memory. language, art. wittgenstein. books. ceramics.

all sorts of thinkings on memory, language, art, wittgenstein, books, etc, while I am getting on with my MA

Sunday 10 April 2011

Spot the difference: Clarisse d’Arcimoles vs. Irina Werning vs zefrank



Irina's Werning (top) work is featured in today's Sunday Times Magazine.   Clarisse d’Arcimoles showed a few months ago at Degree Art. Can you spot a trend? Can you spot the difference?
Also, here is zefrank.com project young me/ now me.

Fired books. Drawing. Miraculous transfiguration.


Drawing with book ash. Miraculous transfiguration: from book to cloud.

Friday 8 April 2011

The shambles of art and religion at ICA

Art and Religion

6 April 2011
£12 / £11 concessions / £10 ICA Members
Art historian James Elkins states that contemporary art is deeply suspicious of faith yet welcoming of spirituality and the sublime. After centuries of a close and symbiotic relationship between art and religion what has happened in recent times to so change the way artists’ work might deal with religion? Why does it seem more controversial for a contemporary artist to explore their faith rather than critique religion? Art used to be commissioned largely for religious places but what kinds of artists are approached now? Work inspired by the faith of the artist is often found in outsider art, how is this accepted and understood in the context of contemporary art more widely?
In the lead up to Easter weekend we look at the relationship between religion and contemporary art in an evening of discussion featuring Mark Dean, artist and Church of England curate, Fabienne Audeoud artist and writer, James Brett founder of the Museum of Everything and chaired by Brian Dillon UK editor of Cabinet magazine and a research fellow at the University of Kent.
James Brett (of The Museum of Everything) - in effect - saved the event. He was so well prepared, funny, knowledgeable and - of course - professional. His slideshow and talk about religion in outsider art were illuminating.  Mark Dean did have things to say too, but he spent too much time trying to justify his own belief in God. (why?) Oh - and Fabienne Audeoud simply did not have a good day. She was so preoccupied with her own experience and her own understanding of religion, that she did not really have time to put art into equation too.

African art does not exist.
Religion is only what the words in the bible say.
What is spirituality? (with 10 mins remaining to the end of the talk)

Wednesday 6 April 2011

Working with passion: Atsuo Okamoto and Eleanor Vonne Brown


Passion is infectious!




 Atsuo Okamoto has got a  "Forest" at the Chelsea College of Art parade ground - a stunning display of his stone carvings. 
“Stone keeps huge memories inside, since the planet came into existence. I feel that stone is the most romantic and intellectual object on the earth.” 
I ran into him a few times at Chelsea foundry recently. He is happy to talk and he is curious. As a result, I have already been to Camberwell foundry with a few new ideas, that I feel so... hm...  passionate about.

 Eleanor Vonne Brown runs X Marks the Bökship, which is a publishing project space for independent publishers. She gave us a talk about publishing, editioning, projects, fairs, etc. I did not realize how much was out there!
Revolver Publishing
Print Matters Interest Group
Byam Shaw Library of Art
 etc.
So refreshing to listen to somebody dripping with knowledge and joy about what they do! Bags of inspiration!

Monday 4 April 2011

Time out. Thinking. Modern British Sculpture at RA



I finally made to the Modern British Sculpture exhibition at The Royal Accademy. I have read and heard very mixed reviews about it: certain areas underrepresented, some obvious artists omitted, jumpy, sketchy. BBC has an interesting video here. However, I went there not for the fundamental overview of British Sculpture. I have been feeling "stuck"for a little while now. Going to this exhibition was my attempt to plunge into something different.



So what did I make of it.
I did enjoy it. So did my kids, aged 6 and 11. We had audio-guides. I can only assume that we were the right audience for the exhibition: a bit educated in arts, but not experts on sculpture.
Jaob Epstein, Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and Anthony Caro kind of steal the show. I thought the pairing of Epstein's Adam  and Henry Moore's Snake was fantastic. However, I felt like the next room (the one with Phillip King) would have benefited from an Anthony Gormley figure, that would have put Epstein, King and Gilbert into a different kind of conversation (anyway, where was Anthony Gormley?) Three Forms were well set against the backdrop of Chinese ceramics - so painterly!The Duck Weight,  neo-sumerian (below) looked unbelievably modern.  Early One Morning was beautifully filling the room.  Anish Kapoor was missing. I finally liked Richard Long. The last two rooms were a bit crowded for my linking. Gary Webb, Martin Boyce, Rose Finn-Kelcey. Richard Wentworth was showing film Making Do and Getting By, a Selection of Everyday Encounters 1970-85, - a currious documentary of everyday sculptural inventions, which cast a completely new light onto the whole exhibition.



Sunday 3 April 2011

Drawing. Thinking again. I do not forget.

I do not remember; I do not forget.