Archive for December, 2009
Monday, December 14th, 2009
Lowride to High Art :: Dzine at The Bass Museum
(All Images © Jeff Newman/TheArtCollectors)
Chicago based artist, Dzine (Carlos Rolon) appropriates the aesthetics of lowrider “Kustom [car] Kulture” into high art circles. In doing so, he redefines these objects, deeply rooted in Chicano ethnic and communal identities, as vibrant and viable works of sculpture.
As noted by Denise M. Sandoval in Cruising Through East Los Angeles: Chicano Lowrider Stories, “lowriders can be seen as embodiments of Mexican-American or Chicano social history, a heritage that is often misunderstood by other segments of the American populace…and speak to the creation of cultural space[s] within the urban environment…” While celebrating this heritage, Dzine simultaneously urges the viewer to see beyond such connections. “On one level its a folkloric tradition, but its also just one degree away from a Mariko Mori sculpture,” the artist reflected. “To put my work in a different environment where people might look at it as its Starke or Gerhy did it, is to make it aesthetic rather than sociological – to see this like I do, as a sculpture (Paper Magazine; Carlo McCormick, May 2008).
Dzine’s works are currently on view at The Bass Museum of Art, Miami (he also had a new work on display earlier this month with Deitch Projects at Art Basel, Miami – pictured below). The most innovative piece in the exhibit it a customized chandelier, tricked out with 24 karot gold, crystals, speakers, velvet, and rear view mirrors. Here, Dzine has flipped his usual method appropriation on its head, taking a high culture status symbol and reworking it into the lexicon of the street. With such compelling and instantly accessible works of art, we can’t help but imagine one of his wheeled-wonders bulldozing over Damien Hirst’s Diamond Skull. Here’s to wishful thinking.
Read on for our extensive images – click for larger views. Read the rest of this entry »
Monday, December 14th, 2009
Back in TAC
We’re back from Art Basel, Miami and a bit of time off from reporting. Stay tuned for a full recap of art fairs and a return to normal coverage.
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009
Pot-Art :: Warhol Foundation + Paul Morrissey Sued For Torture
Director Paul Morrissey is also named in the lawsuit against the Warhol Foundation
A family is suing the Andy Warhol Foundation for $300,000 in damages, claiming the art icon tortured their late father when he was 14 years old while filming him smoking pot for a short silent film. The lawsuit argues that the Foundation, along with director, Paul Morrissey are still profiting from DVD sales of All Aboard to Dreamland Choo Choo, where the footage appears, and goes as far as to call the film “child pornography.” Click here to read the full text of the complaint filed in Pennsylvania.
Info: Courthouse News Service via Art Tactic
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
A Twist to Conservation
Barry McGee, Untitled, 1996, third SFMOMA installation, 2004. (All Images © SFMOMA)
SFMOMA has published a fascinating interview with Director of Conservation and Colletions, Jill Sterrett, discussing the unique challenges to conserving the art of Barry McGee. As many avid collectors of McGee will testify, the proper method of preservation best suited for the display of his works is often up for debate. McGee’s art typically incorporates non-archival materials such as cardboard, masking tape and cheap found frames with drawings right up against the glass. The museum’s conservation department has developed some interesting, if not unorthodox archival techniques. As seen in these images, their solution also allows for their installation of some 325 pieces to evolve and change over time, maintaining the artist’s intentions and the original aesthetics of his works. The installation is set to be displayed for a fourth time as part of The Anniversary Show (Dec. 19 – Jan. 16)
Read the rest here.
Second SFMOMA installation, 1998.
First SFMOMA installation, 1996.
Thanks to OuterBorough for the heads up.