Archive for the 'Politics' Category
Monday, September 20th, 2010
Art for Tibet Benefit
Pema Reznin – The light of my homeland, 2009, Mixed Media, 35″x40″ Estimate: $25,000.
Online bidding for the Art for Tibet 2 benefit is underway, culminating in a silent auction and closing party Sept. 25 in New York. A few highlights from the 100+ contributing artists include works by Pema Renzin, Tomokazu Matsuyama, Kenji Hirata, Bill McMullen and Shepard Fairey, and actor Richard Gere. All proceeds will benefit Students for a Free Tibet. Bid here now, or attend the closing party during the final hours this Saturday.
Art for Tibet Benefit 2 Art Auction & Party
Sept 25, 5-10pm
Union Gallery Annex
353 BroadwayNYC
Tomokazu Matsuyama – Kirin-Tiger, 2008. Gicleé print, 36.7″ x 26″. Estimate: $600.
Bill McMullen – Songs The Lord Taught Us, version 2, 2010. Poplar, 25″ x 13.5″ x 1.75″. Estimate: $1500
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
Banksy Applies Pier Pressure
(Image and video via Banksy)
Looks like Banksy’s gone to the English Channel to stage his latest commentary on the disaster in America’s Gulf Coast region. Amidst the heavily trafficked attractions of the Brighton Pier amusement park, the world’s most recognized political prankster has installed a modified children’s ride, featuring a dolphin trapped in the muck of a leaking BP crude oil barrel and tangled tuna net. Video documentation surfaced on the artist’s site last night along with images of several other new pieces (including the ones pictured below), and in typical Banksy form, it is perversely humorous. Entitled Pier Pressure, the clip is set to the backdrop of old time carnival calliope music and depicts two children eagerly mounting the suffering animal while their guardian happily snaps a cell phone picture.
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010
Historic Haring Mural in Need of Rescue
The faded and damaged Haring mural as it looks today. (Image: Andrew De La Rue via Sydney Morning Herald)
The Art Newspaper reports that the last surviving mural Keith Haring painted entirely on his own, and the first project he completed with the assistance of a cherry picker, is in dire need of preservation. Painted in 1984 during Haring’s only visit to Australia, the mural occupies the wall of the former Collingwood Technical College in a Melbourne suburb. Last restored in 1996, the significant work has not been maintained for almost 15 years, and suffers from significant surface lifting and cracking of the paint. Estimates to stabilize the outdoor work are reported at A$25,000 ($22,000 US), with an additional A$1,000 ($900) for annual upkeep.
Several major Australian arts institutions and local municipalities have banned together to raise support for its restoration. “It is our own government who has lapsed in its duty of care,” said one spokesperson, noting that the building is owned by the Victorian State Government and that the mural sits on its heritage registry.
”Yarra’s mayor Jane Garrett said, “The mural is a part of Yarra and inner-Melbourne’s cultural and physical landscape—and we want to ensure it stays that way,” adding that interested parties were in the process of setting up a working group including representatives from the arts community and other interested parties to “discuss the mural’s future and come to a consensus on the most appropriate way to preserve it.”
The original mural in progress durning Haring’s 1984 visit to Melbourne (Image via The Art Newspaper)
In more productive news, a new series of Keith Haring adhesive wall graphics (pictured below) has been released by Bilk, with several different designs available from $18 – $55.
Friday, August 21st, 2009
Update :: Art Surfaces from Sea No Evil Benefit
Shepard Fairey – Paul Watson, 2009. (All Images © the artists/Sea No Evil)
Just in are these images from the upcoming See No Evil art auction, benefiting the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, who have spent the past three decades protecting and preserving the world’s ocean life. As we previously reported, the charity event takes place next Saturday, August 29th, in Riverside, California. Amongst the most exciting contributions is a new Shepard Fairey original portrait (pictured above), depicting Captain Paul Watson, founder of Sea Shepard and subject of the Whale Wars television series. Other notable contributions include Anthony Lister, Greg Craola Simkins, Dave Kinsey, Glen E. Friedman, Gregory Euclide, Jeff Soto, Logan Hicks, Mario Martinez (Mars-1) and Tim Biskup (see the full list on our previous post).
For more on Captain Watson and Sea Shepherd, read Raffi Khatchadourian’s 2007 profile in The New Yorker (thanks to Trevor for the tip), which actually portrays the vigilante activist as having utter contempt for the arts:
He regards civilization’s greatest artistic and cultural achievements—from architecture to music and film—as expressions of human vanity, “worthless to the earth.” He sometimes asks people to imagine the outrage that would occur if someone were to destroy, say, the Vatican or the “Mona Lisa,” and he compares that with the indifference that people exhibit toward the mass extinction of plants and animals. “In anthropocentric society, a harsh judgment is given to those that destroy or seek to destroy the creations of humanity,” he has written.
Whether or not this is an accurate portrayal, many prominent individuals within the arts community have rallied around Sea Shepherd. In fact, some of the organization’s biggest financial supporters are well know actors and musicians, including The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mick Jagger, Martin Sheen, Sean Penn, William Shatner, Edward Norton, and Uma Thurman to name a few.
Want to get on board but not attending the benefit? Donations can be made directly to Sea Shepherd here.
Logan Hicks
Gregory Euclide
Sea No Evil Art Show 2009
Saturday, August 29
Riverside Municipal Auditorium
3485 Mission Inn Ave.
Riverside, CA 92501
info: erin@seashepherdartshow.com
Thursday, August 6th, 2009
Sea Shepherd Art Benefit to feature Shepard Fairey, Jeff Soto, Greg Simkins, Anthony Lister + more
Anyone who has seen an episode of the enthralling Animal Planet series, Whale Wars, is familiar with Captain Paul Watson and his Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, who risk life and limb to police the world’s waters and preserve marine life, often directly confronting poachers on the open seas. On August 29, the Sea No Evil Art Show will be held in Riverside, California (near Los Angeles), with all proceeds benefiting the non-profit environmental organization. Watson is scheduled to speak and Shepard Fairey (along with donating art) will act as DJ. See below for the full list of 60+ participating artists.
Those not able to attend but who want to support the Sea Shepherd cause can donate directly to the organization or make a charitable purchase of additionally available artwork here.
Sea No Evil Art Show 2009
Saturday, August 29
Riverside Municipal Auditorium
3485 Mission Inn Ave.
Riverside, CA 92501
info: erin@seashepherdartshow.com
Participating Artists: Anthony Lister, Arnold Cornelio, Ashley Macomber, Bwana Spoons, Cathie Bleck, Cali Dewitt, Chivo, Chris Rubino, Chris Ryniak, Greg Craola Simkins, Dave Cooper, Dave Kinsey, Deph, Jose Mercado / Dire, Dustin Ortiz, Dylan Martorell, Fabian Iezzi, Jonathan Garcia, Justin Heathcoat “Faceless”, George Thompson, Glen E. Friedman, Gregory Euclide, Gretchen Ryan, Heather Carlton “Hezaa”, Joshua M. Smith / Hydro74, Iqvinder Singh, Jeff Phillips, Jeff Soto, Jeffrey Pidgeon, Jennifer Becker, Jon Chase, Kevin Christy, Kevin Peterson, Logan Hicks, Lola, Louis Henderson, Madsteez, Marc Hemeon, Mario Martinez (Mars-1), Maxx242, Maya Hayuk, Melinda Read, Michael Muller, Michael Sieben, Mike Stilkey, Munk One, Nathan Fischer, Neko, Oliver Sutter, Peggy Oki, Priscilla Iezzi, Renee Lawter, Renta, Ryan Jacob Smith, Scott Morse, Shaunna Peterson, Shepard Fairey, Six Gun Drums, Steven Daily, Tim Biskup, Travis Millard
Thursday, July 30th, 2009
Obey Iraq
Someone stationed in Iraq has been leaving these around.
Image + Info via Obey Clothing
Thursday, July 30th, 2009
Rose Museum Sues Brandeis to Stop Closure and Sale of Art
Former Brandeis President Abram Sachar (left) with the Rose Art Museum’s founding benefactors Bertha and Edward Rose (far right). Image: Rose Art Museum via Boston Globe
The battle to save the Rose Art Museum escalated Monday, when the museum’s overseers filed a lawsuit in Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to halt Brandeis University from permanently shutting it down and selling off of a collection including some 7,000 works of art estimated at $350 million.
Read on for our full story and full transcript of the filed lawsuit. Read the rest of this entry »
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
Shepard Fairey Green Energy Print Release
The Obey Windmill print will be available sometime today via Obey Giant. The site alludes to future use of the design as part of a Green Energy Initiatives campaign, hinting to “Keep a look out as you might see this image around in the days to come.”
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.
Friday, March 27th, 2009
A Moment of Clarity – Defending Danziger
Fairey and Garcia’s Obama images at Danziger Projects. Image: Sara Krulwich, The New York Times.
A number of stories have surfaced this week concerning wire photographer, Mannie Garcia’s, image of President Obama, which served as the basis for Shepard Fairey’s Obama Portrait. More than once we have read articles that accuse one NY gallery of seeking to profit from the media frenzy surrounding Fairey by selling prints of the photo for $1,200.
On his own site this week, Fairey said, “The Garcia photo is now more famous and valuable than it ever would have been prior to the creation of my poster. With this factor in mind, it is not surprising, that a gallery in NYC is now (our emphasis) selling the Garcia photo for $1,200 each.” In the last day Fairey’s statement has been reposted by several online sources, ranging from larger media outlets like The Huffington Post, to numerous smaller blogs.
In an article published in The New York Times, Noam Cohen states the following about the image in question: “Taken by Mannie Garcia while on assignment for The Associated Press in 2006, the picture is now (our emphasis) on sale at a Chelsea gallery in a limited edition of 200. The prints are going for $1,200 a piece, and at least one has been purchased by a fine-arts museum.”
A moment of clarity – The gallery in question, Danziger Projects, was actually the first to attribute Fairey’s portrait to Garcia, as they were researching a photography exhibition of media images covering the rise of Obama and his campaign. That exhibit, Can & Did, was on display at the gallery this past Jan. 20 – Feb. 28. To be clear, the availability of Garcia prints via Danziger predates the recent firestorm of press surrounding Fairey’s appropriation of it. While TAC firmly supports Fairey, his art and his legal battle with AP, it seems irresponsible to suggest that he himself is now the one being co-opted for financial gain.
Hat’s off to Charlie Finch. Back in February he reflected on the situation for ArtNet, explaining, that it was in fact Danziger’s inquiries which led the Associated Press to claim rights to the image. Finch noted that the gallerist had already sold 29 copies of the print edition – before, not after countless media outlets began to report the controversy. In short, Danziger’s due diligence in crediting a photograph which appeared at his gallery sparked the current AP-Fairey legal battle and exponential rise in the image’s notoriety. That it would all come full circle and lead to accusatory fingers pointing towards his gallery is grossly misinformed and paints a story that is at its best inacurate, and at its worst defamatory.