Hans Bellmer and Louise Bourgeois at Wexner Center, Columbus, Ohio

by Suzanne on March 23rd, 2011

© Hans Bellmer - via fantomatik75 - click to enlarge

Another old favourite that needs no further introduction as he's been featured in the hallowed WurzelEmpire® on both blog and forum since 2001 is the almighty Hans Bellmer.

Yeah, I know, it's fucking hip to like him these days and he probably has an upcoming spread in VICE mag and what the fuck not but hey, I liked him before you had even grown arms to mutilate dolls so SHADDAP and read this goddamn article already. GOODBYE. FOREVER. NO WAIT! (¬_¬)

A wisely curated and deeply inspiring Bellmer/Bourgeois double exhibition entitled Double Sexus: Hans Bellmer and Louise Bourgeois is opening at Wexner Center Galleries this Saturday.

From the press release:

"The exhibition, which was previously seen in Berlin, Germany, and The Hague, Netherlands, makes its U.S. debut at the Wexner Center. Its title comes from Sexus, a semi-autobiographical novel by Henry Miller, and its design strategically juxtaposes works by each artist in thematic sections. As you move through this layout, you will see sculptures and drawings by Bourgeois and sculptures, drawings, photographs, and a print by Bellmer."

© Hans Bellmer - via fantomatik75 - click to enlarge

All infos below.

On show: Mar 26 - Jul 31, 2011

Catalogue: A fully illustrated catalogue accompanies this touring exhibition and is available in the Wexner Center Store.

In other great news...

• The amazingly generous and insanely talented Jeremy Enecio is doing a print giveaway that you can enter until March 29!

• In a world made of strings we are designers of expression on Synaptic Stimuli deserves your attention for a few seconds as it's pretty kvlt to say the least:

Bye Bye Kitty!!! at Japan Society, New York

by Suzanne on March 21st, 2011

ERECTRO(clara) by Motohiko Odani, 2004, photo by Kioku Keizo - click to enlarge

Bye Bye Kitty!!! - Between Heaven and Hell in Contemporary Japanese Art - a fantastically curated show that has gained prominent relevance due to recent sad events in Japan is currently on show at New York's Japan Society.

It's an incredible tour de force featuring some in the Western art world often marginalised and underrepresented Japanese artists, my favourites being: Makoto Aida, Manabu Ikeda, Rinko Kawauchi, Motohiko Odani (above), Chiharu Shiota (previously featured here) and Miwa Yanagi (below).

From the Fairytale series by Miwa Yanagi, silver gelatin print, 2004 - click to enlarge

There's a lot to see and learn at this show so please don't miss it if you're in NYC. The Japan Society also offers you countless ways to donate to Japan's struggle with the earthquake and tsunami aftermath.

Details are below and please don't miss this interview with the amazing Makoto Aida (via Substrom):

On show: Mar 18 - Jun 12, 2011

Exhibition website | Events

Sas & Colin Christian at Opera Gallery, New York

by Suzanne on March 3rd, 2011

Creamy Jade, Snackcake Head by Colin Christian, fiberglass, 2007 - click to enlarge

I'm still waiting on Opera Gallery to confirm what's going to be on show in their Sas + Colin double show which opens next Thursday, so please apologise that I'm using an old favourite Colin Christian piece as placeholder image for the time being.

Details below.

Opening reception: Mar 10, 2011, 6 PM, the artists will be present

Artists' websites: Colin Christian | Sas Christian

Nathalie Djurberg's "Snakes Knows It’s Yoga" at Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam

by Suzanne on March 1st, 2011

Still from The Experiment (Greed) by Nathalie Djurberg, clay animation, digital video, 2009 - click to enlarge

From this Saturday until early May, Rotterdam's Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen will be showing a vast range of films and installation pieces by 2009 Silver Lion awardee Nathalie Djurberg (music by Hans Berg) infamous for her claymation shorts ranging from gore to ultraviolence in a show entitled Snakes Knows It’s Yoga.

From the press release:

"The ‘Snakes Knows it’s Yoga’ installation is composed of 42 sculptures set on wooden bases in Plexiglas display cases, which are illuminated by coloured fluorescent tubes. These displays are flanked by projected animations and the air is filled with experimental music by Hans Berg. Alongside their most recent work they are screening ten films from the period 2004 to the present."

Still from Snakes Knows It’s Yoga by Nathalie Djurberg, clay animation, digital video, 2010 - click to enlarge

Doesn't sound like something you'd want to miss, does it now?

Please also note that the exhibition opens on March 5 and therefore coincides with the 10th Rotterdam Museum Night for which the museum is organising a range of nocturnal activities. Check the museum's website for further information.

On show: Mar 5 - May 1, 2011

Catalogue: A catalogue in collaboration with the Kestnergesellschaft Hanover is available from the museum shop (ISBN 978-3-86984-198-4).

Hine Mizushima's "Unnatural History Museum" at Gallery Hanahou, New York

by Suzanne on February 24th, 2011

Anatomical Female A by Hine Mizushima - click to enlarge

Call me a snob, but the words "hall-of-fame-worthy group of craft artists" normally makes me think of Regretsy and "art" that looks like the dust bunnies and toenails under my desk, but drop the name "Hine Mizushima" and I'm all ears and eyes.

It was the ever classy Substrom who introduced me to her oeuvre and I've taken a particular liking to her work because of its sense of anatomical and cryptozoological humour in a medium that normally makes me yawn at best.

Her "Unnatural History Museum" promises:

"[...] A collection of Mizushima's most interesting specimens from the world of freaks of nature, sideshows, and charlatanism, all in cute but questionable taste. You will see more than 30 new specimens at the show!"

The show opens today in a week and Hine will be there in person. I have no idea how long it's on for so check back with Gallery Hanahou.

Ectoplasm by Hine Mizushima - click to enlarge

Opening reception: Mar 3, 2011, 7 - 9 PM

Marcel Dzama at David Zwirner, New York

by Suzanne on February 23rd, 2011

Polytropos of many turns by Marcel Dzama, mannequin with rotating base and costume, socks, dress, mask, and gun, 2009 - click to enlarge

Marcel Dzama (previously featured here and here) has once again created a whole microcosm of multi-genre art for his Behind Every Curtain solo show at David Zwirner.

It seems that his natural sense for choreography has transpired into his works on paper which he now beautifully sculpts as papercuts in very haptic dioramas.

And as always, Dzama wouldn't be Dzama without a short movie:

Don't miss this exhibition - Dzama's shows truly are otherworldly.

On show: Feb 17 - Mar 19, 2011

"Surviving" by Marina Bychkova

by Suzanne on February 23rd, 2011

Surviving by Marina Bychkova, 2011 - click to enlarge

Perfection bores me like nothing else and I will be honest that in the recent past, Marina's (previously featured here and here) dolls have simply been too "perfect" for my taste to really excite me which is why I'm particularly pleased to see her return to this blog with her newest doll, the St Agathaesque Surviving, a porcelain tribute to breast cancer fighters.

You can see the finished doll here (there might be some more tattooing at some stage) and details/progress pictures here.

Dr. Lakra at the Drawing Center, New York

by Suzanne on February 23rd, 2011

Untitled (Murcielago y Demonio) by Dr Lakra, ink on vintage magazine, 2006 - click to enlarge

Gary Baseman's been doing it, Fumie Sasabuchi's been doing it, but I don't think anyone would want to argue that, at the moment, Dr. Lakra a.k.a. Jeronimo Lopez Flores (previously featured here) is the true king of the darkly tattooesque vintage mag reworks.

From this Friday until the end of April, New York's Drawing Center will be celebrating the doctor in a solo show of works on paper simply entitled Dr. Lakra. Details below.

Untitled (Muneca de Porcelana) by Dr Lakra, ink on porcelain doll, 2006 - click to enlarge

On show: Feb 25 - April 24, 2011

Hilum - Les Antliaclastes at the ICA, London (SOLD OUT)

by Suzanne on January 20th, 2011

Dear Peoples of The Interweb. What happens if Shen Shaomin meets John Hunter meets the Brothers Quay meets Jan Å vankmajer meets my dreams? Patrick Sims found the answer:

Hilum part I (1+2) from franck littot on Vimeo.

Hilum part I/3 from franck littot on Vimeo.

"A micro comic-tragedy based on the cycles of the washing machine and set in the basement of a rundown museum of natural history. Orphaned and cut off from the ordered kingdom of curiosities upstairs, the cast of nursery rhyme characters, cartoon images, and mischievous urchins turn playtime into a theatre of cruelty. Whites mix with colours, delicates get hot washed, and a monstrous big toe devours holes in the socks. [...]"

(ICA programme text)

I have absolutely nothing to add to this other than:

WHY THE FUCK, ICA, IS THIS ALREADY SOLD OUT WHEN IT IS BLATANTLY OBVIOUS THAT I, SUZANNE D GERBER, NEEDS TO SEE THIS?! YES? VHAT? >_<

Fuco Ueda's "Lucid Dream" at Bunkamura Gallery, Tokyo

by Suzanne on January 14th, 2011

Symbiosis 5 by Fuco Ueda, acrylic & shell powder on canvas, 2008 - click to enlarge

Fuco Ueda emailed me the other day about her upcoming exhibition in Tokyo this February. It's a bit premature, but hell knows, maybe you want to plan a trip there (I wouldn't blame you), so I'll post early.

To mark the publication of her art book Lucid Dream, Bunkamura Gallery has given her the opportunity to exhibit a selection of her oeuvre from the past few years in a solo show carrying the same title as the monograph.

Dream Passage by Fuco Ueda, acrylic & shell powder on canvas, 2008

Ranging from her early 2k works that were - despite the jolly pastel colours and kawaii protagonists - of a more auto-aggressive, sado-masochistic, darkly mythological and abysmal nature (lots of razor blades, strangulations, incarceration, isolation, badly healed animal-human hybrids, pyromaniacs, child pregnancy.... NICE!), to her more recent works that show an obsession with the ideas of symbiosis, fungi, sweets and saliva plus with the random cephalopod and eel still present, I can safely say that this show will provide enough eye candy for everyone.

The Dream That I Watched Sometime by Fuco Ueda, acrylic & modelling paste on canvas, 2004 - click to enlarge

Fuco Ueda on the WurzelForum I II

In other spastically colourful news...

i) Why not colour in this Julian Assange picture book over the weekend? (thanks, klav!)

ii) Congratulations to Elmgreen & Dragset for winning next year's Forth Plinth commission with Powerless Structures, Fig. 101. It's reassuring to know that Olympic tourists will get to see subventioned borderline child pr0n. I guess. (¬_¬)