Art MoCo: June 2007 Archives

Art MoCo Meta
Posted by sabine7

Meta | Jun 30, 2007

John Zoller's latest pieces, At Peace and Game Plan, has the nuclear family ready for anything.

From London to L.A. Wooster Collective has some excellent examples of street art from around the world. Always worth a browse.

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"W•A•R•H•O•L"
Posted by sabine7

Painting | Jun 29, 2007

Hyung Koo Kang came to painting late in life, but since launching himself as a painter 20 years ago has turned out a prodigious output of large-scale portraits. His subjects, quite often artists or celebrities, fix their gaze upon the viewer, encouraging a visual exchange of sorts. Kang tries to keep his subjects as expressionless as possible because it is his intent that the audience get as clear a path to the subject’s inner image and going through the most neutral state is the most accurate way of achieving this.

Artist: Hyung Koo Kang
+ arariogallery.co.kr

"Joan of Arc"
Posted by sabine7

Painting | Jun 28, 2007

Peter Reginato is best known for his abstract metal sculptures, but his colourful abstract paintings must also be examined as part of his oeuvre and it should be remembered that Reginato started off as a painter. It is easy to see the connection between paintings and sculptures, as Reginato uses many flat shapes of steel to create his sculptures and these types of shapes and curves (the stylized bunny ears are a repeating motif) occur with frequency within the paintings.

Artist: Peter Reginato
+ peterreginato.com

"Naked Snowman"
Posted by sabine7

Painting | Jun 27, 2007

José Lerma’s abstract expressionist creatures and characters are so often a jumble of body parts and fleshy bits, that even when the paintings are relatively simple, the focus is on the flesh. (Who would have guessed there’d be fleshy bits in a picture of a snowman?) Lerma’s paintings and drawings are done in a variety of media, but a common link would be the elongated nose or other similar (in length and appearance) body parts. Not just made up of eye-catching colours and subject matter, Lerma’s work also involves thick, enticing brush strokes that add to the appeal.

Artist: José Lerma
+ joselerma.com

"Lizard with Hat"
Posted by sabine7

Mixed Media | Jun 26, 2007

Souther Salazar’s work combines painting, line drawing, pen and ink and collage to create a world where lizards nap in the shade of a tree and cats form part of an orange landscape. His work involves such a variety of elements and materials and imparts a joy and sense of fun. This illustrative style is chock full of narrative and one wants to start the storytelling. “There once was a lizard who …”

Artist: Souther Salazar
+ jonathanlevinegallery.com

"The Bludgeoning"
Posted by sabine7

Drawings | Jun 25, 2007

Inky Dreadfuls are the creepily macabre pen and ink drawings by Michael Mararian. They wouldn’t be to everyone’s taste, but when you are having one of those days when you are one step away from the embodiment of evil …well, these little drawings hit the spot. The Dreadfuls, for the most part, are Victorian-looking children simply up to no good, and taking situations into their own hands. It all ends in tears. For someone.

Artist: Michael Mararian
+ inkydreadfuls.com

The Art of Buying Art
Posted by sabine7

Books | Jun 24, 2007

The Art of Buying Art by Paige West is a straight-up guide to taking the plunge into art collecting. West, who runs a New York gallery and writes an art blog, aims her advice to the uninitiated in a world that can be all too intimidating. Some might find this book too simplistic, but West’s target audience will find it a useful tool. The focus is on modern contemporary art and tips on how to go about acquiring it while enjoying the ride. Loads of illustrations and written in a clear, friendly style that makes you want to go out and buy art.

Hardcover, 208 pages. Harper Collins 2007. $26.37 at Amazon.

+ The Art of Buying Art at Amazon

Art MoCo Meta
Posted by sabine7

Meta | Jun 23, 2007

We looked at the peaceful vibes of Shepard Fairey earlier this week, but now see that his opening in Brooklyn was not quite as peaceful as his work.

Michelangelo Roberti is a musician, artist and philosopher with a black cube strategy. Roberti is creating 999 simple black cubes with a surprise hidden inside and selling them in the hopes that they will remain intact, as a metaphor for human curiosity. Intriguing and mysterious, or simply an offbeat fundraiser?

In Melbourne there has been a call for artists to participate in a more standard type of fundraiser for Travellers Aid, a local not-for-profit organization looking for donations of artwork.

"Cleopatra"
Posted by sabine7

Painting | Jun 22, 2007

Women Who Fly is the title of Andrea Arroyo’s exhibition at ArtHaus in San Francisco this month, a series of paintings inspired by women from history and mythology. The strong colours used by Arroyo translate into the strength of the women she is portraying, extremely feminine all the while. The females in her paintings curve and rise out of nature with ease and grace, showing Arroyo’s background in modern dance shining through the movement in her work.

Artist: Andrea Arroyo
+ arthaus-sf.com

"Grenade Canvas"
Posted by sabine7

Illustration | Jun 21, 2007

Shepard Fairey’s new exhibit of politically charged works is entitled E Pluribus Venom (out of many, poison) is derived from E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one), a phrase used by the U.S. government. Fairey suggests that the loss of individual power to homogeny is not the ideal. The venom Fairey refers to is both the poison in the system as well as the anger of those who are against it. The work in this series is reminiscent of propaganda posters, but these ones clearly advocate peace.

Artist: Shepard Fairey
+ jonathanlevinegallery.com

"All Day I Dream About Sex"
Posted by sabine7

Installation | Jun 20, 2007

Common building materials such as wood, laminate, tile, foam and mirrors are used in Diana Puntar’s sculptures, which makes her work look serous and down-to-earth while the artist “explores notions of a post-apocalyptic future as filtered through material desires”. All Day I Dream About Sex, or Adidas, is seductive in its geometric and shape-shifting shiny glory, while Westgate appears to be all business, but then the foam at its core throws in some confusion. The foam at the centre of W.M.D. is riddled with holes, yet the very shape of the work almost takes on responsibility.

Artist: Diana Puntar
+ rowlandcontemporary.com