Events: Torino Artissima

Since surprise trips seem to be the theme for my Fall art calendar, I thought I would share some quick images from my most recent 10 hour trip to Turin, Italy. I went specifically to see (and be seen) at Artissima, the city's annual art fair.


Artissima is neither the largest nor the smallest of fairs. It is pretty mid-sized and includes a book and magazine area, a print shop, 4 different bars/cafes, a theater space called the House of Contamination, and a lecture space. This year was the fair's 15th anniversary.

I say "and be seen", because this was all courtesy of my internship at the Secretariat Schlemmer due to the fact that the fair hosted the reconstructions of Oskar Schlemmer's Bauhaus Dances, as interpreted by Debra McCall in 1984 in it's House of Contamination.

Instead of just showing close-ups of work that really struck a chord, I realized as I walked around the fair that to many people the concept of the art fair is very abstract. Therefore, this time I took some general pictures of the fair itself.

The day I went was the preview, so it was much less packed than it will be. Or at least, that is what the galleries hope. More people equals more prospective buyers.

After Basel and Berlin, I feel like I might actually be getting the hang of these fairs. However, as visually stimulating as they are, let's not forget that it is the galleries job to sell, sell, sell! Which is definitely the part I hate.

An exciting and entertaining part of these fairs is that they are the perfect opportunity for performance artists to venture out and "do their thing." In one of the pictures below you may notice a woman in a white dress. She was one such performance artist who strolled around the fair in a type of LSD induced serenity and randomly gave fair-goers amazing hugs.

As always, enjoy the pictures!

 

On wall: Germaine Kruip, Counter Composition II, 2007

On ground: Amaya Gonzales Reyes, Estrategias Formales, 2009

Parra & Romero, Madrid, Spain

Aida Ruilova, unknown

Kaufman Repetto, Milano, Italy

Per Barclap, Ballerina (Chatrine), 2001

Giorgio Persano, Torino, Italy

Masbedo, The Art of Happiness, 2010
Marco Noire Contemporary Art, Torino, Italy

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?