New articles, publications, blogs worth checkin’

by Suzanne on June 22nd, 2011 | BBC Wikipedia

I didn’t really want to turn each of the following into separate posts, so please do apologise the rather random character of what’s to come.

READIN’

• Ingestion / Planet in a Bottle (by Christopher Turner for Cabinet Magazine)

A fantastic article about the bionauts, Buckminster Fuller, and why humans just can’t and won’t coexist with nature.

• Bones with Bling (by Paul Koudounaris for ForteanTimes)

Nomen est omen. A short but sweet article about Europe’s old bejewelled skeletons.

BUYIN’

• Fantastic Animals (by Aleksandra Waliszewska & Matthew Wascovich for My Dance The Skull)

A new publication from the amazing Aleksandra Waliszewska – a few people have told me that the above is most certainly a portrait of yours truly humpin’… SOMETHING… but I guess we’ll never know.

Edition of 100 copies, 20 pages, 14 x 21 cm at only £5! Get one while they last.

OOHIN’ & AAHIN’

• Uno Moralez Mention No. 238917258

Sickeningly talented Uno Moralez posts pictures of an abandoned project.

• Steven Cook’s Alternity

The year is 2011 and it looks like Steven Cook has taken up alternifying reality again. Oh boy! Seen above is The Traveller Returns.

JAPANIN’

• Incredible Custom Akira pinball machine

Based on a boring Gottlieb. Found by Otomblr – dedicated to the art of Katsuhiro Otomo.

• Tokyo Scum Brigade Tumblr

TSB now have a Tumblr. Noice.

3 Videos for Your Brains, Ears and Humour Glands

by Suzanne on June 22nd, 2011 | BBC Wikipedia

Just a couple of interesting visual and aural gems I stumbled upon in the past week that I wanted to share with you.

First up is the epic 3-part documentary All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace by Adam Curtis.

Shown here is the first episode entitled Love & Power from which you will be guided onto the next two.

It has already gained some notoriety due to its strange mix of absolute brilliance followed by sometimes rather brutal simplifications but all I can say is that you should watch all three parts and you will undoubtedly come out having learned something. The topic is extremely broad and being brave enough to take on a project like this is an achievement in itself and a rarity in today’s TV landscape (actually, I don’t even own a TV – I’m just being patronising, heh!)

The next one is a short but sweet aural pleasure by the great John Maus that came to me via Substrom. The footage is from Lars Von Trier’s Element of Crime.

John Maus – Cop Killer from George Tanasie on Vimeo.

And finally, something that’s funny cause it’s true by Charlotte Young:

That’s that. Over and out.

Maurizio Anzeri at BALTIC, Gateshead

by Suzanne on June 21st, 2011 | BBC Wikipedia

Nadia by Maurizio Anzeri, 2010, image courtesy of BALTIC – click to enlarge

From June 25 onwards, the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Arts in Gateshead will be presenting recent works by London-based Italian artist Maurizio Anzeri whose intricate embroidery and needlework has been gaining great popularity and high-profile collectors since his 2009 solo show at London’s Riflemaker.

Despite male artists like Seb Patane, John Stezaker or Angelo Filomeno creating similar darkly surreal, psychologically dense, and sweetly morbid collage works with ballpoint pens respectively photography and silk, Anzeri is still a pioneer in a genre strongly dominated by women like Julie Cockburn, Hinke Schreuders, Flore Gardner and Erin Endicott, to name a few.

Anzeri‘s clear focus on a geometric narrative, his obsessive attention to detail and his love affair with outsider art and ready-mades have made it possible for him to achieve authenticity, to create an aura by reworking the epitome of Walter Benjamin’s “technical reproduction” – the photograph.

Family Day by Maurizio Anzeri, 2009, image courtesy of BALTIC – click to enlarge

Using found photographs of unknown origins as his canvas, Anzeri stitches new anatomical and physiognomical realities onto the faces of our collective subconscious past. The outcome is often unnerving and psychedelic, sometimes fetishistic and occult, and always very tactile and playful.

Anzeri says that:

“There are no rules other than I always leave one or both eyes open. Nothing is bigger in my head than a face, it’s the best landscape we can look at.”

On Wednesday evening, June 29, the BALTIC invites the public to a free conversation where Anzeri will be discussing his work with Alessandro Vincentelli, BALTIC’s curator of Exhibitions and Research.

Details below.

Angelo by Maurizio Anzeri, 2010, image courtesy of BALTIC – click to enlarge

In memoriam Sibylle Ruppert, 1942 – 2011

by Suzanne on June 13th, 2011 | BBC Wikipedia

La Décadence by Sibylle Ruppert, courtesy of HR Giger Museum – click to enlarge

As if it hasn’t been a particularly sad month for the arts & humanities losing so many great thinkers and creators already, with Leonora Carrington, Jack Kevorkian and Jeffrey Catherine Jones leaving us, I just read about the passing of Sibylle Ruppert over on John Coulthart’s Feuilleton and MonsterBrains.

I first came across Sibylle’s work at HR Giger‘s castle/museum in Gruyères, Switzerland, and I was absolutely astonished by how her oeuvre brought together both a Bellmeresque laciness, a glossy surreal fetishism and the most steroid-induced masculinity I had ever seen outside of He-Man at that point. I was confused that I had never heard of her before because her absolutely otherworldly talent was so stricking, it just made no sense it hadn’t been further discovered and exploited yet.

Flucht by Sibylle Ruppert, 1971, courtesy of Marco Witzig – click to enlarge

But maybe that’s precisely what made her such an outstanding (artist’s) artist – that she worked in relative obscurity and with obscurity – yet leading such a colourful and accomplished life as a ballerina, touring the world as a chorus girl, teaching art in mental institutions and drug rehabilitation centres – all the while being absolutely possessed by the daemon of art (… and the Marquis de Sade).

From her fascinating biography on HR’s website:

“After the war they were taken in by an aristocratic family [who] owned a castle, and Sibylle spent her early childhood years as if in a dream world. Her father was a graphic designer and young Sibylle spent hours upon hours near his desk watching as he drew. One day she seized his hand and promised him that she would paint nice colourful pictures just like him. Her first drawing surprised everyone, it was a brutal illustration of a fist striking the middle of a face – she was 6 years old.”

I am so very grateful I got to see your work face to face, Sibylle. Thank you for leaving your visions, your nightmares, your subconscious behind for us to inspect. You will be sorely missed.

You can find a gallery of her work here as well as on Feuilleton and MonsterBrains.

Kamm by Sibylle Ruppert, 1977, courtesy of Marco Witzig – click to enlarge

Bo.Lee’s “Shadowside” at Blackall, London

by Suzanne on June 12th, 2011 | BBC Wikipedia

UPDATE JUNE 29, 2011: Here are a few images of the Shadowside show taken from my Flickr:

Second Skin by Ione Rucquoi, 2010 – click to enlarge

Shadowside is Bath-based Bo.Lee Gallery‘s effort to introduce the London crowd to their roster of artists. They hired the perfectly located Blackall Studios for their 4-day-only group exhibition. Yep, Blackall is THAT expensive to hire, trust me, I know…

Heart to Heart by Ione Rucquoi, 2006 – click to enlarge

Dark Introductions to the Disowned Self – as the subtitle suggests, might be a statement somewhat difficult to fulfill with most of the art on show not really being that dark or that Jungian for that matter, but I can see it definitely working for the likes of Ione Rucquoi‘s (featured above) and Beth Carter‘s work.

Badgered by Kate MacDowell, hand built porcelain, cone 6 glaze, 2010 – click to enlarge

And anyway, the fact that Kate MacDowell‘s works will be on show should be reason enough to attend. So there.

Other exhibiting artists include: Patrick Haines, Neil Moore, Mercedes Helnwein, Chris Anthony

Details below.

Crave by Kate MacDowell, hand built porcelain, cone 6 glaze, 2006 – click to enlarge

P.S.: Does anyone else have to think of Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison here? Nope. Oh well, I guess it’s just me then.

Atsushi Suwa at Gallery Naruyama, Tokyo

by Suzanne on June 9th, 2011 | BBC Wikipedia

Stereotype 08 by Atsushi Suwa, oil on canvas, 2008 – click to enlarge

Atsushi Suwa ‘s solo show To Live or to Die, We Share the Same Fate will be opening tonight at Tokyo’s Gallery Naruyama.

A technically absolutely brilliant artist who makes it seem totally effortless to cram a trompe-l’oeil with the entire mirror perspective of Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait into a small camera lens (below), he has shown time and again that he cannot simply be reduced to realism – despite his obvious and vast talent for it.

By Atsushi Suwa – click to enlarge

His intimate collaboration with the famous and awe-inspiring butoh dancer Kazuo Ohno or his documentary Father series show a very deep emotional involvement with the subject, a desire to dissect traumata and fears, to look mercilessly at the fabric and tissue of life. And death.

I’m not entirely sure what will be presented at the exhibition, but I’m pretty certain it’s near impossible for Atsushi Suwa to disappoint. Details below.

By Atsushi Suwa

David Hochbaum at Strychnin, Berlin… and Tetris Dreams

by Suzanne on June 8th, 2011 | BBC Wikipedia

In a night filled with some of the most psychotic dreams ever – including a trained toad that would get me sweets from vending machines, walking barefoot over a bridge made of snakes, meeting the bored 1940s secretary who accidentally invented the D-beat – Sigur Ros launched a RL tetris with me at the controllers where everyone got squashed to death because I’m so damn good at tetris.

As a player inside the RL tetris you were given a choice between 3 pills without knowing what they were: A black one to die immediately without having to endure the agony of being squashed by the giant pieces, a blue one to not feel any pain and a green one to send in one of your friends instead.

I hope you can understand that a) I will keep today’s posts short and b) I need help.

Return by David Hochbaum, gelatin silver print and mixed media – click to enlarge

Berlin’s amazing Strychnin Gallery is presenting a solo show with new works by multimedia artist David Hochbaum entitled Kaidan Shu – Tales of Mist & Wind.

Normally not a great fan of layered mixed media photographs, I was very impressed by David’s new body of work as it possess a great poetic quality and the distinct facial features, vibrant colours and bold Muromachi-inspired brushstrokes make you almost forget that you’re actually face to face with the yōkai.

Strychnin says:

“The exhibition is part of the 150th anniversary of Japanese-German friendship and mindful of recent events, Strychnin Gallery at the request of the artist will be donating a percentage of all sales to further relief efforts in Japan.”

Nice.

The show opens this Friday and if you’re in Berlin, I suggest you go and have a look.

Consumption by David Hochbaum, gelatin silver print and mixed media – click to enlarge

England’s Illustrated Police News: Fun, murder & mummified nuns for the whole family!

by Suzanne on June 7th, 2011 | BBC Wikipedia

From the Illustrated Police News – click to enlarge

I first stumbled upon the absolutely hilarious one-penny weekly that was the Illustrated Police News (first published in 1864, publication ended just before WWII) in the British Library (sadly no free access to the documents) and recently posted about “The Girl Eaten By Rats”.

From the Illustrated Police News – click to enlarge

From the Illustrated Police News – click to enlarge (slightly)

I was delighted to find a feature article about the IPN in ForteanTimes and it immediately reignited my love for the publication and once again confirmed my suspicion that i) L-Town hasn’t changed in the slightest and ii) the IPN was basically a Victorian version of the Hackney Gazette with headlines being very similar in nature (I must admit that as horrible and unjournalistic the latter is, it really does brighten up my days in the (North) East End).

From the Illustrated Police News – click to enlarge

From the Illustrated Police News – click to enlarge

From ForteanTimes:

“George Purkess [the proprietor] defended his IPN artists, who he thought were as good as those working for any rival journal, including the Illustrated London News and the Graphic. He had half a dozen artists on his staff in London, and occasionally employed 70 or more freelance artists in all parts of the country. Whenever a high-profile crime was committed, Purkess was able to dispatch one of his artists to the scene. Several times, he claimed, criminals depicted in the IPN had written back to offer their compliments on their excellent likenesses in the paper.”

From the Illustrated Police News – click to enlarge

The feature stories presented here are from around 1885 to 1900, i.e. the time the IPN experienced a huge surge in popularity due to the Jack the Ripper murders of 1888, with the following recurring themes: Evil children, rats/cats/dogs eating people, skeletons and nuns. Oh, and skeleton nuns. Some of my favourite things.

I do apologise for the small size of the bottom three images that cannot be enlarged and would welcome anyone who knows a database for the IPN with better/bigger pictures to come forward. Thank you. x

From the Illustrated Police News

From the Illustrated Police News

From the Illustrated Police News

Neo Rauch at Museum Frieder Burda, Baden-Baden, Germany

by Suzanne on June 7th, 2011 | BBC Wikipedia

Interview by Neo Rauch, oil on canvas, 2006, Museum Frieder Burda, Photo: Uwe Walter © VG Bild-Kunst – click to enlarge

Baden-Baden’s Museum Frieder Burda is currently presenting the oeuvre of New Leipzig School’s Neo Rauch on the epic scale it deserves with some 36 works from the past two decades on show.

Amongst them, two of my favourites: Interview from 2006 (above) and Die Fuge from 2007 (below).

Interview reminds me a lot of indoor/outdoor scenes from Veiko Õunpuu’s brilliant The Temptation of St. Tony (particularly the pitch-black night outside the posh modernist house surrounded by no other light pollution, indeed no other signs of civilisation).

Have the guests had too much to drink, are they hypnotised, the subjects of a ritual, just having their pulses felt or are they dead? Whatever happened, it’s an unnerving scene and the fact that the pose on the left is somewhat reminiscent of a pietà doesn’t really make things any easier. It seems that Rauch, in an almost anti-Gregory Crewdson manner, uses bolder colours and more obvious intra-pictorial light sources the more obscure and enigmatic the narrative is and one thing is for certain: I would really like that sculpture in the background with the pink eels/penes on it. À propos, this is by far not the only Rauch that shows slightly objectophile tendencies.

If one looks more closely at the title of the piece, 2006 was a time when Rauch’s works started to fetch enormous prices at auctions and he was interviewed by every art magazine in this solar system so one could suspect it to be a criticism on the draining nature his sudden stardom, the omnipresence of journalists had on his life as an artist with the two lifeless men representing the two sides of Rauch, the artist (right) and the “public person Rauch” (left).

Die Fuge by Neo Rauch, oil on canvas, 2007, Hamburger Kunsthalle, Photo: Uwe Walter © VG Bild-Kunst – click to enlarge

In Die Fuge, adolescents are floating in an anti-gravitational state while firefighters seem overpowered by a huge crevasse that opened in the earth from which a somewhat symbiotic person with a trunk for a lower body and a chain emerges. A figure sits forlorn and apathetic in a plastic chair his legs rather Goethesque looking. Again, Rauch deliberately adds breaks, indeed huge sinkholes to the visual narrative and linear logic and lets the semiconscious and the archaic reign at will.

To be perfectly honest with you, I think absorbing 36 Rauchs would give me a bit of a brain tumour, but you have until mid-September to see the show so do take your time.

In related news, I agree that it’s a great shame Rauch isn’t teaching anymore, but I think it’s pretty clear that this man needs to paint.

Details below.

Jan Czerwinski at Sam Scherrer, Zurich

by Suzanne on June 5th, 2011 | BBC Wikipedia

Dämmerung by Jan Czerwinski, oil on canvas, 2010 – click to enlarge

Not too sure how the blurry mountainous wintry backgrounds add anything to the new works of Jan Czerwinski apart from a weird floatiness and a strange sunset glow (… and maybe that’s actually enough?), when he can do so much more technically brilliant and darker work like the example below from 2003, but I think we had enough art ranting from yours truly for today so instead I’ll just recommend you his Cranial Mountains exhibition if you’re in Zurich.

Over and out.

Natura Morta (Widder) by Jan Czerwinski, oil on canvas, 2003 – click to enlarge