Art MoCo: July 2007 Archives

"Sarah Asturias"
Posted by sabine7

Digital | Jul 31, 2007

Eva and Franco Mattes, otherwise known as 0100101110101101.org, are no strangers to a change of identity. The pair of art pranksters and hacktivists has been working behind pseudonyms for a while, so choosing to focus on portraits of cyber space personalities for a recent series is not too unusual. The Matteses highlight their choice of the 13 Most Beautiful Avatars they met on the Second Life on-line community and created portraits. The whole concept begs a variety of thoughts and questions, but the one that jumps out from among all the loftier ones is simply, how beautiful would MY avatar be?

Artists: Eva + Franco Mattes
+ 0100101110101101.org

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"Welcoming the Flowers"
Posted by sabine7

Exhibition | Jul 30, 2007

Welcoming the Flowers is a set of 18 screenprinted poems by John Giorno, recently featured in tandem with the works of Polly Apfelbaum. The result was a garden of colour, of words and flowers, beautifully setting each other off. Although the work of each artist is visually without complication, the pairing of the two provides a floral explosion. The imagery of Giorno’s poems, with each line a different colour and font in different sizes, can be easily seen, and even more so surrounded by Apfelbaum’s work.

Artist: John Giorno
+ seniorandshopmaker.com

Ice Cream: Contemporary Art in Culture
Posted by sabine7

Books | Jul 29, 2007

ICE CREAM: CONTEMPORARY ART IN CULTURE is a compendium of works by 100 emerging contemporary artists chosen by 10 of the world’s leading curators. Previous editions of this Phaidon volume featured selections that were right on the money. Each curator, from such institutions as Whitney and the Wrong Gallery, at the Tate Modern, chooses 10 artists who have not been part of any exhibitions in major venues, but have had solo shows and garnered some exposure. Each artist is featured in a four-page spread, which includes examples of their work, a bibliography, a list of exhibitions and comments by the curator who made the choice. Ice Cream is nicely put-together reference work that provides a useful overview.

Hardcover, 448 pages. Phaidon, 2007. $44.07 at Amazon.

+ Ice Cream at Amazon

Art MoCo Meta
Posted by sabine7

Meta | Jul 28, 2007

Mail Me Art is a project inviting submissions of envelopes or packages that have been turned into art and sent through the mail. The key factor is having the employees of the postal system participate as viewers, so it is not a case of the art being hidden within the packaging - the art IS the packaging. The submissioins will eventually be mounted in a show. Via Lost At E Minor

"Ohne titel"
Posted by sabine7

Painting | Jul 27, 2007

Karin Kneffel’s watercolours are not at all the watery flows of fluid colour one comes to expect (in fact, it is her oils that display more of a watery effect). Instead Kneffel sketches in pencil then covers the sketch in many layer of concentrated colour, upon dry paper. The handmade paper that the artist uses accounts for much of the texture present in her paintings. Some themes, like the lush interiors, are those also covered in her oils, but what are quite appealing are the watercolours that le the viewer in on group dynamics or individuals deep in thought or action.

Artist: Karin Kneffel
+ kneffel.de

"Eier"
Posted by sabine7

Painting | Jul 26, 2007

Oil paintings by Karin Kneffel are often rich interiors with shimmering light resulting in floors that seem to pool with reflection. The broken eggs of Eier show off their yolks against sharp shells that sit upon a surface that seems to dissolve, taking some of the eggs with it. The plump velvety Diwan looks as though it may float away or slide, despite its air of solidness. And it is the tiles of Spiegelboden that peek through a pool of light and shine that can only be slippery.

More Karin Kneffel tomorrow.

Artist: Karin Kneffel
+ bmathesgallery.com

"Detail:1965 - ∞"
Posted by sabine7

Painting | Jul 25, 2007

In 1965 Roman Opalka started a project that will only end when he does. Opalka started a series of canvases called Details, paintings all numbers, starting at 1. The first canvases were black, but as he progressed, Opalka decided that grey would be less emotional and has continued to add more white after each canvas. In addition, in 1968, the artist started taking a photograph of himself after each Detail was complete, so there is a series of images showing him age as he continues his project, working always towards infinity.

Artist: Roman Opalka
+ valeriecueto.com

"Cannonball"
Posted by sabine7

Installation | Jul 24, 2007

Among Andreas Kocks’ recent works is Cannonball, the site-specific installation made from multiple layers of paper cut into splashes and jumping from the gallery walls, as though a cannonball dive has just been executed by the visitor, now surrounded by waves. Passage (#607G) is another example of Kocks’ paperwork, but Beehive, an installation of gold-painted wood, shows a different aspect of his work in three dimensions.

Artist: Andreas Kocks
+ andreaskocks.com
+ freilichfineart.com

"The Monkey Head"
Posted by sabine7

Painting | Jul 23, 2007

Allison Schulnik’s paintings are thick oils where the medium is definitely a major part of the message. The layers of paint in the Monkey Head are like matted fur, bright eyes shining from within. Two creatures roll and scream in Wrestling and it is difficult to tell what is body and what is paint. The short strokes of colour in Bat define the subject and our feelings towards it. The paint and its application are less dramatic in Schulnik’s scenes, such as Cottage, but certainly create texture and atmosphere all the same.

Artist: Allison Schulnik
+ rokebygallery.com

Body Painting: Masterpieces by Joanne Gair
Posted by sabine7

Books | Jul 22, 2007

After witnessing a particularly cringe-making body-painting spectacle in an Italian disco, we would never have thought that it would be possible to have a title like Body Painting: Master Pieces by Joanne Gair catch our eye. However, the cover looked so tasteful that we were intrigued enough to take a look. And guess what? Joanne Gair is truly masterful. This make up artist uses the body as a canvas and this book presents 75 of her best works, covering a variety of show business celebs as well as models - all in body paint. Some of the most accomplished photographers of our time, like Annie Leibovitz, Herb Ritts and David LaChapelle, are behind the lens for the shoots. Who knew that such artful application of such thin layers of paint could provide such coverage?

Hardcover, 156 pages. Universe, 2006. $26.40 at Amazon.

+ Body Painting at Amazon

Art MoCo Meta
Posted by sabine7

Meta | Jul 21, 2007

+ Monochromatic photos taken of her personal belongings make for an excellent exhibition by Helga Steppan. Via Creative Review.

+ Then we got completely distracted by the papercrafting article at Ping Mag, all because of the Moomins.

+ Great patterns by SCAD grad Kimb James over at Design Sponge. The Starfish really stood out.