Art as Authority

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Posted to Life with Art | San Diego

by Doug Simay

Late summer shows invariably are largely survey or group exhibitions. Such is the case in the current LA art scene. I remember in rosier economic times that most dealers took the last half of August off to have a little personal R&R time. Not this year. Regardless of the stated reasons (from “having too many projects on the wish list” to “paying overhead”) most dealers will be open and in action - rolling right in to the season’s inaugural exhibitions in early September. Too bad. We all need the rejuvenation that comes with personal R&R.

Tony Berlant at LA Louver (Venice through August 28).
The artist’s name is synonymous with nailed, tin collage. In this exhibition of his most current work we are given the chance to see the role that photography has always played in his work. In these “paintings” the dominant theme and spirit is conveyed by altered photographs that have been printed onto the painting’s substrate. Affixed tin, nailed on top of the images gives the work dimension and psychological meaning. This work will give any fan of Berlant a huge boost in insight about his artistic process.

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Posted to Art Reviews | Doug Simay's Best Picks

Interview by Paul Klein and Art Letter (published with permission)

Michael Darling - Head Curator, MCA Chicago

On the job just a month, Michael Darling is the new Head Curator of Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art. Chosen by Director Madeleine Grynsztejn, Darling's appointment confirms the museum's shifted direction since Grynsztejn's arrival. What used to be a "We'll bring art to the Hinterlands attitude," has bloomed into a "We respect what's going on here; let's have a dialog" mentality. Look for it as you read the interview.

Paul Klein: Let's start with the basics. What is a curator?

Michael Darling: I think it's somebody that is, in a way, a filter for the public. It's somebody that's out there, looking at art constantly, seeing art from all periods, all areas, and is hopefully sifting through it, looking for the most exciting, most relevant material, and then bringing that to the public - usually in the form of a museum, or a gallery or, I suppose more and more, online in some way. But I think it would be that - almost an "editor" of all this material out there in the world.

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Posted to News | Regards

from the press release

"Chicharito Hernandez" - Isalas Crow

SUSHI Announces Fall Performance Schedule
Contemporary lineup featuring dance, music and artists from around the world

SUSHI Contemporary Performance and Visual Arts, continues a powerful schedule showcasing the latest in contemporary dance, art and music. Upcoming exhibits and performances presented by SUSHI include:

Kaleidoscope - Isaias Crow
August 27-September 24, Gallery Hours: Wednesday-Fridays, 1-6 p.m.
Isaias Crow explores the juxtaposition of street art and abstract expressionism in sculptural paintings that blend graphic design, graffiti art and community activism. Just as a kaleidoscope uses shifting prisms of light to form fresh images, in Crow’s work geometric shapes collide into loosely figurative forms.

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Spun by Art as Authority at 05:51 AM | Permalink
Posted to Openings & Events | San Diego

from the press release

“Four Seasons of Sadness”
August 27th at 7pm
1515 Ninth Ave, Downtown, San Diego 92101


When I was six, someone built a place for me to play, a house with cardboard walls. It was built to my size with a small door that only I could enter, with only one window that I liked to keep closed so that no one could know what was going on inside. The house was situated on the balcony of my house in the open air. If it rained, I covered it with plastic, the house had to survive. I would pass hours inside. I would draw all the women in which I was going to convert.

Continue reading ""Four Seasons of Sadness" - Judith Pedroza & Michael Rothmann" »

Spun by Art as Authority at 04:50 PM | Permalink
Posted to Openings & Events | San Diego

by Lea Dennis

Sea Rocket Bistro is proud to present the artwork of artist Katherine Brannock. Katherine is showing some incredible ink drawings, "Creatures", as well as a unique painting throughout the restaurant interior that will change over the coming weeks.

We're throwing a party to welcome Katherine on Thursday, September 2, 2010 at 5pm. Please join us to celebrate this collaboration and check out some really amazing work.

Sea Rocket Bistro is a farm-to-table restaurant focusing on sustainable, local food and craft beers with vegan, veggie & meat (ethically raised) options. At Sea Rocket we recognize we are located in the center of a vibrant creative community. We invite local artists to show their work in our space so their neighbors have a chance get to know them, and we enjoy how each artist changes our space. 100% of art sales go to the artist.

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Posted to Openings & Events | San Diego

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by Kevin Freitas

KV Tomney - "Low Hedge"

"It finally dawned on me that in this place that we set aside to nurture culture and study its workings, culture didn't work."
— Dave Hickey

If you have read Dave Hickey's collection of essays in his book Air Guitar you'll recognize the above quote about his forceful entry into academia and discovering that "talk" about the things one could love - like Jazz, bookstores, record shops, and art galleries (Hickey having been baptized at a tender young age by such enticing waters) - was nonexistent at the University level, instead "[professors] exempted by their status from the whims of affection and the commerce of opinion, could only mark their territory from the podium, with footnotes, and speak in the language of authority about things they did not love." In short, Hickey is talking about a disconnect between art with a capital "A" University style and the everyday discussions about art and popular culture that occur in public spaces, bars, and at the supermarket. Now it might be a stretch to make a comparison between Hickey's assessment of the University system some 10 years ago and an annual juried exhibition in La Jolla but I'll try anyway, given there still exists today I believe, a separation between art and its public and those who claim to know something about it. This might also be seen in the work chosen for the Athenaeum's 19th annual juried exhibition. Could I or anyone else truly love or be inspired by what they saw at the Athenaeum? Tough to say. I do question rather aimlessly though and perhaps rhetorically, what Hickey might think about the University system now and if art in general has become anymore democratic or accessible. Can we love art today as much as we love Lady Gaga?

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Posted to Art Reviews | San Diego

Continue reading "David Russell Talbott Book signing and art show" »

Spun by Art as Authority at 08:03 AM | Permalink
Posted to Openings & Events | San Diego

Opening: September 4, 2010
6 - 10pm

Lulubells Toy Bodega

KAI ONE on ebay

Josh Flood Art

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Posted to Graffiti stories | Openings & Events

from the press release

Disclaimer: Art as Authority does not claim to represent the Walt Disney Company in any way, and Art as Authority is not an employee or employed by The Walt Disney Company. Disclaimer: Above image is not representative of the exhibition's content.

August 21 – November 21, 2010

Experience the feeling of being underwater in a new installation by Richard Gleaves titled Liquid. Gleaves will fill the Parker Gallery with a floating 8-foot cube constructed from 19,000 feet of monofilament fishing line. The cube creates what the artist calls "a tactile field of simulated liquid" which abstractly represents both the visual and tactile properties of water. Viewers are encouraged to not just look at the artwork, but also to walk through it and under it to experience the sensation of liquid. Liquid will be on view in the OMA Parker Gallery August 21 through November 21, 2010. Meet the artist Richard Gleaves on Saturday, September 25 at 2:00 p.m. and hear him discuss the concept behind his new installation. The talk is free with admission and free for OMA members. Refreshments will be provided.

The concept for Liquid relates to the artist’s childhood growing up on the seashore. His family had a beach house on the sand in Sunset Beach, California (in Orange County), so every summer was spent being a beach kid. His older brothers were active fishermen, so fishing poles and lots of fishing line were always around the house. As a result, fishing line is something he feels very comfortable with, having grown up playing with it.

Gleaves is no stranger to the San Diego art scene. His work has been featured at the San Diego Museum of Art, The New Children’s Museum, California Center for the Arts, Escondido, Sushi Performing Art and many local galleries. Born in Los Angeles, Gleaves moved to San Diego to study at University of California, San Diego and San Diego State University. He received a M.A. in Educational Technology from SDSU after a year of studying visual arts at UCSD. Gleaves currently lives and works in La Jolla, California.

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Posted to Openings & Events | San Diego

from the press release

Victory! After compelling testimony from California couples who are denied the freedom to marry, Federal District Judge Vaughn Walker ruled today that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. The case will now move to the Court of Appeals.

We owe Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown a great deal of gratitude for their unprecedented decision not to defend this discriminatory measure, leaving only Andrew Pugno’s anti-LGBT extremist group to defend the case.

Celebrate this incredible victory by defending it.

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Posted to News | San Diego

Spun by Art as Authority at 10:12 PM | Permalink
Posted to Openings & Events

by Marilyn Mitchell

"Portraits from the Golden Age of Jazz" opened at the Cannon Art Gallery in Carlsbad this past Saturday along with a talk by Dirk Sutro. The collection includes 71 black & white photographs by William Gottlieb and contemporary color photographs of local jazz musicians. Although jazz enthusiasts may be the most appreciative audience for this show, the Gottlieb's images are sufficiently distinctive to make them pleasurable viewing for anyone.

Dirk Sutro's talk gave us some inside information about William Gottlieb. He was a journalist and he took up photography to enhance his writing. Despite the fact that he is not a 'fine art' photographer, his compositions and ability to capture an authentic emotion from his subjects sets his photos apart. Try this challenge - view the black & white photos and then the contemporary color photos and decide which ones you think have greater urgency or a sense of reality. In my opinion, the black & white ones are far superior to the contemporary ones. It appears that Gottlieb had greater access to his subjects and was comfortable showing us an intimate side of these musicians.

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Posted to Art Reviews