The Ladette, indeed Here’s another shout out for a great piece on Tracey Emin from the Times Online. Emin is having her first show in London in four years which, by design, should incite the usual contentiousness since it is an animation of a woman masturbating. Tracey is ready for the onslaught. “‘They’ll hate it!’ […]
Aesthetics
Lovin’ the Light
Collaborative group Lead Pencil’s “Arrival at 2 a.m.” For those of us with pioneer DNA, being lazy is tantamount to committing the worst criminal acts, like dealing drugs or murdering baby seals. So posting a shout out here instead of coining my own words is not, I repeat, not laziness. I’m getting ready for a […]
Bless The Mess
“I’m very uncomfortable with a clean, empty studio…usually, I only clean whatever area I need for a project.” –Bruce Nauman I feel you, Bruce. And your space looks fabulous compared to mine. I have to climb in these days, the rat’s nest having grown to larger than life dimensions. Maybe someday I’ll get back to […]
More on Ann Hamilton
Continuing from yesterday’s posting about the Guggenheim show, The Third Mind, here is Ann Hamilton discussing her installation, “human carriage” from an article by Scarlet Cheng in the Los Angeles Times: “You become aware of something through the culture and atmosphere you inhabit,” says Hamilton, who’s based in Ohio. “It’s an influence everywhere and nowhere […]
Misreadings, Mediations, Denials and Imaginary Projections
Ann Hamilton, human carriage What an extraordinary day spent in Manhattan at the Guggenheim and the Met. I’ll parse the joy one show at a time. “The Third Mind: American Artists Contemplate Asia: 1860-1989” is curator Alexandra Munroe’s brave revision of the influences that affected the complexity and richness of the American art tradition. Raised […]
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Beauty is the Hero
Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Kate Moss modelling for Topshop were cited as contrasting ideals of beauty in a debate on whether or Britain has become indifferent to beauty. Photograph: Corbis/AFP Beauty. A topic that never goes away. I’ve written about it many times on this blog, quoting from some of my favorite books in […]
The Indelibles
Mark Morris Dance Company performing V Some of the artists I love have achieved the state of being apotheosized. They have become, for me, untouchable and unconditionally cherished. The Indelibles. I’m sure you have your elite corps too, the ones that have connected with you at such a deep place that they are immune to […]
Roni Horn: Redolent, Bright, Sinister, Sexual
Roni Horn is a wonder. She is one of that select group of “large arc” artists whose works are epic and full scaled and yet they still feel personal, intimate and emotionally alive. The ironic stance and political positioning that walls off a lot of contemporary installation art for me is not present in her […]
Go Broad, or Go Deep
What a treasure trove is Robert Ayers’ blog, A Sky filled with Shooting Stars. Earlier this week I posted a few extracts from Ayers’ recent interview with Larry Poons. Digging a bit deeper into Ayers’ archives, I have found fascinating interviews with several other significant artists. It is now clear to me that Ayers has […]
Poons, Letting it Rip
A recent interview with the Zen koan-like and enigmatic artist Larry Poons can be read in its entirety on Robert Ayers’ excellent blog, A sky filled with Shooting Stars. Poons has a show of new work up in Chelsea, and it is quite a departure from earlier “dot” paintings. Larry Poons Here is a sample […]