protest: how Occupy sees itself (chapter one)
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Hello and thanks for visiting. We originally wrote this post at the beginning of December 2011, and as new information and events continued to unfold in the following weeks, we updated this page with fresh links and images. Now, as Occupy emerges from the winter months having given birth to an entirely new movement in contemporary visual culture, we feel it is appropriate to archive this post as a chronicle of Occupy’s visual beginnings, and allow the movement time and space to further evolve with respect to protest aesthetics in the arts and design, music and performance, giant puppets, flashmobs, bat signals, and whatever other forms it will eventually take. Thanks for the feedback and interest, and let’s all stay tuned. -
A brief respite from reality
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Back in our museum days, we often extolled the virtues of the mid-afternoon nap to our superiors, who for some reason remained unmoved. Now, courtesy of the international architectural firm kawamura-ganjavian, we’ve found the accessory of (or perhaps for) our dreams, the OSTRICH pocket pillow. No more crawling under your desk for that much-deserved bit of rest and relaxation—with the OSTRICH you can power-nap in “privacy”. NOTE: Others will still be able to see you. -
Please touch the art: Derek Sullivan at The Power Plant and Jane LowBeer at Loop Gallery
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Over the past few weeks we’ve been thinking especially hard about art. So hard, in fact, that recent encounters with art that foregrounds the physical experience have been a hugely welcome relief from all that heady cogitation.The first such encounter got us out of our chairs and walking up stairs as part of Derek Sullivan’s recent Power Plant show, Albatross Omnibus. Comprising three industrial-sized stepladders and 52 print-on-demand artist books suspended from the ceiling, Albatross Omnibus conceptually echoes Yoko Ono’s well-known 1966 installation, Ceiling Painting (YES Painting), whereby viewer initiative and participation is required to experience and complete the performance of the exhibition. However while Albatross has similarly playful, meditative, and uplifting moments, Sullivan’s books collectively embody a much more idiosyncratic and energetic profusion of words, images and ideas rather than a singular (albeit profound) experience. This is not to say that Sullivan’s work is superficial; in fact the many humourous concrete texts and visual koans which make up the body of Albatross belie a deeper love and engagement with the history of reading, print, and the book itself. Steering a ladder through space, ascending the steps, and stretching up to page through each slim volume in turn, one enacts a physical experience of the pre-digital library, wherein books occupy positions, not always easy to reach, in a specific place and time. At a moment when books are rapidly beginning to disappear into the cloud, we are reminded not only of the sheer pleasure of touching and turning a page, but also of the importance of preserving and protecting the printed format as one of the still-unsurpassed achievements of human social, political and cultural expression.
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Alec Soth: Should artists be entertainers?
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Taking a short break from another long day of writing, we decided to troll around for an update on the Alec Soth portrait auction announced two weeks ago via his blog, Little Brown Mushroom. In an effort to help out with medical expenses for friend and collaborator Brad Zellar, Soth is making this rare opportunity available on Ebay until November 25th. We love Soth’s work, but would never stand a chance of winning–and indeed after 8 bids by 4 individuals, the bidding stands at $8100 with g***g holding down a slim lead over the next highest bidder. Just two more days to get your bids in, folks, and all for a good cause… -
Artists’ sketchbooks to surprise and inspire you
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We’re on deadline and writing our faces off at the moment, but everyone’s gotta eat, right? This little glimpse into the sketchbooks of artists including Andy Warhol, Devendra Banhart, and Henri Matisse makes for inspiring (and satisfying) lunchtime viewing. We took a shine to Louise Bourgeois’ and Richard Serra’s pages, and were delightfully surprised by Frida Kahlo and Cy Twombly. Above, a bracing exploration by Ellsworth Kelly. -
“Tales From The Gimli Hospital” Comes Back to Haunt You
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In New York this past weekend, Guy Maddin’s cult classic experienced a rebirth and transformation in its new incarnation, Tales from the Gimli Hospital: Reframed. As part of the Performa 11 New Visual Art Performance Biennial, Maddin’s frankly bizarre first film was screened to the accompaniment of new narration and singing by Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir (formerly of múm, and also known as Kria Brekkan), and live orchestration and sound effects directed by the filmmaker himself. -
Actual size: the sculptural drawings of Jannick Deslauriers and Joan Linder
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Jannick Deslauriers’ recent exhibition at Show & Tell Gallery is a study in contrasts. Utilizing the lightest of materials–crinoline, tulle, lace, and organza, she constructs life-sized sculptures of physically and/or politically weighty objects such as a pair of hand grenades, a sewing machine, a typewriter, a tank. Suspended from above, the objects exert a spectral presence on the space, appearing as literal materializations of creative or destructive human impulses. Seen through this lens, an unassuming brick, rendered in terracotta-coloured crinoline and black thread, becomes a symbol of both our collective capacity to build society, and–when taken in hand and thrown through the scapegoat-of-the-moment’s window–to destroy it in turn. -
Surface Detail
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Art by number: Ken Nicol (and Mel Bochner, and Mary Temple, and Roman Opalka)
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On the tweeted advice of Leah Sandals, we stopped by MKG127 gallery for the last day of Ken Nicol’s show. Aside from an irrational desire for Cy Twombly books and a penchant for Bic four-colour pens, we personally share with Nicol a complete and not unwelcome inability to multitask. Perhaps this explains our delight in his show, titled Hundreds of Things, Volume 1, for which he executes extremely well-crafted permutations of the number 100 in a wide range of seemingly mundane, normally discarded materials. From his gallery’s website:
