Archive for April, 2009
Thursday, April 23rd, 2009
Steve Powers is Ready to Service You
The unmatchable Steve Powers opens 2 Fists of Iron and a Bottle of Beer this Saturday, April 25, at White Flag Projects, in St. Louis, MO. Above is a glimpse of the installation in progress that Steve sent along. As common with his shows, Powers will once again set up shop and create a site specific installation, this time constructing a drive-through wedding chapel and custom car graphics shop, where volunteers can offer up their automobiles to be emblazoned with ESPO’s die-cut vinyl slogans and icons. Those interested in having their ride decked out should contact info@whitechapelgallery.com and then promptly send us images of the finished product. No word yet whether or not Powers will be marrying anyone off – we can only hope.
Steve Powers – 2 Fists of Iron and a Bottle of Beer
April 25 – June 7
Opening reception: April 25, 8pm
White Flag Projects
4568 Manchester Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63110
info@whitechapelgallery.com
Thursday, April 23rd, 2009
Dalek + Mike Giant in Paris
Dalek and Mike Giant open a joint exhibit in Paris this Saturday, April 25, at Galerie Magna Danysz.
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
AIKO’s Monster Hit
Love Monster, Aiko‘s new solo exhibit with Joshua Liner Gallery is nothing short of a stand out hit in the otherwise far too saturated and grossly speculated environment of street art. The show is primarily comprised of several ambitious large scale mixed media works on canvas that serve as metaphorical self portraits for the artist, which contemplate gender, cultural, and artistic identity. In My Fortune Cookie Says the Secret to Success is to Go Your Own Way, a voluptuous woman strips along the edge of a boat, spray can in hand, revealing herself to the New York skyline. The watchful eye of the city, disguised here as a playful panda, stands close by, while law enforcement reward posters collage the background. With Love Monster, it is abundantly clear that Lady Aiko has moved beyond her roots as a founding member of the FAILE collective, establishing an identity and presence uniquely her own. – Read on for our extensive photo recap and click images for larger views.
Aiko – Love Monster
April 18 – May 16
Joshua Liner Gallery
548 W. 28 Street, 3rd Floor
NY, NY 10001
info@joshualinergallery.com
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
Art Market Free Panel Discussion in NY
If you are in New York tonight, FIT will host Regrouping: art world professionals examine the art market. The panel discussion will assess the current state of the art market and outlook for its future. The event will be moderated by Sheri L. Pasquarella, co-founder of NADA (New Art Dealers Alliance) and features the floowing panelists:
7th Ave at 27th St.
Free
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
Saturday @ Phillips Contemporary + Urban Art Auction Preview
Last night, Phillips de Pury presented an opening preview for this weekend’s Saturday@Phillips auction, their largest contemporary and urban art sale to date. Despite the less than ideal current market climate for this momentous occasion, it is significant to see the auction house standing behind the genre and broadening its scope of artists represented. The list is nothing short of impressive – Barry Mcgee, Os Gemeos, ESPO, KAWS, FAILE, Thomas Campbell, Ed Templeton, Jim Houser, Seen, Crash, Matt Leines, and Shepard Fairey are all here. Collectors should keep a watchful eye and be ready for some potential bargains. For example, McGee’s three lots are valued at half their primary market value, and the vast offering of Murakami prints are estimated far below what they were selling for just one year ago.
Read on for our photo recap of the evening and a shortlist of lot highlights. Read the rest of this entry »
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
Jeff Soto @ StolenSpace
Jeff Soto’s first UK solo show will detonate at StolenSpace, London, on the 14th of May. TAC congratulates one of our favorite voices of his generation. Keep up with Jeff’s experience on his blog. While the show’s title – ‘The Inland Empire’ – is a handily recognized reference in SoCal, London will undoubtedly formulate their own definition.
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
Kidrobot’s Paul Budnitz @ Phillips
Phillips de Pury bravely goes where no one has gone before. The high-end auction house is holding another offering of ‘toys’ this Saturday@Phillips. The historic listings include a full set of KAWS 1999 Companions. The discussion at Phillips entitled ‘De-mystifying New Art Forms’ will be a formal address of this new sector in contemporary art.
Tuesday, April 21st, 2009
Damien Hirst Kiev Retrospective
Image: artnet
The most comprehensive Damien Hirst museum exhibition opens later this week at the Pinchuk Art Centre in Kiev, Ukraine. Entitled Requiem, the retrospective will feature over 100 works from 1990-2008 and serve as the debut for the mega-star’s recent series of (not spin art) human skull paintings, which were surprisingly executed by Hirst himself.
It should come as no surprise that several pieces in the exhibit were on the block last year at Hirst’s now infamous Beautiful Inside My Head Forever auction with Sotheby’s. In fact, Victor Pinchuk himself (an ex Member of Ukrainian Parliament and billionaire businessman and philanthropist listed as the 246th richest person in the world, whose interests span steel, banking and media) is rumored to have been a secret buyer at the sale and major customer with White Cube, Hirst’s London Gallery.
Damien Hirst – Requiem opens April 25 and runs till September 20, 2009 at the Pinchuk Art Centre, Kiev.
Hirst’s Death Explained, 2007, will be on view at the Pinchuk Art Centre as part of Requiem, the artist’s first major exhibition in Ukraine.
Tuesday, April 21st, 2009
FAILE Triumphs
Thanks to Luna Park (via TWBE) for catching images of FAILE‘s newly installed spectacular prayer wheel in Brooklyn. We fully condone the swift execution of any moron who tries to steal this.
Bravo boys…
Tuesday, April 21st, 2009
Buy Art on the Government’s Dollar
The Telegraph clues us in to a UK government backed loan program which aims to fuel the art market with millions in revenue, while making the collecting game a bit more egalitarian. The Own Art program, funded by the government-run Arts Council England, hands out up to £2,000 in individual loans for the purchase of art, completely interest free and repayable over a ten month period. According to the Telegraph, 25% of those who have taken advantage have an annual income below the national average wage, and to date £6.5 million in revenue has been generated for artists.
We’ve taken a look and should clarify that the program does not apply to all galleries and includes approximately 250 participating venues across England. The £2,000 limit may be used for a single purchase, or spread out over the acquisition of multiple works. While only one loan is permitted at any given time, there is no limit to how many times an individual may use the program. The 0% APR is subsidized by Arts Council England, which pays all interest to the lending bank instead of the customer.
The program is also available at 38 galleries throughout Scotland, via the Scottish Arts Council and over 80 galleries in Wales via Principality Collectorplan, where it has been in operation for over 20 years.
Back in the U.S., these loan programs are worth considering, given the debate over the $50 million given to the National Endowment for the Arts via the Economic Stimulus Act. Opponents have argued there are far more crucial economic factors, including rising unemployment, to justify pumping millions of taxpayer dollars into the arts, while others have claimed the amount is far too miniscule (less than 1% of the approximately $800 billion Stimulus Act), and those in arts related professions need aid as well. Rather than residing to the Roosevelt-esque New Deal tactics employed during the Great Depression, perhaps such government backed loan programs would do more to not only fund the arts but fuel the economy at large, by promoting consumer spending and freeing up the lending capabilities of our nation’s financial institutions.