February 16, 2010
Filed under: Art events — Alan @ 6:31 am
Banksy, the world famous but determinedly unknown street artist from Bristol is truly a master of the paradox.
He creates his art works in the most unlikely places, from a Guantanamo Bay detainee in Disneyland to English bank notes with the Queen’s face replaced by Princess Diana’s.
At the Berlin Film Festival Sunday 14 February, Banksy may or may not have been in attendance, but he introduced his new film “Exit Though the Gift Shop” with commentary (recorded, in a disguised voice) explaining that he never intended to make a film.
With typical wry humour he claims, “…it’s a good film as long as you’ve got very low expectations.” Critics didn’t necessarily agree with him on that – there were some rave reviews for the film.
Banksy has developed much more than a cult following with his daring and often illegal graffiti. Some of his work has been sold for hundreds of thousands of pounds, and more than half a million people in Britain and the U.S. have flocked to one or more of his four exhibitions. Banksy insists on anonymity, and though he appears in his own film, viewers can only see a shadowed silhouette.
Banksy’s graffiti is a satire on politics and cultures – much of it is considered outrageous and prosecutable by the ‘mainstream’ – but Banksy is an artist. What began as a counter-culture activity has become a world phenomenon, and he may actually realize his stated goal of raising the standing of urban graffiti art.
December 14, 2009
Filed under: Art events — Alan @ 8:04 am
A London sculptor is attempting to create an art piece that will represent the Arctic’s melting ice. By the end of the Copenhagen Conference the polar bear sculpture is specifically being designed so that it will melt into a puddle leaving only a skeleton behind.
The sculpture is known as the bear in the square and is designed by Mark Coreth who said that the piece is meant to represent much more than just polar bears.
Coreth stated that when you reach up to touch the polar bear at the same time you are touching the Arctic and the problem and thus he is hoping that as people become aware of the problem they will be motivated to help get involved with the solution as well.
The artist was inspired to create his sculptor after a visit to Northern Canada and is hoping to bring widespread attention to the plight of the Arctic and polar bears.
Pen Hadow the explorer took a trek through the Arctic at the beginning of the year and found that the ice is melting at a much faster rate than scientists initially believed.
The sculpture is a hands-on sculpture with the public encouraged to reach out and touch it so that they can personally see how the effect of their hands- or their personal contribution- causes the sculpture to melt much quicker just as personal choices can increase the depth of the climate change crisis.
December 8, 2009
Filed under: Art events — Alan @ 7:15 am
Richard Wright who has been known as one of the quietist of the flamboyant artists received the Turner Prize Award which totals £25,000.
Wright is known for his ‘out there’ style of works which are usually made of some rare and weird materials such as a whale skull or cows’ brains.
Wright said that he was shocked to find out he won the award, and that he has no idea what he will spend it on outside of some bills.
Aged 49, Wright was the oldest artist on the shortlist for the Turner making the list by one year. His work was often drawn directly onto the gallery walls in which it was displayed and at the end of a show he often whitewashes his work.
One of the unique talents of Wright is that he does not preconceive his work; instead he simply stares at the blank wall as a canvas and then gets to work. His entry for the Turner Award was a covering a large wall at Tate Britain with wallpaper with a Braque print of gold leaf geometrical patterns.
The Jury for the Turner Award including the director of Tate Britain, Stephen Deucher and Mariella Frostup the broadcaster. Both stated that they admired the beauty of his work as well as its originality.
Wright was born in London but moved to Scotland at a young age and was schooled at the Edinburgh College of Art. Currently Wright resides in the town of Glasgow.
November 26, 2009
Filed under: Art events — Alan @ 4:08 pm
The new X Factor for artists, School of Saatchi, is set to give unknowns the chance to be plucked out of their normal lives and cast up aside other contemporary artists such as Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin who are represented by Saatchi the art collector.
The show will be filmed over the three months as six artists who have been chosen to live together in an East London art studio. Over the time span the unknown artists will face various challenges to create a series of public art projects.
Included in the list of challenges is a Saatchi commission for Hastings seafront pieces, which two artists met by creating a ‘zoo without animals’ which in realty was a rock and a climbing wall for monkeys.
On another location two finalists attempted to create a ‘ghost hut’ using mesh wire scaffolding on the site of burnt out fisherman’s hut.
Although Saatchi will not make an appearance on the camera, due to his reclusive nature, there will be a panel of art experts on hand to critique the work of the finalists and asses their abilities as the show moves on.
The judges are Frank Cohen, Kate Bush, Emin, and Matt Collings.
The winner of the show will receive an art studio in London for the next three years and their very own exhibition at the State Hermitage Museum of St. Petersburg where some of the most celebrated collections in the world are housed including acquisitions by Saatchi.
October 13, 2009
Filed under: Art events — Alan @ 7:31 am
London is quickly becoming the place for the world’s richest film stars, celebrities, and largest art names to gather after the Frieze Art Fair opened this past Thursday.
One unique attribute of the London Art Fair is that it only includes the work of living artists, otherwise known as contemporary art, which has led many in the art world to consider it to be one-sided.
The Frieze Art Fair has only been in existence for the last six years, but during this short time span it quickly has become the place to be, for those involved in the international art scene.
There are over 150 stalls at the fair that feature the full glitz and glamorous works of artists such as Takashi Murakami, Tracey Emin, and Jeff Koons.
New to the fair this year, will be the Pavilion of Art and Design in Berkeley Square which opens on Wednesday to the public and will include work that is available for purchase.
October 8, 2009
Filed under: Art events — Alan @ 3:18 am
The surprising and shocking, is most people have come accustomed to expect from the Turner Prize, this year it is the fact that the prize nominees are not shocking that is unusual.
The Turner Prize is now entering its 25th year, and the contemporary art award is known for awarding honours to artists who utilize self-promotion, and excess, and shock tactics.
However, this year’s nominees are all “respectable” artists who triumph with democratic thought, without shocking displays of art. The nominees are Rogers Hiorns, Enrico David, Richard Wright, and Lucy Skaer.
Due to the moderate list, this year’s exhibition may be free from any gimmicks, and be somewhat calm for a change, which in itself is a shock, since the exhibition generally draws in a crowd that are not serious art connoisseurs.
Nominee Richard Wright from Glasgow, stated that the new focus of the award show may be due to the fact that people are now looking for a more subtle, real taste, of the world in all aspects of their life.
He went on to state that this might be due to the fact that many artists are now less focused on exclusivity, and have broadened their style to allow more people to embrace art.
Wright is known for drawing his art on gallery walls directly, instead of on canvas, which is one reason why his designs are hard to find and are not often seen as moving exhibits are.
September 17, 2009
Filed under: Art events — Alan @ 7:10 am
Obviously trying to rebuild some bridges with the artistic community Pope Benedict XVI has sent out invitations to several hundred prominent artists requesting that they come to a meeting which is aimed at restoring a quality relationship between the Catholic Church and artists.
Included under art are not only painters and sculptors but also notable figures from music, acting and the written word. The Pope has selected an emotive and presumably inspirational location for this get-together under the roof of the Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo’s stunning religiously inspired works.
The November 21 meeting will be chaired by the Pontifical Council for Culture president, Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi who has stated that this is just the first event in what will be a long-term goal of bringing together all kinds of artistic interpretation and Catholic spirituality.
He goes on to say that a good example of how the church and the artistic world have separated over the last hundred years is seen in the many functional, but ugly, church buildings that have been constructed.
He compares these buildings with the stark contrast to Michelangelo’s incredible frescoes that adorn the ceiling of where, poignantly, the meeting will take place. The incredibly diverse list of attendees may include Ennio Morricone, Bono and Bob Wilson.
