Monday, February 25, 2008

light graffiti by Lichtfaktor

Graffiti as we know it ... evolves ... and dissolves ... into the light ... into the night ...!









Sunday, February 24, 2008

Alastair Magnaldo

The image above will lead you in to the phantasmagorical world of photo manipulation by this french artist/scientist Al Magnus...

La pensée se forme dans l’âme comme les nuages se
forment dans le ciel, allez voir les nuages et les étoiles
dans le ciel de Alastair, ils vous feront quitter notre monde
et ses nombreux problèmes pour vous faire entrer dans
son monde du rêve… Là, plus de pollutions ni de misères
mais un moment de bonheur rafraîchissant…

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Xia Xiaowan



In Xia Xiaowan's show, "Painting From the Inside," "painting" is conceived of as both as a physical act and artistic outcome. Under such a pretext, Xia Xiaowan's works seek to investigate and question the essence of painting as well as the process of creation, sensual perception and our observation of reality.


I was amazed. At first sight I could not recognize how it was made. Even Damien Hirst came to mind... but where can you find creatures like that ? :-) Infact they are made by a unique technique of using special pencils on over a dozen sheets of tinted glass panels layered together creating a very bizarre sculptural image. Here is a picture from an exhibition view so you get a feeling how they are situated in space. They do look like aquariums, don't they ?

Friday, February 15, 2008

eco-friendly art


Bravo for the fine young fella ! Stefan Thompson posted on his web page how to make your own colours, for non-toxic art ;-) at the end of the 'tutorial' there are some links, check 'em out! And some interesting characters he's got there, too... (more characters)
D.I.Y.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

opportunity (art)

Ottawa School of Art - miniature prints
-juried exhibition of miniature prints (maximum size is 10cm by 15cm)and is calling for print artists from all over the world
-cheduled for April 24th to May 29th, 2008. Deadline for submissions is March 29th.

Pen and Brush
-Spring Brush Show (women artist): Works on Canvas, Works on Paper, and Mixed Media
-16 East 10th Street in New York’s Greenwich Village
-the juror of selection and awards is Pamela N. Koob, curator of the permanent collection and exhibition coordinator of the Art Students League
-download pdf here
-entry deadline May 2 (expo 5/29 - 6/22)

The Keyholder Residency Program (4 future)
-residencies are free and one year long, starting on April 1st
-applications are evaluated by a committee of peers, based on the quality of submitted artwork. Artists without a studio space are encouraged to apply.
-deadline is Saturday, March 1

Amos Eno Gallery
-giving away solo exhibition this summer 2008
-all disciplines
-entry fee $40
-deadline March 22

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

visual melody James Jean

Just love how James Jean finds a way of slipping playful subversions and running visual jokes into the nooks and crannies of his paintings and replaces impulse with symbolism. His works are characterized by technical facility with intelligence and emotional intensity. Although some may say he deals with 'traditional medium' he does not lack freshness, but has equal parts innovation and experimentation in the approach.

Fables is the name of the comic book for which James designs the cover. He does such a good job at doing that and was awarded with so many awards, I will have to copy/paste them all from wikipedia if I want to name them all. Eventually we can see his works at display in NY, 2009. Can't wait to feast my eyes !


Monday, February 11, 2008

CCNY MFA group show (with pictures)

For Pictures click Thumbnail Above
For Immediate Release
NEW YORK - The Graduate Art Society of City College is pleased to announce an MFA group show titled Informants, opening Wednesday February 13th from 6-8 pm at the City College Art Gallery. Informants is an exploration in the symbiotic relationship that exists between source material and artistic 'objects.' This exhibition chooses to focus on revealing the source imagery, or informants, and in essence, hiding the artwork. Artists used their own discretion in what to share with the public, that which is normally considered to be private. Comprising of two parts, books and objects, this exhibition can be considered an interactive display. Viewers are encouraged to sit in the desks provided and read through the books available as well as observe the objects on the display tables.

A special email has been created for this show, informants@gmail.com, in hopes to further continue the conversation created by this exhibition. Your dialogue is invited. MFA students participating are: Dennis Delgado, Filipa Farraia, Glenda Hydler, Jang Soon Im, Rachel Jobe, Seung Ae Kim, Sun Kim, Anthony Miler, Nancy Palubniak, Shani Peters, Tricia Riebesehl, Arthur Skowron, Elena Stojanova, Priska Wenger, and Yu Zhang.

Informants will be open to the public from 12 – 4 pm, Monday February 11th through Friday February 22nd at the City College Art Gallery, located in the ground floor of the Compton-Goethals Building, 1619 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY. A limited edition catalogue with opening essay by Anthony Miler and design by Rachel Jobe will be available.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

do you recall Raymond Pettibon?

It is of great importance to know the background of artworks, especially if they are related to a social scene or as politically involved as those of Raymond Pettibon. Now the established artist is well known to the public and his pieces are valued high in the art world. Since his first major solo exhibition in 1995 he drew attention with his deeply personal, idiosyncratic , even painfully revealing drawings and was presented the Bucksbaum Award. But his beginnings were not in the upscale galleries. On the contrary- he roots go deep into the early punk scene and a notorious band.

Black Flag were the definitive Los Angeles hardcore punk band. Through their ceaseless touring, the band cultivated the American underground punk scene - influencing countless numbers of bands. Although their recording career was hampered by a draining lawsuit, which was followed by a seemingly endless stream of independently released records, the band was unquestionably one of the most influential American post-punk bands. And it was Ray's brother, Greg Ginn who founded the band and the record label SST. From the late 1970s through the mid-1980s, Pettibon was closely associated with both of them.


Their lyrics alluded to social criticism and a political viewpoint. They demonstrated affection for bohemia - both in terms of musical experimentation and a fondness for poetry - that reiterated the band's underground roots and prevented it from becoming nothing but a heavy metal group.
And it didn't matter who was in the band - throughout the years, the lineup changed numerous times - because the Black Flag name and four-bar logo became punk institutions.



Who else could be behind this logo but Pettibon. He was known to the punk scene though the work that appeared on flyers and records for Black Flag. He was described by the band members as "quiet, something of a loner and an avid jazz fan. Like his brother Greg, was profoundly hardworking and disciplined, sometimes producing dozens of drawings per day" (from Get In The Van: On The Road With Black Flag; 2.13.61 Publications).





In the 1980s, Pettibon released numerous books through the SST label; most or all of them are now out of print and sometimes command high prices. He soon started producing artwork for other bands on the SST label ( Sonic Youth 'Goo' 1990) and beyond (Foo Fighters 'Have It All' 2003).


Since then, Pettibon has been acclaimed in the international art scene, gaining notoriety after his participation in the controversial 1992 Helter Skelter exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. His works are included in the permanent collections of public galleries throughout the world. But for me... (and I am not trying to brainlessly categorize his art) he will be the artist that gave the punk rock scene that particular iconography we will always remember. I hope this post will shine some light on some ideas because:

Tourists may embrace the exhibition, but they won’t catch that close relationship of art and music that’s born from the underground, the outcasts and the sidelines.

(Pedro Velez)

rock-on!



Sunday, February 3, 2008

the worst censorship is the self censorship

One should grasp the opportunity of freedom of speech. as henry rollins once said that online blogging has become major source responsible for the substantial shifts in culture in the last couple of decades- there is no better way of saying your version of the truth in this era when information is being censored and manipulated by higher instances. i always considered everyones voices should be heard even if it they seem like whisper in comparison to the rumbling noise of big medias.

Somehow, to me, online blogging has the sensibility of the zines we used to read/make back in the days. i admired the passion and energy put into those photocopied issues, bursting with substance and creativity and in that manner i would like to start my little humble blog- contribution to the online community by writing, thinking, discussing topics in art, life ... wonders of existence in general.

As a bottom line- we have to bring the passion of who we are and what we believe in.... in what we are saying! ...having all the strings in your hands now- the worst censorship would be the self censorship!
;-)