Exhibition Review: Art in Austin during SXSW

For those who don't know it, this is the last weekend for SXSW in Austin, Texas. I was lucky enough to be in Austin last weekend, and although I couldn't afford tickets to the festival- I was able to enjoy the atmosphere of this great city! I also got to enjoy the awesome art venues. Here is a review of the exhibitions I got to attend at Arthouse at the Jones Center and the University of Texas Blanton Museum of Art.

Arthouse


There were three exhibitions going on at the Arthouse that excelled at piquing the curiosity of its viewers. In the front room the walls showcased the private letters from a doctor to his patients. While in the center of the room a project displayed an intimate short Hitchcockian film displaying the relationship between a man and his only companion, a finch. There was also another projector displaying offset images of contrasting but related photographs. The entire display was organized as Two Birds, Eighty Mountains, and a Portrait of the Artist and displayed Lisa Tan's Les Samouraïs (2010), Letters From Dr.Bamberger (2001), and National Geographic (2009).

In the private room, for access by adults only, four screens flooded the viewers with a sensory overload of imagery pertaining to a sexually charged and provocative drug den. Dorian, a cinematic perfume by Michelle Handelman explores "Dorian’s hallucinatory journey through a deviantly decadent underworld roiling with ambition, seduction, and betrayal."

On the second floor sits Graham Hudson's Rehearsals at Astoria, a wonderful piece that plays with concepts of nostalgia, musical stimulation, and the concept of space. Set in a dangerous, mid-construction platform that echoes the architecture of the London's Astoria Theatre, the viewer is invited to climb along the structure while they experience the creations of the varied musical guests. Of the list of artists, one particular musician who performed in the space was Austin native Suzanna Choffel.

If none of these exhibitions sounds particularly interesting, then you may be tempted by two other features. First, thanks to Lewis.Tsurumaki.Lewis Architects the architecture of the Arthouse is absolutely amazing- the arts center lives true to its claims of being an interactive space. Second, it is free. Enough said.

The Blanton Museum of Art

It's no secret to anyone who knows me well that I am currently in love with all things related to Buenos Aires. But this is especially connected to the graffiti/street art that emerged in the 1990s, post dictatorship. Boy was I ecstatic when I discovered that the Blanton has a new exhibition called "Recovering Beauty: The 1990s in Buenos Aires." Life does not get sweeter (well, traveling to the city would rock). The imagery was bright and colorful. The styles varied from abstract, geometric, figurative, and sculptural. I especially loved Miguel Harte’s El Jardin Filosofico (The Philosophical Garden), La Intrusa (The Intruder), and Como una pierda que suena (Like a Dreaming Stone). His miniature worlds forced the viewer to get very close to the work in order to see all the intricate details of the half-man, half-fly creations. Other artists in the exhibition include Feliciano Centurión, Sebastián Gordín, Benito Laren, Jorge Gumier Maier, Marcelo Pombo, Cristina Schiavi, Fabio Kacero, Graciela Hasper, and Omar Schiliro. While you are there don't forget to venture upstairs and check out their permanent collection, it is much more expansive and impressive than I imagined.

Another opportunity to partake in is an interactive installation by a very good friend and artist, Tex Jernigan. He will be hanging out around town this weekend. He was one of the first artists I interviewed over a year ago, and he will be in Austin for SXSW with his big red dot to create images that celebrate Japan. He is setting up the Japan flag in the streets, and his crew is doing the Star Dollars at the Lose Control Party. Keep up with him on his twitter. On Saturday night he will be at Vice, a club on San Jacinto & 6th st. This is what they are doing: http://texs.org/lovemoney. Hopefully you can run into him!

Exhibition Review: Fondazione Pomodoro, Milan

View of 1st Floor of Exhibition (f.l.t.r.): 

Corrafo Bonomi Non omnis moriar (1997); Laura Renna Stormo vulgaris (2010);

Fabrizio Corneli Grande Volante VIII (2002); Gianni Dessi Confini 1 (2009)

Paolo Delle Monache Archeologia di un istante (2010)

Fabrizio Corneli Grande Volante VIII (2002)

Gehard Demetz Hitler Mao (2010)

Bertozzi & Casoni Madonna scheletrita (2008)

Loris Cecchini Wallwave Vibrations (quanta canticum) (2009)

I would have to say that this month has been a great time for me to really push myself into going to art events that have been outside my typical comfort zone. So why does the exhibition "The Italian Sculpture of the XXI Century" at the Fondazione Pomodoro fit into this?  

Simple. I am a 2-D girl. It's a sad fact, but that is the work I usually find easier to interpret and am most quickly drawn to. 


Of course, this is not true 100% of the time. There are plenty of sculptures that I have loved since my first art history courses at University of Dallas. However, I always found it easier to write about 2-D work, because in the university setting these images were better transmitted from pages of an art history book or the slide projector in class. Sculptures and installations lose most of their value in this forum. 

What was even more exciting was the rarity of attending an exhibition where I was in awe of so many diverse sculptures and installations. In fact, the entire execution of the show exceeded my expectations. The show, which officially began on the 20th of October and ends on the 20th of January, displayed the most contemporary and recent sculptures and installations by 80 Italian artists.

The Fondazione Pomodoro's architecture adds to the splendor of presenting the works in a space that truly celebrates 3-D works of art, both small and large. This interplay of scale was well balanced in the exhibition and an obvious consideration when viewing contrasting works such as Fabrizio Corneli's Grande Volante VIII (2002) and Paolo Delle Monache's Archeologia de un istante (2010). 

Political themes were also considered in works that presented tyrannical leadership by few and the corrosive pollution by many, as respectively portrayed in Gehard Demetz's Hitler Mao (2010) and Bertozzi and Casoni's Madonna Scheletrita (2008). I was particularly fond of Demetz's work, as I had met the Galerie Rubin’s owners (who loaned this work to the exhibition) in Berlin at Preview Berlin. I will talk more about this and Berlin in my upcoming Recaps. 


Madonna Scheletrita in particular allowed for some interesting conversations between me and some Sicilian friends with who had I had been accompanied to the show. It was nice discussing contemporary art with people who come from completely opposite professional spheres from me (and each other). 

Perhaps the piece that I would want to own was Loris Cecchini's Wallwave Vibrations (Quanto Canticum) (2009), because, in the plainest terms, I thought it was a really visually interesting piece. I just liked it. 


Many times, art is as easy as that. 

Recap: Art Basel Unlimited

Art Basel has come and gone, but I wanted to take a couple of posts to recap my experiences in image and word. 

Of all the Art Basel sections, I was truly impressed by the works in the Art Unlimited area. This element of Art Basel began in 2000 and has since then focused on exhibiting works that “transcend the classical art-show stand- including video projections, large-scale installations, massive sculptures and live performances.”*

And boy did they transcend. I was blown away by the sheer mass of some of the works. It was also delightful to be able to interact with and touch works such as Michelangelo Pistoletto’s Labirinto e Grande Pozzo (1969/2010) and Agnes Varda's La cabane sur la plage (qui est aussi une cabine de projection), 2010. In Pistoletto's work I was not only trying to find my way through the massive cardboard maze to the central ‘well,’ but I was dealing with other viewers as they passed me or stood in my way. As we all focused on reaching the central point and then moving towards the opposite exit I became aware that this interaction with the other viewers was perhaps more important that the giant mirrored ‘well’ that reflected our images.

Yayoi Kusama’s Aftermath of the Obliteration of Eternity (2008) was an interesting work that the viewers got to enter (3 at a time). The most basic explanation for it was that the space was a lightshow set on a timer. This was due to the hundreds of floating candles. But it was much more than that. The space was moving, and the pattern of the flickering lights was an intense experience that called upon memories of searching for, stumbling to light, and holding candles after a major catastrophe.


There were so many installations that clearly intended to capture and hold the audiences attention. I highly recommend you taking some time to enjoy the images and video of  below. These were just a few of the works that interested me. But don't worry if you aren't drawn to anything here, this is just the tip of the Basel iceberg. Many more gallery, artist, fair reviews are coming soon!

Michelangelo Pistoletto, Labirinto e Grande Pozzo, 1969/2010 

Galleria Continua, It-San Gimignano/CN-Beijing/FR-Le Moulin

Glen Rubsamen, A Fever Dream, 2010

Mai 36 Gallery & Annemarie Verna Galerie, CH- Zurich; Alfonso Artiaco, IT- Naples 

Yayoi Kusama, Aftermath of the Obliteration of Eternity, 2008

Gagosian Gallery,US- NYC

Ugo Rondinone, Clockwork for Oracles II, 2008

 Gladstone Gallery, US-NYC

Zhang Huan, Hero No. 1, 2009

The Pace Gallery, US- NYC

Doug Aitken, Frontier, 2009

303 Gallery, US- NYC & Regen Projects, LA; Presenhuber, CH- Zurich; Miro, GB- London

* Description from the Art Basel website: see the link for Art Basel Unlimited. To find out more about these works and others, consult this webpage.

Artist Interview: Tex Jernigan

Messed up Flower, 2006

Hand wrought steel, 18"x6"x6"

Scottsdale Diamond, 2007

Scottsdale, Arizona

Flag of Louisiana, 2009

Kansas City, Missouri

Flag of Iran, 2009

Smithville Lake, Missouri

Name: Tex Jernigan 
Current City: Kansas City 
Hometown: Dallas 
Preferred Medium: Sculpture/Photography 
Education: Kansas City Art Institute 
Website Link: texjernigan.com


Tell me about you work in one sentence:
I design and construct illusions using simple materials as well as the physical world itself, and I then hold events where I invite people within the work and offer to take their picture for free, posting it.


I remember that your early sculptural illusions were made from a lot of steel poles. The image would morph depending on the perspective. How did this interest in optical illusion sculptures grow from this type of object to an interest in flags, an icon that represents not only a people but its government?
I think I started making flags as a way of distancing myself from the illusions I was making with perspective.  I realized that a magic trick isn't really about illusions and magic, it's about the people being tricked.  Without people, without an audience, a magician's trick doesn't exist, it's a vacuum where the magician is the only one involved and he knows how it works, so the trick is nullified.  I guess what I'm saying is that for me, the people became a central focus in my work.  And yes, I want to get Barack Obama inside of the Illinois flag, or better yet, the Chicago flag, it's a doozy.
I don't have a business plan yet. 


What is your favorite forum/method of sharing information about art?
The internet, of course, what other kind of forum is there? 


Your work is selected to show in a gallery or museum in the world, where would you choose?
Pernambuco, Brazil.  It has the most beautiful flag, and it's state capital, Recife, is the Venice of Brazil.


I wondered if you always choose the places you make sculptures for using this selection process, or if cultural/social/political issues ever play a role?
I have a friend who married a girl from Iran, and I created the Iranian flag for their wedding.  The traditional flag was chosen instead of the current flag, which most Iranians don't like, since the traditional flag was their flag for thousands of years, and the new one is less than a decade old.  But when the family showed up, some of them felt that to pose in front of the traditional flag could be an act of treason.  They ended up getting their picture taken, but they asked me not to post it online, so the only picture I posted was Brent (attached).

As a kid, I drew a lot, so it wasn't long before people began to praise my drawings.  I gradually stopped doing it for myself and started doing it for other people, and my artwork became a way for me to connect with people socially, and has continued to, so I'm most aware, now.


The art world right now is experiencing a newfound medium of exchanging information virtually. Do you think that this has affected the relevance of galleries, studios, and museums?
Yes. Let's add the word, "how" in front of "do."
The internet allows anybody to have a voice, so perhaps Galleries and Museums are more relevant, serving as a marker for an artist's success. There's a pretty good documentary by Ben Lewis which counters this argument,  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gth8_3msnIk  -- you would like it, it inadvertently explains why Van Gogh was the most famous artist when we were kids. 


Would you rather have your work well known in the art community or well understood in the general population?
I think that the general population is in the process of joining the art community, and I take pleasure in assisting that merge by putting individuals in the spotlight. 


Who are your artistic influences?
James Turrell, Andy Goldsworthy, and Christo


What is it about your work that makes it different from these people and relevant in today’s society?
I added "People" to the mix.


Its 2012 and as the Mayans predicted, the world ends. Every cultural link is destroyed, but luckily there are few survivors. You are among them and are selected to document our cultural past. What artifact/artwork would you choose to record first?
I would continue making my art - it requires nothing but my hands, my eyes, and the world around us. 

In that same train of thought, are you persuaded by people you encounter at all? For instance, if I said that Sicily has a particularly interesting flag, would that spur your interest?

Are you Sicilian?  I would make that flag for you, especially if we did it in Italy.  I'm often inspired by the people I encounter - I have a working visual knowledge of most flags in the world now, so it's a pretty good conversation starter.  Every person in the world has a flag or two that is part of their identity, and it's fun to celebrate it.


In what period of your career did you feel most aware of the needs of your audience, if ever?

Would you prefer to deal through gallery representation or directly with clients, why?