Camille Claudel - Art Institute, Chicago
Remedios Varo- Art Institute, Chicago
The Kitchen
Liza Lou worked five years to create this installation. This work is part of the Making Knowing: Craft in Art, 1950–2019 exhibition at the Whitney NYC.
Jennifer Packer - The Eye is not Satisfied With Seeing at the Whtiney, NYC
MCA Instameet
I never posted about this but I just discovered it. I attended an event around Murakami's exhibition last fall with 400 guests. My Instagram was featured in the post. Yippee!
From the MCA:
On June 22, we welcomed more than 400 of our friends from the Instagram community when we again paired with @igerschicago to bring the world of Takashi Murakami to the social media masses. We welcomed Instagrammers from throughout Chicago to an empty MCA so they could explore the galleries freely. We also provided Murakami merch for selfies, MCA artist-guided tours, and a special all-MCA Bingo game—post 5 photos in a stack post relating to the series of clues to get a Bingo—with photo-focused prizes from the MCA Store. Below are some of our favorites. Follow Instagramers Chicago to find out about their next meet.
LA Times Critic Christopher Knight - Does Contemporary Art bore you?
The art critic who would find an issue with just about anything - from the air he breathes to the sun in the sky.
After reading his appalling review of Yayoi Kusma's Infinity Mirrors at the Broad, Mr. Knight struck again by popping up in another article in ArtNews. Initially I was convinced his criticism fell only in the spectrum of Kusama but was relieved to know that no one is safe from his succinct insults on Contemporary Art. His latest gripe was with Adrián Villar Roja 's show at the Geffen Contemporary Space in Little Tokyo. Replicating art pieces Rojas utilizes these elements to demonstrate a relationship between art and space. A few questions are considered : How would viewers move through the space? How can the space be modified to accommodate the art? What items should be moved and what can stay in its original place? Rojas' objective is to provide a visual timeline of how a space begins and ends - the creation, the preservation, and decomposition. Will the art or the space survive? What should we draw our focus to? Diaoism describes this with water - strong, yet weak. Able to conform and change based on its environment. While the space can change and survive the movement of the art, the art itself (as seen with the Bicycle sculpture) cannot survive without human intervention.
There is hardly any art critics that will be bold enough to express their disappointment for not one but two exhibitions in 9 days. Knight seems to not be fond of work that challenges a viewer's ability to see the perspective of the artist. Work with extensive technical requirements are more his bread and butter. Contemporary Artists from his standpoint seem to provide no 'it' factor than their predecessors. One must wonder why he even bothers to attend the shows. A deadline perhaps? We all need to pay the bills by some means. A sticking point may be not the concept of the show but the fact that Rojas disagreed that Duchamp's work was not preserved in a manner that was 'respectful'.
Knight needs to start embracing the new era of Contemporary Art. The shift from technical masterpieces to work that invokes conversation may be considered trendy but relevant. Is it so scary that the possibility of Duchamp's work was relevant then and not now? His unwillingness to explore the topic is all too sad.
Adrián Villar Roja's "The Theater of Disappearance" is being held at Geffen Contemporary in Los Angeles now until May 13, 2018.
Adrián Villar Roja, "The Theater of Disappearance (detail)," 2017, mixed media Christopher Knight / Los Angeles Times
EXPO - Chicago
There is not much I can say about EXPO this year only that I was beyond disappointed. It was smaller, less exciting, and the art did not leave much to the imagination. I came in this year with a different mindset so it was unfortunate that my expectations were not met.
There were a few stand out artists that I would definitely would love to see more of. The Exposure artists: Lucas Simoes from PATRON/MARSO, Geneieve Gaignard from Shulamit Nazarian and Gigisue representied by the 313 Art Project. Gigisue's work was bold, not daring but gave me pause. I have been aware of Ms. Gaignard's work for a short period of time (during one of my shameless sessions browsing Artsy) . I love that she incorporates herself in her work - to convey a strong message in most cases it is best to deliver the message yourself. The artist[Gaignard] was present but I missed out on a chance to have a meaningful dialogue.
I can never say anything unfavorable about art that requires the audience's participation. Lucas Simoes had patrons in awe and a fit of giggles walking on the concrete floor that was supported by foam. I am not sure what his message was but I just flat out loved it.
That is all for now. Until next time..
Senga Nengudi - Improvisational Gestures
There has been a pattern of me not having much to do on the weekend - I unexpectedly find myself attending art events or lying on the beach. Rough life.
My phone alerted me of an event at DePaul University with Senga Nengudi Saturday afternoon. I admit I was only curious because it was sold out. I immediately headed north and put my name down on the waitlist. I never heard of the artist but I figured it would be influential if so many people were eager to see her.
Her work had a simple theme illustrating the changes of the female body post pregnancy. She illustrated this concept with pantyhose and sand - the elasticity of the material symbolized how the body can expand and contract. Pretty cool concept I thought. However, I was not prepared for was the performance that immediately followed the short dialogue. Two female performers along with a male playing the cello re-enacted one of her pieces called R.S.V.P. I was so taken aback I am shocked I was able to snap this quick photo - I was too enthralled with what was going on I did not want to miss anything.
I am really starting to become more interested in performance art. Senga Nengudi's - Improvisational Gestures is on display at the DePaul Art Museum now until December 10th.
Candida Alvarez - Here
I did another 'Drive By Exhibition High' - this time in the never a dull moment City of Chicago
The Chicago Culture Center offers a lot of programs but does not do a great job with advertising. I made my way into the gallery. There is not much I can say about this artist is that she is very versatile and all over the map. For an artist who is unsure of what path to take she does make you confident in realizing you do not have to choose - just make art. I made small talk with the gallery security guard and he said that everyone who came in was amazed that all the work was done by the same artist.
Nothing was consistent. There were some similarities in her painting techniques but other than that none of the work seemed to follow any theme or storyline. I did admire her unapologetic approach to taking risk and adding subtle detail. The exhibition hall even had the baseboards covered in a graffiti print.
I think my favorite piece in the whole exhibition is one titled "Listening to Haruki Murakami while looking at the sunset". Other patrons were unimpressed by the piece. At first glance it did look like a simple grid with no forethought. I spent some time observing it and the title alone made me suspicious. It was evident that she put some thought into the color palette and the symmetry - or lack thereof. While all of the squares were perfectly except for the ones at the end. Definitely intentional but not sure why. I am convinced she planned it that way - maybe perhaps the row represents the sun actually setting (the title) and the rows prior to that were just her simply listening to the music. Either way, nothing like an exhibition invoking interesting conversation.
Her exhibition is wrapping up this weekend! Don't miss your chance!
Andy Warhol - Digital Prints
While I was in Atlanta for a wedding I decided to do a 'Drive By Exhibition High'. I have never been to the High Museum so I was eager to cross it off my list. To my surprise, an exhibition starring Andy Warhol himself was taking place.
I must admit I never understood the hype around Andy Warhol. An unpopular opinion? Yes, but I saw him more as a socialite than an artist. Influential? Sure - he introduced Jean-Michael Basquait to the world. His only claim to fame is he found 'Art' in everyday media while simultaneously shattering the archaic definition of 'Art'. Other influential artists hated him since he had no reservations when it came to stealing ideas and using photographs without permission. Mixing and matching photographs together and calling it your own - a process of a genius or something else ?
The exhibition had an exceptional presentation. All of his well known work was on display including the infamous Campbell Soup ans and portraits of Mao Zedong and Marilyn Monroe. I did get chills.
His methods were uncommon but it has become the foundation of digital art. I would not be surprised if his prints were the inspiration behind Adobe Photoshop. My first pieces were made on the computer copied majority of his methods. Lesson learned - you would be surprised by who or what has directly influenced you.
Murakami Opening
The Murakami exhibit opened this week at the MCA - and it was better than I expected. You may know his work from Kanye West's Graduation era but he has long surpassed those days. His 10 FT silk screen paintings employed over 100 assistants in which he was involved from start to finish. The details were so defined that even the toenails on the characters were different colors. I did not walk away with a clear message of his work nor did it invoke conversation. However, you must admire that with the help of others an artist's work can be limitless.
MCA - Eternal Youth
I have yet to make a visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art...until today. They have several exhibitions going on but I was most intrigued by their own titled 'Eternal Youth'.
My favorite hands down were the photographs from Larry Clark's kids. Rosario Dawson and Chloe Sevigny introduced to us and the film was graphic as well as shocking. A coming of age film indeed this film showed a darker side of kids transitioning to adults. It is evident that coming up during the over sexualized 1990s was more radical than most realize.
Ai Wei Wei - Meijer Gardens
I missed out the chance to see Ai WeiWei in San Francisco in 2014. As I progress I want the opportunity to create installations - and he has become an inspiration for this. When got word about his show in Grand Rapids I jumped at the chance - rarely does he show in the United States.
To go along with the theme of the venue 'Meijer Garden and Sculpture Park' - porcelain sculptures made up a significant portion of the exhibition. Wei Wei also had photographs and wallpaper he during his constant surveillance by the authorities.
Clay was one of the first mediums I worked with at a young age. I had a knack for it but unless I was in studio, I never pursued it otherwise. The use of porcelain peaked my interest once again. I believe it is the finish but seeing his replica of his flower basket made me realize how detailed clay work can be.
I thought the clay medium would be a good option to explore for a future installation. Now I am looking into getting back into the studio. Hooray! Stay tuned.
Yayoi Kusama - Infinity Rooms
On a whim I decided to go to DC to participate in the Standing Rock protest. Taking a break from the protest I was walking on the National Mall and my attention was diverted to windows covered in pink polka dots. 'Kusama? Kusama!' - Only I would correlate polka dots with an artist. The New York Times recently did a piece on her but I was unsure if she had an exhibition in town. After a quick search my suspicions were correct - 'Infinity Rooms' at the Hirshorn. Tickets were hard to come by but if you arrived early the staff would give some away starting at 10 AM. Alarm set.
I arrived prior to 10 AM and already there was a line wrapped around the building. It was unusually cold (but again, it was March in DC) and after an hour and a half of waiting the crowd was informed they were sold out for the day. I was furious. Giving four tickets away to each individual while dozens stood outside seemed unfair. I soon learned that if you purchased a membership you were given four tickets and could see the show the same day. I figured - fine, I will pay it since I am already here. It was not until I was told I had to use all four tickets at once that I promptly became...not so friendly. If I am paying for the membership, why can't I use them as I pleased? Also, telling me I will have an opportunity to see in next year in Cleveland? Ah, no! I must see it today! After some pleading they let me in - success!
It was worth it. The wait, the cold, everything. I never been to an exhibition that was just so colorful and fun. I admired her transparency that all of her work coincided with her inner thoughts and mental health. Art truly is a beautiful way to communicate with the outside world when you are unable to do so verbally. In her adulthood she seemed shy and reserved and she claimed this stemmed from the abuse she endured as a child. For a woman to openly discuss the dark spaces within her mind and channel them into something magical is inspirational.
Of course, I cannot close this out entry out without posting my favorite picture.
Ah, my new idol. It is amazing as something so ordinary as polka dots can change your entire perspective and give a patron a completely different outlook of your universe.