Archive for the 'Artist Talk' Category
Monday, October 12th, 2009
Let There Be Light :: Monumental Times for James Turrell
Roden Crater, view from southwest. (Image: © James Turrell, Photo: Florian Holzherr, 2003.)
James Turrell is about to unveil a new light work and his largest ever museum installation at The Kunstmuseum in Wolfsburg, Germany. James Turrell: The Wolfsburg Project opens Oct. 24 and runs though April 5, 2010. In addition, Pace Wildenstein, NY, is currently holding its fourth solo gallery exhibit with the artist, featuring fifteen large-scale light works on view for the first time.
Ganzfeld Piece, Begehbare Installation, Stuttgart, 2009. (Image: © James Turrell, Photo: Zooey Braun.)
The most anticipated events, however, are still a few years off. After more than three decades of development in Arizona’s Painted Desert, Turrell’s Roden Crater will finally open to the public for the first time. The unveiling is scheduled sometime during the course of the artist’s upcoming museum retrospective, which will debut in 2012 at the Guggenheim before traveling to LACMA, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and several international institutions. Since 1972 Turrell has been transforming the extinct volcanic crater into an open-air observatory that will enable visitors to witness celestial phenomenon with the naked eye, viewable from only a handull of locations around the world.
An interactive book entitled Turrell World Tour will coincide with the opening of Roden Crater. The publication will highlight 137 public works across 18 states and 23 countries, and will function as a passport that is signed and stamped at each of the 85 destinations. Upon completing the tour, readers will be invited as a personal guest of the artist’s to the site.
Monday, October 12th, 2009
Blu Decorates Deitch Studios
(All Images/Video via Blu.)
The Italian street and mural artist Blu recently completed a new outdoor commission at Deitch Studios’ Long Island City Warehouse space. Check out this time-lapsed video and photos from the project.
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009
Art:21 Season 5 Premieres Tonight
Season 5 of Art:21 – Art in the 21st Century premiers tonight, at 10pm EST on PBS. The first episode features William Kentridge, Doris Salcedo, and Carrie Mae Weems. Future episodes will include Jeff Koons, Paul McCarthy, John Baldessari, and Cindy Sherman. For now enjoy this preview from the season opener or watch previous episodes here
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
Daniel Johnston’s Jeremiah Now an iPhone Game
Cult musician and artist Daniel Johnston can now add iPhone app to his growing list of commercial endeavors. The 99¢ Hi How Are You game lets players navigate Johnston’s iconic Jeremiah the Frog through a series of 27 levels, accompanied by his songs. We couldn’t resist giving it a try and must admit – it’s actually quite fun whether you are a Johnston fan or not. Download it from iTunes here
This certainly isn’t the first time Jeremiah has been used for commercial products. In the past few years the character has been licensed to numerous products including vinyl figures (yes, developed by yours truly), a line of Medicom backpacks and accessories, and countless t-shirt designs as accessible as your nearest Urban Outfitters. Earlier this month Activision released the Guitar Hero 5 video game, featuring an avatar of former Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain sporting a Jeremiah t-shirt.
Wednesday, September 16th, 2009
McGee x3
Barry McGee prepares his installation for NY Minute at Macro Future in Rome (Image: © Francesco Demichelis/ Depart Foundation)
With virtually no warning, Barry Mcgee opens a new solo exhibit at Galleria Alessandra Bonomo in Rome tomorrow. McGee has also been in the capital city preparing his installation for NY Minute (pictured here), a group exhibition curated by Deitch Projects’ Kathy Grayson, set to open this weekend at the new Macro Future museum.
Aside from his presence in Italy, McGee is also participating in the 10th annual Lyon Biennale, on view in the French city now through January 2010. Images from opening night can be seen with our friends at Guillotine and video of his installation can be seen in this euronews report.
McGee pieces for the artit’s NY Minute installation. (Image: © Kathy Grayson)
Barry McGee – Mr. Brown
Sept. 17 – Oct. 19
Galleria Alessandra Bonomo
Via del Gesu, 62
Rome, Italy 00186
Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
Walrus TV Artist Feature – Henry Lewis Tattoos Sylvia Ji
Upper Playground has been producing viral videos via Walrus TV in ’09 aimed at capturing the zeitgeist as the decade draws to a close. In this installment, San Francisco artists Henry Lewis and Sylvia Ji share the unique experience of acquiring a tattoo…
Tuesday, September 8th, 2009
Shepard Fairey Soup Can III Print Release
Shepard Fairey’s Soup Can III will go on this Wednesday via Iconoclast Editions. The signed/numbered edition of 200 is the third print out of four different color variations of the image, and measures 16 x 20 inches. While no release time has been announced, Iconoclast will post a special pre-sale password on both their facebook and twitter pages one hour before the general public sale begins. As with the last release in the series, expect to see a rapidly rising price tag once it’s available, followed be a quick sell out.
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
KAWS Keeping Busy
Image: Kaws
There’s been quite a bit of KAWS news during the week off. First, we can only hope that what appears to be a fresh take on the classic Chum character in this painting posted on Kaws’ blog, is a sign of things to come (that’s Erik Parker with a great new painting in the pic). The artist will present his next solo exhibit this February in Madrid. While there’s no official word yet, expect Galeria Javier Lopez to play host.
Next up are two new products on the way, including a much anticipated monotone version of the ambitious Four Foot Dissected Companion sculpture. Despite a hefty price tag, if the release of the first color-way earlier this summer is any indication, expect this one to be gone in the blink of an eye. Released this past weekend is a playful toy collaboration with Japanese brand, Undercover, featuring the fashion label’s bear hugging Kaws’ Companion character.
Images: OriginalFake
Lastly, Kaws has lent his hand to the September issue of Interview Magazine’s feature on Michael Jackson.
Image: Kaws
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
Deitch Kicks Off Fall Season with Wiley + Auerbach
Images via Deitch Projects. Click for larger view.
Back after a bit of a much needed break, and eager for Deitch Projects to jump-start the fall season with two shows we anticipate being equally powerful and vastly different.
Kehinde Wiley – Black Light will showcase a series of seventeen new photographs by the artist. While the exhibit offers new insight into a practice that has long been part of his creative process, Black Light is new ground for Wiley, who has become extremely successful for his brightly- colored figurative paintings of modern urban Black males, appropriated into the style of Old Masters and Western portraiture. Wiley’s new photo series is also the subject of a new monograph, published by powerHouse and available now.
Opening the same night is Tauba Auerbach’s Here And Now/And Nowhere. The title, an intentional anagram, reflects Auerbach’s obsession with the collapse of organized systems, and the mingling between the two conflicting states of order and chaos. Expect to see painting, photography, sculpture, and an interactive sound instrument that showcases an artist more interested in mastery of concept than medium.
The gallery will open a thirds exhibition on Sept. 10, at their Long Island City warehouse space. The Open will feature works by 31 emerging artists, including Scott Campell, Abigail DeVille, Keltie Ferris, and Deitch director, Kathy Grayson.
Kehinde Wiley – Black Light
Sept 3 – 26
Deitch Projects
76 Grand Street
NY, NY 10013
Tauba Aurbach – Here And Now/And Nowhere
Sept 3 – Oct 17
Deitch Projects
18 Wooster Street
NY, NY 10013
The Open
Sept 10 – Oct. 25
4-40 44th Drive
4-40 44th Drive
Long Island City, NY
Friday, August 21st, 2009
Warhol’s Michael Jackson Canvas Sells
Andy Warhol - Michael Jackson, 1984.
Culture Monster, the LA Times arts blog, announced the recent sale of Andy Warhol’s Michael Jackson 30 x 26 inch painting for over $1 Million USD. Offered at private auction by the Vered Gallery in East Hampton, the painting was last sold for $278,500 USD in Sotheby’s May 13th event. It’s unquestionable that the demise of the ‘king of pop’ is responsible for the sharp rise in value in mere months, but it’s also a sign of a recovering art market. Blue chip artwork remains among the best ‘alternative’ investment options available.