iconophilia » ARTISTS

on “transformative use” and the postmodern

Nigel — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 03:04:18 +0000

Here’s part one of Cat Weaver’s update on the ongoing Richard Prince case at Hyperallergic. And here’s some more by Julia Halperin at ArtInfo.

On Damien Hirst’s Spots

Nigel — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 23:02:09 +0000

…are at their best on shoes, seen here on the Met’s blog. Or on skateboards, apparently. And so, facing the global onslaught at Gagosian galleries everywhere, Will Brand at AFC has declared: “So I’m going to lay this down, just to clarify, so that nobody from the future gets confused: we hate this shit. Everyone hates this shit. These spots reflect nothing about how we live, see, or think, they’re just some weird meme for the impossibly rich that nobody knows how to stop.”

(PS. And, if you’ve got the stomach for it, you can win a print if you visit all eleven exhibitions. Seriously).

(PPS. This quote was spotted first on ArtInfo).

(PPPS. Hennessy Youngman also has something to say about it).

(PPPPS. And it has triggered his obituary at the Village Voice).

(PPPPPs. And there’s more! Hrag Vartanian at Hyperallergic flicks some more links…

war art in Syria

Nigel — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 22:28:27 +0000

See. Read. At Hyperallergic here.

art without artists

Nigel — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:46:42 +0000

…not the way Anton Vidokle writes about it in e-flux. Or the fascination with the Outsider/Insider. If you’re still with me, see here for those who are simply anonymous.

Kiefer’s (also) over it…

Nigel — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 21:45:43 +0000

in The Guardian

John Baldessari prints money in downtown New York

Nigel — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 01:35:46 +0000

As reported here in Gawker. Photo by Bill Orcutt courtesy of John Baldessari and the Marian Goodman Gallery.

yet another Boetti effect?

Nigel — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:51:55 +0000

Our translation of the Arabic texts above does not substantiate the claim made in the subtext on this page. The words on the atlas are the names of countries and oceans. The text above the map on the left wall reads: “What do my enemies do to me, I, [with] my paradise and my orchard…” And above the map on the left the text appears to read: “The Crusaders’ occupation [and the] Muslim’s initiatives”

The former quote would seem to be a version of a text attributed to Ibn Taymiyyah: “What can my enemies do to me? My paradise and garden are in my chest, and do not leave me. My imprisonment is seclusion with Allah, and my death is martyrdom, and my expulsion is tourism.” While it is said that the thoughts of Ibn Taymiyyah have been influential on contemporary fundamentalist thought in Islam, such as Wahhabism and Salafism, the murals above could hardly be seen as targeting instructions…

And Boetti? Clearly, this Mappa has nothing to do with Alighiero Boetti, but it’s a provocative thought, given the claims of contemporary writers to his influence on other aspects of Afghan culture. Relax, we won’t be claiming a connection to al-Qaeda. On the other hand, it is of interest to see how atlas images circulate within Afghanistan.

(This page is from John F. Burns and Ian Fisher (Photographs by Tyler Hicks) Histories are Mirrors: The Path of Conflict through Afghanistan and Iraq. Umbrage Editions, New York.)

lost in translation

Nigel — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 03:38:17 +0000

Kounellis via China: “In 1967, the term Arte Povera was put forward by Italian critic Germano Celant to describe the styles and concepts of current young Italian artists. Art Povera means that artists choose industrial wastes, everyday natural material or other often neglected materials as representing media to highlight the contrast of their weight and structure and to praise the meaning of form itself. In the pedigree of Art Povera, Kounellis prefers to and emphasizes on the expansibility of everyday substantial energy. Wherever these substances are from, they are directly turned into substances carrying artistic concepts. They are expanding around human. They are separated from their physical attributes to become the vehicles for communication with human spirit in public domain only after they are in connection with society, human, history and culture.”

arte povera never was

Nigel — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:18:13 +0000

… and never will be, apparently. See the brouhaha here at ArtDaily More here at Triple Candie.

R. Mutt x 17

Nigel — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 23:26:52 +0000

Ever wonder where they went? Follow the trail from this piece by Hrag Vartanian at Hyperallergic to Greg Allen at greg.org.