I thought of James Turrell and Yves Klein and it was like stumbling into a precious and mysterious secret.
Stockholm
12-10-30
Turrell, Klein, WTC
And as I went through the corridor at the WTC, there was a landed spacecraft in one of the conference rooms, the blue light flowing through the mild curtains, everyone sucked into the blueness.
I thought of James Turrell and Yves Klein and it was like stumbling into a precious and mysterious secret.
Stockholm
12-10-30
I thought of James Turrell and Yves Klein and it was like stumbling into a precious and mysterious secret.
Stockholm
12-10-30
NEW YORK HAS BETTER ART?
NEW YORK HAS BETTER ART?
NEW YORK HAS MORE ART
THERE IS GOOD ART IN NEW YORK
We went to MOMA on a friday with free entrance. What was my thoughts on that? I could have figured it would be insanely crowded. Or not, The Modern Art Museum in Stockholm is seldom crowded like that. But then, it has no free entrance ever. But also, the experience of seeing is very different when its juxtaposed with the experience of being seen whilst watching art, or wacthing others when they are watching art at the same time as you are trying to watch it yourself.
So theres a lot of great art at the MOMA that simply escaped my attention.
Heres some that didnt.
Mondrian
Mondrian
Malevich
Malevich
Braque
Richter
All my excuses for the horrifying lack of quality in the photos, and I am well aware they are all men (ahh!).
Stockholm
12-10-22
NEW YORK HAS MORE ART
THERE IS GOOD ART IN NEW YORK
We went to MOMA on a friday with free entrance. What was my thoughts on that? I could have figured it would be insanely crowded. Or not, The Modern Art Museum in Stockholm is seldom crowded like that. But then, it has no free entrance ever. But also, the experience of seeing is very different when its juxtaposed with the experience of being seen whilst watching art, or wacthing others when they are watching art at the same time as you are trying to watch it yourself.
So theres a lot of great art at the MOMA that simply escaped my attention.
Heres some that didnt.
All my excuses for the horrifying lack of quality in the photos, and I am well aware they are all men (ahh!).
Stockholm
12-10-22
NEW YORK
Notes on NEW YORK!!
NEW YORK NEW YORK
Everybody seems to love it, they all talk about it.
Did I get lost in translation somehow?
A couple of things struck me though as different and important. First the money thing. Money moves much faster in NY, it comes and goes, detached somehow, competely devalued and yet absolutely dominating. People get paid more (at least the freelanceing friends that I talked with, I guess this is not the case for poor chefs and "backstage" workers) than I would ever get in Sthlm, but their rents are higher and their life costs as well. So somehow they still seem to have a more nervous relation to money than I do, barely breaking even. (...) Second its a very cool and self-aware place. I have always felt awkward with that, I can't identify. Third - and for sure the most interesting notion I had: So, I always look for the authentic in places. I know how retarded that sounds, and that it comes with its own form of exploitation, but this said I think there are some people who enjoy being a tourist and some people who don't. I don't. Lieven de Cauter writes in The Capsular Civilization about how we all turn into tourists in the postmodern city, including the permanent residents, and the cities becomes themeparks... Anyway; we found a diner around the corner of the hotel (Ok so we stayed only a couple of blocks from Times Square). It was a neat place, basic, felt authenic, very American (I have seen these types of places in innumerable movies - reality and hyperreality mixes so well). A friend of a friend, who was there at the same time, recommended another place - The Broadway Diner - and we went there to have breakfast one morning. The place was, in my head, less authentic. They played 40s jazz and names of famous people who had eaten there were inscribed in plaques lining the walls. I didn't feel anything when I saw those names except more difficulty in claiming my own experience. What takes the place of my experience of the location, is the narrative attached to the names. And don't get me wrong, I love 40s jazz. Its the names I don't get. I have also never been to Madame Toussauds, I dont get that either. The interesting thing was, that when comparing my own position concerning the authentic American, and that of our friend of a friend, I realized that his choice of diner was probably more authentic American than mine. A couple of days later I bought "Travels in Hyperreality" by Umberto Eco at the Strand:
from amazon site
I haven't started reading it though.
What is that? It reminds me of Shaun Tan's "The Lost Thing"
Stockholm,
12-10-22
NEW YORK NEW YORK
Everybody seems to love it, they all talk about it.
Did I get lost in translation somehow?
A couple of things struck me though as different and important. First the money thing. Money moves much faster in NY, it comes and goes, detached somehow, competely devalued and yet absolutely dominating. People get paid more (at least the freelanceing friends that I talked with, I guess this is not the case for poor chefs and "backstage" workers) than I would ever get in Sthlm, but their rents are higher and their life costs as well. So somehow they still seem to have a more nervous relation to money than I do, barely breaking even. (...) Second its a very cool and self-aware place. I have always felt awkward with that, I can't identify. Third - and for sure the most interesting notion I had: So, I always look for the authentic in places. I know how retarded that sounds, and that it comes with its own form of exploitation, but this said I think there are some people who enjoy being a tourist and some people who don't. I don't. Lieven de Cauter writes in The Capsular Civilization about how we all turn into tourists in the postmodern city, including the permanent residents, and the cities becomes themeparks... Anyway; we found a diner around the corner of the hotel (Ok so we stayed only a couple of blocks from Times Square). It was a neat place, basic, felt authenic, very American (I have seen these types of places in innumerable movies - reality and hyperreality mixes so well). A friend of a friend, who was there at the same time, recommended another place - The Broadway Diner - and we went there to have breakfast one morning. The place was, in my head, less authentic. They played 40s jazz and names of famous people who had eaten there were inscribed in plaques lining the walls. I didn't feel anything when I saw those names except more difficulty in claiming my own experience. What takes the place of my experience of the location, is the narrative attached to the names. And don't get me wrong, I love 40s jazz. Its the names I don't get. I have also never been to Madame Toussauds, I dont get that either. The interesting thing was, that when comparing my own position concerning the authentic American, and that of our friend of a friend, I realized that his choice of diner was probably more authentic American than mine. A couple of days later I bought "Travels in Hyperreality" by Umberto Eco at the Strand:
from amazon site
"From Library Journal
This smorgasbord of 26 pieces ultimately focuses on the boundaries of realism as exemplified by the"hyper reality" of American phenomena like the Madonna Inn, wax museums, San Simeon, theme parks, etc. Though his tone is witty, Eco's purpose remains that of the semiologist. He is concerned about "the systems of signs that we use to describe the world and tell it to one another," and aims both to expose the "messages" of political and economic power and of "the entertainment industry and the revolution industry" and to show us how to analyze and criticize them.I haven't started reading it though.
Stockholm,
12-10-22
http://projektalidhem.se/
Projekt Ålidhem
Projekt Ålidhem är ett forsknings- och
utvecklingsprojekt som sökt nya gestaltningsformer för konst i det
offentliga rummet. Konsthögskolan har med ekonomiskt stöd av och i
samarbete med Umeå kommun genomfört projektet. Från näringslivet har
fastighetsbolagen Bostaden och Norrvidden bidragit med ytterligare
ekonomiska resurser.
Studenter, lärare och internationella
gäster har under ett och ett halvt år varit involverade i
efterforskningar och diskussioner angående Ålidhems historia,
arkitektur, miljonprogrammet och syftet med den offentliga konsten.
Under hela projekttiden har hållits offentliga möten, presentationer och
föreläsningar på plats. Ålidhems Intresseförening, biblioteket och
ungdomsgården har varit viktiga samarbetspartners. Parallellt med
undersökningen har de konststuderande utvecklat individuella verk som
realiserades på plats under vintern och våren 2008.
Karaktären i ett forsknings- och
utvecklingsprojekt är undersökande, kritiskt reflekterande och ska ha en
öppen ansats till vad resultatet blir. För beställaren innebär detta,
att satsningen skapar nya möjligheter för den framtida offentliga
konsten. Konsthögskolans ansvar är att bereda de diskursiva fälten, så
att de realiserade konstverken kan ses i ett större, internationellt
sammanhang.
De tolv realiserade verken speglar
bredden av nutida konstnärliga strategier för gestaltning av offentliga
rum; från annonskampanjer i tidningar, nya bakverk, film- och
bokprojekt, till skulpturer, trädgårdar och monumentala fysiska
utsmyckningar. Några verk existerar bara för en kort tid, andra är
beständiga, men gemensamt har de en upplevelse att erbjuda, en ny
infallsvinkel på verkligheten.
http://tommarum.se/
Vad är Tomma rum?
Tomma Rum är en plattform för kulturellt och konstnärligt utbyte. Varje sommar arrangerar vi en vistelse på en mindre ort i Sverige. Tomma rum handlar om att mötas och att skapa nya former av samarbeten mellan konstnärer, kulturutövare och lokalbefolkningen på den ort vi besöker.
Tomma rum är öppet för alla som är intresserade av konst, kultur, människor och den ort som vi besöker. Konstnärer men även arkitekter, poeter, musiker, skribenter, fotografer och skådespelare av olika åldrar och nationaliteter deltar i Tomma rum. En speciell dynamik uppstår både inom gruppen och i det lokala samarbetet. Vi arrangerar utställningar, performance, filminspelningar, offentliga samtal med mera. Oväntade möten sker och både värdar och besökare stimuleras till nya synvinklar på lokala samarbeten och kulturliv.
http://tommarum.se/
Brendan Austin
Brendan Austin
Since that singular work struck me on the Affordable Art fair I will post a special here.
Pics from his site http://www.brendanaustin.com
The artist writes on his site:
"The photographs are also protected by moral rights. The owner asserts his moral rights as author whenever his photographs are copied or distributed."
It makes me realise that I know very little about copyrightstuff, and especially about moral rights. And I guess I feel insecure about whether or not Im violating those rights by reproducing the works here. (...) Fuck it, I have good intentions (remembering and being in awe ;-))), I dont earn any money on this and if Mr Austin doesnt like it he is welcome to tell me so. Except I dont post my email here so I simply hope he doesnt mind.
Happy to have seen some good stuff
Stockholm
12-10-04
Since that singular work struck me on the Affordable Art fair I will post a special here.
Pics from his site http://www.brendanaustin.com
The artist writes on his site:
"The photographs are also protected by moral rights. The owner asserts his moral rights as author whenever his photographs are copied or distributed."
It makes me realise that I know very little about copyrightstuff, and especially about moral rights. And I guess I feel insecure about whether or not Im violating those rights by reproducing the works here. (...) Fuck it, I have good intentions (remembering and being in awe ;-))), I dont earn any money on this and if Mr Austin doesnt like it he is welcome to tell me so. Except I dont post my email here so I simply hope he doesnt mind.
Happy to have seen some good stuff
Stockholm
12-10-04
AFFORDABLE ART FAIR
AFFORDABLE ART FAIR
Stockholm, Oct 3rd - 7th.
I can feel the extent to which I am still learning the inner workings of the art world. It happens that I get irritated, frustrated, when I think of how much money goes around in the art world; a dense and topheavy industry carried on the backs of a producing class who most of the time barely make it to pay the rent and even less take part of the prestige.
The problem is that we - artists - seem to consider some things more important than money. This seemingly small difference in priorites has huge consequences. Anyway, from such a perspective, events like the Affordable Art Fair could really be understood as positive for the artists. (Note; this is only includes artists making objects, works that can easily be bought and sold). It attempts to teach the normative middleclass culture interested Citizen X how to become an art collector. By doing this the possibility increases for artists to sell their work and in a ridiculously far extension to earn a living of it.
However - I also see devaluation in sight. The word "art" is so prestigious, and being an "art collector" means being part of an intellectual and cultural elite. To make the elite accessible to anybody it seems that the word art can be filled with almost anything.
(...)
What is art? -----!!!")(€T(U"=OQ?"O`
Anyway - lots of what I saw isn't art. Sure, accounting for all possible different opinions anything could be art at any given time, but in my more limited definition, lots of what I saw isn't. Some was closer to decoration, and some felt like it pretended to be art, as if imitating what art looks like, without really getting the point.
I felt a strong need to recontextualize some works that I liked, since they felt lost and plain when offered up this bluntly to be measured and weighed and sold. So profane. "All that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned, and man is at last compelled to face with sober senses his real conditions of life, and his relations with his kind." (Im sorry I couldnt help myself).
These are some of the works that I found pretty, some of the artists I would like to meet in another context (It sucks, only men this time...).
Perran Costi
Skybox Small - Kangaroo Paws
Pretty - I like the format, its inspiring. Yet, perhaps too pretty, too easy. Birds, skies, leaves.
Carl Gustavsson
(Title unknown)
The photograph isn't great but the painting was beautiful. It reminds me of a film by my friend artist Sophie Valero, a film about a house that somehow seemed lost in time.
Brendan Austin
Paper Mountain
I really like Austin's work. As a contrast to much of the art and non-art that I saw during the fair I think these maintained their strength, mystery and presence throughout. Very nice.
Mathias van Arkel
Silicon-werk
Cute, for sure has presence. I like it, I want to touch it, I want to roll around in soft warm rolls of acrylic wax.
Jon Harvey
Fuck like Bunnies
I guess I liked this work more before I paid attention to the title (which was now..). Without title, its just such an extraordinarily weird object. Whats not to like? ;-)
Stockholm
12-10-04
(And Im going to NY next week!)
Stockholm, Oct 3rd - 7th.
I can feel the extent to which I am still learning the inner workings of the art world. It happens that I get irritated, frustrated, when I think of how much money goes around in the art world; a dense and topheavy industry carried on the backs of a producing class who most of the time barely make it to pay the rent and even less take part of the prestige.
The problem is that we - artists - seem to consider some things more important than money. This seemingly small difference in priorites has huge consequences. Anyway, from such a perspective, events like the Affordable Art Fair could really be understood as positive for the artists. (Note; this is only includes artists making objects, works that can easily be bought and sold). It attempts to teach the normative middleclass culture interested Citizen X how to become an art collector. By doing this the possibility increases for artists to sell their work and in a ridiculously far extension to earn a living of it.
However - I also see devaluation in sight. The word "art" is so prestigious, and being an "art collector" means being part of an intellectual and cultural elite. To make the elite accessible to anybody it seems that the word art can be filled with almost anything.
(...)
What is art? -----!!!")(€T(U"=OQ?"O`
Anyway - lots of what I saw isn't art. Sure, accounting for all possible different opinions anything could be art at any given time, but in my more limited definition, lots of what I saw isn't. Some was closer to decoration, and some felt like it pretended to be art, as if imitating what art looks like, without really getting the point.
I felt a strong need to recontextualize some works that I liked, since they felt lost and plain when offered up this bluntly to be measured and weighed and sold. So profane. "All that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned, and man is at last compelled to face with sober senses his real conditions of life, and his relations with his kind." (Im sorry I couldnt help myself).
These are some of the works that I found pretty, some of the artists I would like to meet in another context (It sucks, only men this time...).
Perran Costi
Skybox Small - Kangaroo Paws
Pretty - I like the format, its inspiring. Yet, perhaps too pretty, too easy. Birds, skies, leaves.
Carl Gustavsson
(Title unknown)
The photograph isn't great but the painting was beautiful. It reminds me of a film by my friend artist Sophie Valero, a film about a house that somehow seemed lost in time.
Brendan Austin
Paper Mountain
I really like Austin's work. As a contrast to much of the art and non-art that I saw during the fair I think these maintained their strength, mystery and presence throughout. Very nice.
Mathias van Arkel
Silicon-werk
Cute, for sure has presence. I like it, I want to touch it, I want to roll around in soft warm rolls of acrylic wax.
Jon Harvey
Fuck like Bunnies
I guess I liked this work more before I paid attention to the title (which was now..). Without title, its just such an extraordinarily weird object. Whats not to like? ;-)
Stockholm
12-10-04
(And Im going to NY next week!)
Prenumerera på:
Inlägg (Atom)