Metacritic
by Richard Gleaves
juin 29, 2008
Hervé Crespel à la ferme auberge La Ville Andon, Plélo France
by Hervé Crespel
La ville Andon est une ferme auberge qui expose de l'art contemporain depuis plusieurs années. Paradoxe apparent qui concilie tradition du terroir (les fameuses andouilles fumées) et modernité artistique.
Cette année l’exposition sera le reflet de ces ambitions, puisque sera présentée la collection des œuvres acquises depuis le début de l’initiative et dévoilé le travail actuel des artistes sur le thème de l’andouille dans une joyeuse confrontation. HC
Marie-Claire et Hervé Caillebot ont le plaisir de vous inviter au vernissage exceptionnel de l’exposition en présence de nombreux artistes et des Villandonniens, le vendredi 4 juillet 2008 à partir de 18h30. Mise en lumière Benoît Quéro.
Ferme-Auberge La Ville-Andon
22170 PLELO
Tél. (01133) 2 96 74 21 77
juin 26, 2008
350 Words for Lael Corbin
by Kevin Freitas
My current review of Lael Corbin's exhibit entitled Remodel, installed and on view through July 5th at Luis De Jesus Seminal Projects in Little Italy (San Diego), appeared in this week's CityBeat. Lael you might recall, is one of this year's San Diego Art Prize winners, who had a two-person show with Roman De Salvo, a few months back at L Street Gallery downtown. This is Lael's first major solo show and he has managed to completely overtake and reconstruct De Jesus' gallery - much to De Jesus' delight I might add - that leaves us impressed by its sheer execution, but lacks maybe, a tad bit of inspiration and passion, a little soul as they say. No worries here though, Lael still remains on top, and is well on his way to an impressive career. This fact, I have been convinced of for long a long time now. You can read the rest of the review below. Look for an expanded review right here on the blog - coming soon.
Lael Corbin - front of Luis De Jesus Seminal Projects
Art in review
Lael Corbin remodels his art
By Kevin Freitas
Luis De Jesus Seminal Projects Gallery is under renovation and San Diego artist Lael Corbin is heading up the project. His exhibition features a floor plan, ... More
Lael Corbin - toolbelt
More images of Remodel can found on the gallery's blog here.
Incoming
by Kevin Freitas
July is heating up with a series of gallery events that you'll probably won't want to miss!
Garage Gallery
On July the 5th (4141 Alabama Street, S.D.) at 7pm, the Garage will host an exhibition of drawing from across the country. These artists are pushing the form into some very interesting areas. The aritists are:
Tony Bradley, DeDe Harter, Richard Reyes, Janet Marie, Alex Rheault, Maura Vazakas, Karen Akamine, Jodie Hays, Sean Smuda
Device Gallery Debuts in La Jolla with Fantastic Contraption Exhibition,
July 19 – Sept. 2, 2008
Inaugural Show Creates a surreal world grounded in Artistry, Craftsmanship, and a Fascination with the Mechanical.
Device Gallery opens its doors in La Jolla, CA with its inaugural exhibition, titled Fantastic Contraption. The gallery will host an opening reception, Saturday, July 19 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Fantastic Contraption features the work of 18 innovative artists exploring the mechanical nature of man through various disciplines. The collection is a bold and arresting assemblage of sculpture, paintings, photographs, and illustrations which sets the tone for Device’s unique and unusual aesthetic.
Featured artists include:
Ashley Wood, Christopher Conte, D. Hwang, Eduard Anikonov, Eric Joyner, Gregory Brotherton, H.R. Giger, Joey Vaiasuso, John U. Abrahamson, Kazuhiko Nakamura, Mike Libby, Nemo Gould, Stéphane Halleux, Theo Kamecke, Viktor Keon, Wayne Martin Belger, William B. Hand and Zoran Milivojevic.
“Individually, each of these artists have created a significant body of work that warrants praise and discussion” said Device co-founder, Amy Brotherton. “However, as a collective, their work takes on a new and powerful meaning, creating a world in which science and fiction, artistry and craftsmanship, and the surreal and the real co-exist.”
Device Gallery’s opening reception coincides with the release of the book Device Volume 1 - Fantastic Contraption, published by IDW Publishing. The 136-page art book takes an in-depth look at the artists and art featured in the exhibition.
The Device Gallery was founded by Amy Brotherton and her husband, artist Gregory Brotherton (www.brotron.com), who bring a combined 35 years of experience in fine and commercial art to Device. Greg is an award-winning commercial artist, and a self-taught fine artist whose arresting sculptures transform such vernacular objects as vacuum cleaners, mixers and cars into fantastic interpretations of myth and imagination. Amy's extensive experience in event planning, fundraising and public relations has provided her the opportunity to work with some of the most celebrated and distinguished artists, writers and filmmakers of our time.
Device Gallery’s first show, Fantastic Contraption, runs July 19 through September 2.
The next exhibit, Divide and Contour, commences September 6, and will spotlight the work of Tom Thewes, Greg Brotherton and Anthony Leonardi III.
The Device Gallery exhibits contemporary artwork that embraces the spirit of invention and ingenuity. Drawn to the juxtaposition between the classical and the unusual, the gallery features works bound by artistry and skill, rather then genre or medium. Device is located in La Jolla, CA, at 7881 Drury Lane, on the corner of Prospect and Drury Lane, next to the Hard Rock Café. For information, call 858.454.1301 Visit Device Gallery on the Web at www.devicegallery.com
Contact: Colleen Gibbs
760.431.7264
Migraine Machine by Greg Brotherton. Photo by Ted Coakley
Voiture GPS, Navigation Car by Stéphane Halleux. Photo by Muriel Thies
Device Gallery
Adapta Project presents:
A Room of One's Own: Intimate Art in Contemporary Spaces at Beachfront Development in Baja California Terra Sur Coastal Resort Hosts Free Bi-National Art Exhibit July 19 - 27
Adapta Project is back, and in exactly one month, July 19, we'll be taking over an oceanfront home outside of Playas, Tijuana for a group show featuring site-specific installations, performance art, video art, paintings and photography by San Diego, Tijuana, Estonia, Mexico City and Ensenada artists. Check out the show's web page here: http://onesownartshow.com We'll have a shuttle running from San Diego to Tijuana, so you can tell your readers they have no reason to be scared or inconvenienced. We heart Tijuana cultura and we think you and your readers will too after they experience this multi-sensory show in such a beautiful space.
BAJA CALIFORNIA, Mexico – A Room of One's Own: Intimate Art in Contemporary Spaces, a new exhibit by Adapta Project, will open on Saturday, July 19, 5 - 11 p.m. at Terra Sur, a new residential resort community, south of San Diego near Rosarito Beach.
In Adapta Project’s upcoming curatorial endeavor, internationally renowned artists will create site-specific work within the luxury home, altering each room or space to result in multi-sensory experiences. The exhibit is expected to feature new installations, paintings, performance pieces and video and audio art by Tijuana, San Diego, Estonia and Mexico City artists to include Tania Candiani, Aldo Guerra, Mely Barragan, Daniel Ruanova and others.
Each of the artworks on view in the first luxury custom home at Terra Sur Coastal Resort will represent work inspired by the Baja region and the subjects of ownership and identity.
“This is an incredible opportunity to present some of the most interesting new art being made on the West Coast," said Guillermo Martinez de Castro (“Mannix”), the residential resort's developer and lead architect, who is underwriting the exhibit. "It will be an exciting marriage of architecture - created by Mexico and San Diego-based architects - and art inspired by that architecture.”
The unveiling celebration of “A Room of One’s Own” on July 19 will include artists in attendance and music. Reservations are requested at adaptaproject@gmail.com.
A free shuttle service will be available from San Diego; shuttle reservations are required by emailing adaptaproject@gmail.com and space is limited (check www.adaptaproject.com for more details).
The exhibit will remain open through July 27.
Terra Sur is located just eight miles south of the U.S./Mexico International Border at San Ysidro. For detailed driving directions or more information about the art exhibit, visit www.adaptaproject.com or www.terrasurbaja.com.
Adapta Project:
A Room of One’s Own is one of only a handful of endeavors that the San Diego-based curatorial collective known as Adapta Project has undertaken this year. Earlier this spring, the arts group created a themed exhibit for the new Rob Wellington Quigley-designed Children's Museum in downtown San Diego. Quigley is one of the acclaimed architects from both sides of the U.S./Mexican border who are designing the seven single-family detached homes in the first phase of Terra Sur.
Adapta Project was founded in 2007 to offer an alternative perspective for showing and viewing artistic expression outside of conventional venues.
This collaborative initiative of curating and creating art in response to differing spaces is intended to positively influence and impact the experience of everyone involved, and expand existing opportunities currently available for presenting art. For more information, call 619.436.9034 or log onto www.adaptaproject.com
Terra Sur:
Currently under construction along the scenic coast just eight miles south of the U.S. border between Tijuana and Rosarito, Terra Sur Coastal Resort will include 16 individually and uniquely-designed beachfront single-family homes, two condo mid-rise towers with 103 units over parking all amid beautiful rugged coastline, lush native landscaping with gardens, terraces and coastal walkways, retail, restaurant and a high-end spa.
Terra Sur is being designed by some of the border region's most acclaimed architects. These include notable San Diego-based firms Rob Wellington Quigley, Spurlock-Poirier Landscape Architects, Safdie Rabines Architects, Ocean Pacific Design and Studio E Architects as well as Baja-based REDI Design.
Terra Sur is being developed by Paladin Redi Investors Baja, LLC, a joint venture between U.S.-based companies, Paladin Latin America Investors, LLC, and REDI International, LLC. REDI, headquartered in the Baja Coast Region, is one of the area's leading bi-national real estate development companies founded by enterprising architect and developer Guillermo Martinez (Mannix) de Castro with more than $500 million in projects planned or underway along the Baja California peninsula. For more info, visit www.terrasurbaja.com.
juin 24, 2008
Not Tapped Out Yet - More Video
video provided by Michele Guieu
(Click image)
Local San Diego artist Michele Guieu was there, were you? Michele graciously video taped the first three rounds of "Art Tapout," held at Agitprop Gallery in North Park. I thank Michele for her support and interest and all the artists who participated: Sandra Doore, Chris Warr, Zuri Waters, Joe Yorty, and Claire Zitzow. I also thank David White, Director of Agitprop, for his collaboration and organization of this spectacular event, and all of you who attended the opening night ceremonies. Thanks goes to Richard Gleaves (fellow Art as Authority contributor), for the additional video footage already posted here on the blog. The exhibit of the artworks discussed, along with complete video coverage of all five rounds, will be up and on view at Agitprop Gallery through July 13th. Won't you please stop by. Kevin Freitas
Art Tapout Agitprop / Round 1: Sandra Doore - part 2
Art Tapout Agitprop / Round 2: Joe Yorty - part 1
Art Tapout Agitprop / Round 2: Joe Yorty - part 2
Art Tapout Agitprop / Round 3: Zuri Waters - part 1
Art Tapout Agitprop / Round 3: Zuri Waters - part 2
Art Tapout Agitprop / Round 3: Zuri Waters - part 3
Art Tapout Agitprop / Round 3: Zuri Waters - part 4
juin 23, 2008
"You can almost smell the dirty concrete" - photos by Jesse
photos by Jesse, intro by KAI1
"I've taken to calling Jesse's photographs "Gutter Photojournalism". They invoke a remarkable aura of the underbelly of misanthropy, a world full of characters either genuine or self contrived. You can almost smell the dirty concrete and sweat in his photos. His quick hand captures grit and pores, alcoholic madness, true scum, freewheeling art exhibitions, pure evil, madness, and the ever present soul of the rag tag masses fighting for freedom from ennui. He takes the pictures that I wish I could take but something inside me won't let me. He captures those split seconds that always seem to melt away as my hand goes for my camera. He makes the bad look good and the absolutely shitty look holy. He has a really interesting blog at http://youvegotnothing.blogspot.com"
I would only add that these images are compelling, tragic (some), perverse in a voyeuristic way, making them all that more attractive, as well as being unceremoniously prideful and unabashed in their brutal honesty. It is a "slice of life" that many of us are too ashamed or embarassed to acknowledge, in it, we see our own fragility. In the spirit of Larry Clark and Nan Goldin, these photos by Jesse might shock and appal you, but I promise you, they won't leave you indifferent. Kevin Freitas
juin 22, 2008
hoping Heaven has a sense of humor
George Carlin 1937-2008
by Kevin Freitas
juin 20, 2008
Art Tapout - Live!
video provided by Richard Gleaves
Round 1: Sandra Doore vs. Kevin Freitas (26:36)
Part 2
Part 3
Round 2: Joe Yorty vs. Kevin Freitas (21:46)
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Front-row footage of all 5 rounds is on display with the contested work at Agitprop Gallery. Through July 13.
juin 13, 2008
Fever Pitch
by Kevin Freitas
(Click image)
There seems to be a slow rolling boil brewing in the underbelly of the San Diego art community, as the heat of past and present critical observations (made) by (me) of what is going on in that enclave, and specifically, about one individual's endeavor, is turned up. Or, it's at least deemed important enough to mention, in a current UT Street blog entry by Erin Glass.
I appreciate the tongue-in-cheek ribbing made in Erin's commentary, and while I would agree that 99% of the viral commentary was insulting and off topic, the review I wrote was not. Honest, truthful sure it was, corrosive, hardly, unless you want to see the word "disappointing" enter the Urban Dictionary.
Anyway, that review in CityBeat may have been the impetus behind a larger endeavor, being performed tomorrow night in collaboration with Agitprop Gallery in Northpark, with David White (Agitprop's director), myself, and the following artists who graciously agreed to participate: Sandra Doore, Chris Warr, Zuri Waters, Joe Yorty, and Claire Zitzow. This event, a "LIVE" critique of the work of these artists, will kick-off at 7pm. Sandra Doore will also be pulling a double shift that evening, exhibiting works that she and gallery director, Lynn Susholtz of Art Produce Gallery, curated together entitled Push Pull.
You can read the UT blog below:
LIFE IMITATES INTERNET: Artists and critic cage fight
by Erin Glass
Since you probably have a life we're guessing you missed the Great Opinion War that occurred in the depths of the online comments section of a City Beat art review by Kevin Freitas last February.
juin 12, 2008
"Poor Al" Barasch @ C.A.V.E Gallery, Venice
by "Poor Al" Barasch
I have a show here on the west side on Friday night. I'm showing for the first time in LA in a long time (well over a year). I'm exhibiting with 2 of my friends, John Michael Gill and Jeremy Szuder, at a brand new gallery my friend opened called C.A.V.E.
The work is a series I've been working on for 7 years called Junk Mail Jamming. I've been drawing on junk mail and sending it back to the folks that sent it, ever since 9/11. I was struck by a piece of junk mail I received in December of 2001; it was red, white, and blue and had a bald eagle with the text 'Urgent! Open Imediately!' on the front. I opened it, and apparently Adelphia, thought it was urgent and patriotic for me to get their cable service because of the nation's tragedy. At that moment, I decided I would get revenge on the people that send me junk mail instead of just complaining about it. I figured I would waste as much of their money and time as they had mine. This "junked" mail went back as a robotic bald eagle with the phrase 'Good patriots buy first and ask questions later!' and for one moment, I felt like the hero-of-all that hate junk mail. I've continued this tradition for years, and now feel it's time to show it to the public.
The originals are sent back 'postage paid' to the offending parties, and so I've laid out a book of 50 of the best, and will be publishing them in a book (Pre-Orders available for first limited run of 200).
I also have 32 of the pieces on display as one-of-a-kind framed prints, including some other random stuff.
Friday the 13th, 2008. 6-10pm
507 Rose Ave. Venice, CA
For more info call 310.428.6387
Hope to see you there!!
-Al
juin 11, 2008
MFA '08 - UCSD
PRESS RELEASE
Seth Augustine, Kate Barclay, Cathy de la Cruz, Deanna Erdmann, Kate Hoffman, Scott Horsley, Sara Hunsucker, Derek Lomas, Jennifer Medlin, Elyse Montague, Adam Moyer, Owen Mundy, Kelly Pendergrast, Iana Quesnell, Katherine Sweetman, Nina Waisman, Kate Wall, Felipe Zuñiga
6 June > 6 July 2008
The University Art Gallery is delighted to present its annual exhibition of work by the graduating Masters of Fine Art students from the Department of Visual Arts at the University of California, San Diego. The work of these eighteen emerging artists ranges from interactive media, sculpture, film/video, photography to installation and reflects the culmination of their time spent at UCSD.
Adriene Jenik, MFA graduate program faculty advisor said:
“As a whole, the work of our recent Masters in Fine Art graduates reflects the impulses, obsessions and networks of exchange at play in contemporary art today. The work also reflects the overarching commitment within the Visual Arts Department to fostering art making and art discourse in a truly inter-media environment. At University of California San Diego, it is understood that art emerges from an often messy tangle of ideas, material engagement, intellectual research, and conversation.”
Every Saturday (7, 14, 21, 28 June and 5 July) at 2pm artists exhibiting in the show will lead guided tours through the gallery, providing a unique opportunity to further understand the work exhibited as well as provide insight into the unique experience of being a post-graduate student at UCSD. Please RSVP to uag@ucsd.edu if you would like to attend one of these talks, as space is limited.
The University Art Gallery is open Tuesday -Saturday, 11am -5pm.
For further information please ring 858.534.2107 or email uag@ucsd.edu.
UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO
MANDEVILLE CENTER
9500 GILMAN DRIVE
La Jolla, CA
Tuesday > Saturday / 11am > 5pm
TEL 858.534.2107
FAX 858.822.3548
uag@ucsd.edu Free Admission
juin 08, 2008
Lions for Lambs - Art and Artists in the Public Discourse
by Kevin Freitas
The following essay is part philosophical, part query into the role of art and artists in today’s social and political climate. It is disguised as a movie review of a popular film, Lions for Lambs, which spurred its writing.
I watched the film Lions for Lambs the other night. Some of you know this film already, starring Robert Redford, a very tired and grandmotherly looking Meryl Streep, and Tom Cruise. I’m not really a fan per se, of any one of these actors — except for having a fantasy once, of replacing Tom Cruise as Joel in Risky Business — particularly the scene at home, frolicking on the stairs with Rebecca De Mornay in tow. I also enjoyed the goading and inspiration Joel gets from Miles, his best friend in the film, just before the soon-to-be-called escort girl De Mornay shows up. It just might be a metaphor for life as well.
“Joel, you wanna know something?” Miles says. “Every now and then say, 'What the fuck.' 'What the fuck' gives you freedom. Freedom brings opportunity. Opportunity makes your future. If you can’t say it, you can’t do it.”
Ah Miles, you are so right! But I digress — on to Lions for Lambs.
The film’s entire plot centers around two main groups, playing the role of former Lions to their ailing and misguided Lambs. In doing so, they give back, as educators and mentors, a sense of self-discovery and global awareness. They do not, however, command or take from (them) their lives by putting them in danger, figuratively or otherwise. A third group, Ernest and Arian from Special Forces on a covert mission in Afghanistan, are ordered to capture the mountainous “high ground,” hold it, defeat the enemy, and sow the seeds of Democracy. They are the reason and the source of debate, amongst the previous group’s individual, moral, and patriotic beliefs, exit strategies, and solutions for winning the war on terror, which are flayed out in front of the now passive Lions. Ernest and Arian are the thorn in their side, their conscious pricking the air out of the war’s reality and its inevitable outcome of winning, losing, and dying. They represent the immutable truth — stay or go home.
Like some varsity debate squad, the antagonists only have one hour to make their case; and while it is a luxury for them, one hour is crucial for the survival and future of Ernest and Arian. Time is not on their side. And as the government that put them there on that abandoned hilltop is unable to prevent either the outcome or their fate, university professor Dr. Stephen Malley (Robert Redford), journalist Janine Roth (Meryl Streep), and Senator Jasper Irving (Tom Cruise) try to put the pieces of a mismanaged war back on the rails to a victory or some acceptable conclusion, or at the very least, they try to convince one another to do something they no longer can — make a difference.
There is quite a bit of discussion in this pseudo docu-drama film, not much action, if you count the fire-fight that ensues between the Special Forces and the Taliban, but nonetheless, forgetting the rather apathetic acting by Redford in his role as professor, the annoyed and rather hurried delivery of her lines by Streep, and the less than convincing role as Senator and mastermind behind the covert action by Cruise, the movie’s most complex and convincing character is Andrew Garfield, who plays Todd Hayes, a student in Redford’s class. Let’s just say that he also represents an immutable truth. Unlike Ernest and Arian ordered to stay and fight, Hayes has the freedom to choose and act, the education, and the apathy to go along with it. He represents the other side of the spectrum, morally outraged but unable or unwilling to fight.
It is interesting to note that Cruise’s strategy is to take the higher ground both militarily and morally – proving once again to the world that America is strong and right, which also underlies the film’s message of becoming an active participant in the decisions one makes to fight or stand down, in war like in life. It makes us feel rather fuzzy and warm inside, but at the same time, irritable and frustrated as we too, strive to achieve that high ground. It isn’t enough to state that you’re for or against a certain policy it seems, but that you take action to see that policy succeed. “Whatever it takes,” says Senator Irving — and out of Iraq by 2013, says Senator McCain.
So, while Senator Irving tries to convince Janine Roth, a journalistic lion in her younger years, to speak her “truth” once again, an appetite for the truth she has seemingly lost over the years – but this time about the progress in Afghanistan – Roth suddenly realizes that she has been reporting propaganda all these years, wrapped in a veil of pre-ordained sound bytes. A lot like, if you will, introducing a wolf in sheep’s clothing to your unsuspecting herd.
During this time, Professor Malley tries to convince his young protégé to take control of his life, through a weak series of arguments and Vietnam War anecdotes, that yields the following insight: “If you fail, you’ll know that you at least tried.” As the movie continues to flip-flop back and forth to each group, we begin to realize that failure is not an option for Ernest and Arian. It is a matter of life and death.
I actually like this film a lot, despite its lame and quirky acting. Yes, it got me thinking about the war (the movie’s obvious intent), but when do we ever stop thinking about it – its soldiers, its civilians, its cost? It also made me wonder about the role of art and its artists in comparison. War has its soldiers, art has its artists. My God, what a strange parallel I’ve made. There are currently 4,078 soldiers who have died in the war in Iraq, 497 in Afghanistan, and just recently, the great Robert Rauschenberg – artiste extraordinaire – passed away. These soldiers may have fought for Operation Enduring Freedom, but Bob fought for Enduring Art. Is it fair to compare and contrast these two events, or for that matter, is it fair to compare soldiers to artists? I believe both living and dying soldiers, and Rauschenberg, are heroes.
It is, however, funny to talk about heroics these days; somehow it feels diluted, misrepresented, less romantic maybe, less important – I don’t know. Why are there so many superhero movies coming out of Hollywood these days? The Hulk, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Fantastic Four, Batman et al. Are we longing for a real American hero or missing relevant role models to look up to? Is it a case of the blues or purely nostalgic? Where’s the Duke and Captain America?
Where is an artist’s responsibility in this war, if any? Despite all the Shepherd Fairey posters of Obama, the art websites and blogs (what I call net surfers for Peace and the end to the war), and the endless “call for artists,” exhibits, auctions, funds, festivals, donations ad nauseam, inclined to stop it. Perhaps, it will be the outrage heard in the heart of D.C. by tens of thousands of artists, chanting in unison, “Bring our troops home now!” It would hardly make a roar. I’m not blaming artists, I’m just wondering how effective their impact on American and foreign politics is. Can we really stop or even hope to change it?
I can hear the cries now, “Besos, not bombs,” but it is still not enough. You could argue, and I would agree, that any fighting should be done on the canvas or between it and the artist. The goal, obviously, is to make the most important piece of art within our times, but it doesn’t exist in a vacuum. And artists don’t either, except that you couldn’t tell, view all the machinations that surround their exclusive existence within the art world and the supporters – galleries, collectors, museums – who feed off of them. I would like to think that critics are the only ones keeping the artists honest, other than the artist’s themselves – which is even then, debatable. How does the art world match up with the real world, you might wonder? They don’t. But they should, or at least they could blend more.
Am I calling for artists to take up arms? Well, not exactly. Just don’t give work to an auction to Save Darfur and expect to sell it, with the only benefit being just another line on an already bloated resume. A little harsh? No, I don’t think so. Times have changed; the role and position artists had when Rauschenberg was a young artist truly meant something to them and to the public. Artists the caliber of Rauschenberg were “Hollywood stars” looked at and appreciated by a broad population, discussed at the dinner table, and debated in bars all across this fine country – not to mention featured on the covers of major magazines and exposed in major museums. They were in the mainstream of a public life, making work that meant something because it was in sync with the advancement of the society’s technological, social, and economic gains – meaning it was as inventive as the discoveries being made every day in other domains.
Today, we are literally bombarded with convenience and compartmentalized stimulus components we know as cell phones, in which our lives, and how we perceive them, have been digitalized, pixelized, and fractured into little bytes of electronic media. And artists can only hope to keep up with, let alone compete for, the public’s attention. Some artists have adapted the strategy of mass-marketing, their unique images becoming rapidly less so, as they print them on everything from coffee mugs to T-shirts and back again. The technological advances and online accessibility to printing and printed matter, has usurped the original. A majority of artists are endlessly reproducing giclées from their original works of art. It doesn’t seem to occur to them that the giclée is not going to sell any faster than the original, even at a reduced price. Why is this? The answer may lie within the image, content, idea, and importance of the original and a generally disinterested public. As the original slips from our view, having now been reduced in size, flattened, and spewed out into the hundreds, did we not also throw out the five senses God gave us and the reasoning and judgment that go with them?
The point is this: we need an authentic direct response by artists to the times and conditions we’re living in. It’s about broadening the scope and vision, the definition of how art and its artists exist in the public eye. This could, in turn, build a broader appreciation and understanding of an artwork, based on its quality and intent, beyond its current and tired public perception of a “universal interconnected poetic meaning,” that no one seems to see or respond to, in quite the same way as its creator or curator. I believe for any of this to work, it is important to change the context and the environment that we find most of the artwork, still seen to this day, by a very limited and select group of individuals. There is no "human condition" that exists within the walls of a museum. It only exists outside in the real world where people are living and dying by it. The key word is human and it doesn't take being an artist to realize this.
For example, if you do end up making work that contests the war or, for that matter, any “politicized” artwork, a gallery or a museum is the very last place it should be shown. It should end up in the hands of a buyer/collector who sympathizes with the cause and then can facilitate its exposure to a larger social network. Or it should end up on the street, in front of hundreds, to be debated and discussed like thousands of different opinions everyday.
A friend recently told me about an exhibit she organized after 9/11. She opened up her gallery to the public, left art materials and frames on the table, and let anyone, anywhere, at any time – express themselves. She quite unassumingly said, “People need a place to process.” It occurred to me that the processing of too much information and the sometime visceral emotions it can produce has put the artist and the public at the very same crossroads of stifling any substantive response or differences, and in those rare occasions when they do succeed, there exist very few places where it can be safely shared. For all the freedoms a democracy gives us, they are just as easily regulated by reactionary conservative policy. Which, by the way, most artists don’t do well surviving underneath.
I don’t doubt the integrity of most work made by artists; what I do question is the efficiency of the content and message within the artwork that has been lobotomized by the environment in which it is contained – i.e. the galleries and museums. Should it really matter where we see good art? Take the importance off the institution and sales, and look what is left – the art. Why not let the museums archive? Let them be the keepers of the Holy Grail, the sacred and the profound; let the art fairs and biennials expand and encompass the latest artistic movement or technology; build larger and better cultural centers that encompass all the arts, dance, theatre, et al – places where people come to study, create, live, and work. Let galleries die off, let the art of education and the education of the arts reign freely in public and educational institutions, vote into office candidates sympathetic to the arts; and finally, for those who buy and collect, let them, of course, via access to a data bank of images and stock.
In my dreams, right?
If we’re dreaming, why not make it a reality? The reality is that it may start with the artist, but it doesn’t always end with the artwork. The work and the artist have to have something, that little extra something, a little magic that comes from within their soul – it is the only thing that is going to make them unique and recognizable. Art can’t lie, it never could; if it tries, it fails, no matter how hard you try to paint it differently. If it fails, it fails us. Let’s change the system, let’s make something good, don’t be so selfish, and don’t rely on others or the marbled hallways to justify it. Make art because it’s you — your technique and style are just the tools to get the job done. The medium is the message. What do you have to lose?
juin 06, 2008
Gettin' down with Andy Howell
by Kevin Freitas
San Diego home boy Andy Howell is at it again, this time, with a huge spread in this month's (June) Juxtapoz. Let's face it, the guy deserves it! Go give him some huge props the next time you see him on the street, and in the meantime, buy the magazine at your local newstand. Congrats Andy!
juin 02, 2008
Robert Gray
by Richard Gleaves
Gray's current show (at Garage Gallery in North Park) consists of 18 paintings on wood panel.
The older works — which make up the majority of the show — derive formally from the 1950's-style geometric abstraction of period jazz album covers and Saul Bass film titles.
As such they are well-made and have retro appeal, but then things get interesting: the paint handling foregoes 50's modern flatness for the patchy quality of do-it-yourself faux-antique finishing, while the colors themselves are escapees from the 80's designer era. In a word the works are asynchronous.
In addition to these works, the show includes a handful of recent paintings which diverge from the earlier work in two ways.
First, their formal complexity is greatly simplified, leaving behind the 50's residue in favor of a pure timeless abstraction.
Second and crucially, Gray introduces black to his palette — flat black — while retaining the faux finish in the rest of the colors. The resulting dual contrast — between black and non-black, flat and faux — makes these works pop.
Photo Larry Caveney
Photos Larry Caveney
juin 01, 2008
ART TAPOUT - Agitprop Gallery - "LIVE critique"
by Kevin Freitas
(Click image)
Agitprop Gallery and artasauthority.com present:
"Art Tapout" - a live studio critique in front of the public!
When:
June 14th @ 7pm in conjunction with the second saturday festivities of Ray at Night.
Where:
Agitprop Gallery
2837 University Avenue (behind Glenn's Market on Utah) - North Park
San Diego, CA
619.384.7989
agitprop.events@gmail.com
Artists in the cage:
Sandra Doore
Chris Warr
Zuri Waters
Joe Yorty
Claire Zitzow
The Challenger and Art Critic for the evening:
Kevin Freitas
Your Referee:
David White
What:
Did you ever wonder how artists are chosen to exhibit their works in a gallery? Did you ever wonder how an art critic determines what is good or bad art? Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the "closed doors" of our cultural institutions? Well folks, this live performance and critique is just for you! Inspired from the popular sport of cage fighting, 5 San Diego artists will go head to to head with a local art critic Kevin Freitas - one at at time, until only the Victor is left standing or someone taps out. Each artist will present a series of artworks to the public and the critic, for an "open mike" discussion on the artistic merits, significance and the importance of the work displayed. There will be no blood spilled, no punches thrown, only the eloquent footwork of aesthetic discourse and stinging repartée. The outcome of the match, will be determined by its only referee of the night, David White, Director of Agitprop Gallery.
The public is of course invited to witness this fine event and even participate in the ensuing dialogue, offering their own brand of commentary, insight, arguments, and witticisms (no fruits or vegetables will be allowed during the start of the performance). Seating is limited, so do come early. The performance will begin promptly, once the cage has been closed and secured. All work selected will remain on view to the public through July 13th, 2008 in the gallery. I'll see you at the fights!