There are many biennials around the world. I have been lucky enough to have visited two - the Biennale Di Venezia and The Liverpool Biennial. Biennials are often brought into cities as a means of regeneration, attracting tourism and revenue. The Liverpool biennial was initiated in 1999 and contributed to the accolade of European Capital of Culture 2008. The Liverpool Biennial was devised as a ‘collaborative model for engaging art, people and place’ and claims to bring ‘art that is challenging, uncompromising and free thinking’. I would definitely agree that our local biennial achieves this. Pieces such as Ai Wei Wei’s ‘Web of Light’ 2008, A-APE’s ‘VisableVirals’ 2010 and Cristina Lucas’ ‘Touch and Go’ 2010 break out from the conventional gallery settings and move into the public view. ‘Web of Light’ was art as a spectacle, an innovative new form of art to attract and engage the tourist. ‘Visible Virals’ were art in the public realm, regenerating the city landscape and involving the people of Liverpool and its visitors and ‘Touch and Go’ again built on the fabric of the city, making visitors aware of its economic history but also making them politically aware. This aspect of Biennials is something I feel is very important for the progression of the art world. It gives a chance for innovative art to advance and also generates a festival form of art, which attracts and involves people.
However the Liverpool Biennial follows the conventional rules more than the Biennale Di Venezia. The rigidity of the Giardini exhibition area in Venice means that the biennale is more static rather than engaging the general public.
In my opinion the Liverpool Biennial is more successful because it infiltrates the public awareness more, not relying on national kudos but involving a truly international audience.
I have enjoyed exploring this year’s biennial, and have found it an invaluable resource. I feel that by having such close contact with an event such as this helps you understand and appreciate the art more, and helps you to relate/ link works that you might have missed otherwise.
Friday, 10 December 2010
Late Night at the Bluecoat
I went to The Late Night on the 18th November. It was the first time I had visited the Bluecoat. I went to the printing workshop for a while and watched the performance in the courtyard, but I was most interested in the current exhibitions there.
Ranjani Shettar’s beautiful cast bronze sculpture fascinated me. She has used an unconventional method of bronze casting to express her interest in the collision of industrial and the organic. The method used is called wax casting. It is actually an traditional/ outdated form of casting where the molten bronze is poured into channels leading to the ‘cast’. The works we are shown here would be remnants of those channels and, sadly would traditionally have been disposed of.
I think that she is wise to have used the wax casting method as it has more of a organic, human touch, yet her use of the metallic material give us an essence of the industrial.
I also made a point to go and see Nicolas Hlobo’s ‘Ndize’. I was made aware of his work a few days previously when curator of the bluecoat, Sarah Parsons, came to speak to us. She told us how most of the communication about the exhibition was made over the internet and how, originally the plan was that the piece was going to be hung from the walls. It was only a few days before the opening when the work was brought from overseas into the gallery that they realized the brackets and walls would not support the weight. So they had to rethink the presentation.
I found the story really interesting and wanted to see how their problem was resolved. The colourful objects were placed on the floor with ribbons leading up and out of the room. I see how the piece has changed. It is possibly more static than planned, however I imagine the effect is quite similar due to the ribbon gives fluidity and elevates our view.
Ranjani Shettar’s beautiful cast bronze sculpture fascinated me. She has used an unconventional method of bronze casting to express her interest in the collision of industrial and the organic. The method used is called wax casting. It is actually an traditional/ outdated form of casting where the molten bronze is poured into channels leading to the ‘cast’. The works we are shown here would be remnants of those channels and, sadly would traditionally have been disposed of.
I think that she is wise to have used the wax casting method as it has more of a organic, human touch, yet her use of the metallic material give us an essence of the industrial.
I also made a point to go and see Nicolas Hlobo’s ‘Ndize’. I was made aware of his work a few days previously when curator of the bluecoat, Sarah Parsons, came to speak to us. She told us how most of the communication about the exhibition was made over the internet and how, originally the plan was that the piece was going to be hung from the walls. It was only a few days before the opening when the work was brought from overseas into the gallery that they realized the brackets and walls would not support the weight. So they had to rethink the presentation.
Andy Holden Performance
I just wanted to mention the performance by Andy Holden at the Victoria Gallery a few weeks ago. Until then I had never really experienced a performance piece, so I didn’t know what to expect. But I enjoyed it very much! The performance consisted of six pieces of experimental music played with a live string quartet. As the quartet played the first piece, a film of one of Holden’s sculptures rolled in the background. It was amazing how the film and music linked together so well, and how the music affected the mood of the film so much.
Holden had performed the first three pieces at Tate Britain, however we were very honoured to be the first to hear the newly composed second half. I feel that these were more enjoyable, because of their more experimental qualities. For one piece Holden, the conductor and the string quartet simultaneously read out information about the geology, geography and history of one particular rock. It was impossible to understand but the information was all nonetheless there. This reminded me of the internet. There is so much information given to us everyday and when its put in front of us so blatantly it seems quite humorous, shocking but definitely humorous.
Holden had performed the first three pieces at Tate Britain, however we were very honoured to be the first to hear the newly composed second half. I feel that these were more enjoyable, because of their more experimental qualities. For one piece Holden, the conductor and the string quartet simultaneously read out information about the geology, geography and history of one particular rock. It was impossible to understand but the information was all nonetheless there. This reminded me of the internet. There is so much information given to us everyday and when its put in front of us so blatantly it seems quite humorous, shocking but definitely humorous.
John Moores Painting Prize... The Oscars Of Painting??
At the beginning of the year I visited the John Moores Exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery and I must say I felt a bit scandalized by the winner. I wanted to know why this painting had won such a presigous award, and so when we were asked to do a literature review for our LSA2003 module I decided to vent my anger by doing a little bit of research.
I really enjoyed what I learned and just wanted to share this with you too.
‘Spectrum Jesus’ by Keith Coventry was the 2010 John Moores Painting Prize winner. The piece depicts the face of Jesus Christ. Coventry, who was inspired by the art forgeries Han Van Meegeren produced of master Johannes Vermeer, has in turn taken Meegeren’s ‘Christ’ and forged it in the style of German Expressionist Emil Nolde. This renewed image ‘offers subtle contemplation on the notion of the original and the copy’ – Stephen Deuchair (director of the art fund). Although the contemporary piece does have similarities to the original in composition and choice of subject, in my view other aspects such as palette and quantity, and thus meaning have changed.
Spectrum Jesus is just one of a group of around forty images from Coventry’s ‘Repressionism series’. The works were originally intended to be viewed as an installation depicting Christ in the form of a spectrum. Coventry embraces “the literal idea of Christ as 'I am the light'”, and maintains that “the display of these paintings in a row is a way of showing that element." Coventry claims that the main element he admired inVan Meegeren's fake Vermeer was its expressionist quality, yet felt unable to capture “that kind of spiritual look.” He therefore decided against expressionism, “to go for an idea that I have called 'repressionism', meaning that, as I worked on each of the canvases, bringing the tones closer together, eventually all the expressiveness of each one would be completely wiped out, leaving little except the texture of the paint." Both these statements speak of the work as a whole but for practical reasons the installation could not be exhibited in its entirety. However, analysing just one piece out of context we cannot evaluate the work in such a way. In my opinion, the rest of the work is undone and the singled out piece affects us in a different manner to that originally intended. We find ourselves looking more closely at the brush strokes and aspects such as the reflective glass for extra meaning.
The reflections of the glass give an added dimension to the piece. Coventry’s work often shows an interest in the dark flipside of idealism; urban decay, social failure, drug abuse and alienation. The reflections are said to ‘slow the experience down’ which allows the viewer to take in the image. I feel there is an added dimension of the viewer seeing his own reflection in the glass and therefore seeing himself within the image alongside Christ. In my view, associating a religious icon with such negative contemporary themes may be a judgement on society. This may allude to the loss of morality in modern day life or possibly the loss of spirituality.
I agree that the piece, when viewed as a whole series, has achieved meanings on many different intellectual levels. However, when the single frame is separated from the series it loses its impact.
In conclusion a painting that relies so much on external props for its relevance - the reflective glass in front of it and its inclusion in an installation – cannot be judged as a painting in the purist sense. Moreover I question whether an exhibition, described by some as ‘the Oscars of painting’, should so readily accept recycled art.
I really enjoyed what I learned and just wanted to share this with you too.
‘Spectrum Jesus’ by Keith Coventry was the 2010 John Moores Painting Prize winner. The piece depicts the face of Jesus Christ. Coventry, who was inspired by the art forgeries Han Van Meegeren produced of master Johannes Vermeer, has in turn taken Meegeren’s ‘Christ’ and forged it in the style of German Expressionist Emil Nolde. This renewed image ‘offers subtle contemplation on the notion of the original and the copy’ – Stephen Deuchair (director of the art fund). Although the contemporary piece does have similarities to the original in composition and choice of subject, in my view other aspects such as palette and quantity, and thus meaning have changed.
Spectrum Jesus is just one of a group of around forty images from Coventry’s ‘Repressionism series’. The works were originally intended to be viewed as an installation depicting Christ in the form of a spectrum. Coventry embraces “the literal idea of Christ as 'I am the light'”, and maintains that “the display of these paintings in a row is a way of showing that element." Coventry claims that the main element he admired inVan Meegeren's fake Vermeer was its expressionist quality, yet felt unable to capture “that kind of spiritual look.” He therefore decided against expressionism, “to go for an idea that I have called 'repressionism', meaning that, as I worked on each of the canvases, bringing the tones closer together, eventually all the expressiveness of each one would be completely wiped out, leaving little except the texture of the paint." Both these statements speak of the work as a whole but for practical reasons the installation could not be exhibited in its entirety. However, analysing just one piece out of context we cannot evaluate the work in such a way. In my opinion, the rest of the work is undone and the singled out piece affects us in a different manner to that originally intended. We find ourselves looking more closely at the brush strokes and aspects such as the reflective glass for extra meaning.
The reflections of the glass give an added dimension to the piece. Coventry’s work often shows an interest in the dark flipside of idealism; urban decay, social failure, drug abuse and alienation. The reflections are said to ‘slow the experience down’ which allows the viewer to take in the image. I feel there is an added dimension of the viewer seeing his own reflection in the glass and therefore seeing himself within the image alongside Christ. In my view, associating a religious icon with such negative contemporary themes may be a judgement on society. This may allude to the loss of morality in modern day life or possibly the loss of spirituality.
I agree that the piece, when viewed as a whole series, has achieved meanings on many different intellectual levels. However, when the single frame is separated from the series it loses its impact.
In conclusion a painting that relies so much on external props for its relevance - the reflective glass in front of it and its inclusion in an installation – cannot be judged as a painting in the purist sense. Moreover I question whether an exhibition, described by some as ‘the Oscars of painting’, should so readily accept recycled art.
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| Han Van Meegeren |
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| Emil Nolde |
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| 'Spectrum Jesus' series by Keith Coventry |
Painters at Renshaw
I will discuss the biennial exhibition at Renshaw Street once more. This time I will talk about the pieces of work I felt the strongest attachment to when walking round, and still weeks on remain strongest in my memory.
Those who know me best will know that these are of course, the paintings. The first painter whose work we are introduced to is Zbyněk Sedlecký. These pieces are very large in scale and despite his use of acrylic on canvas he chooses to water down his paints like water colours. His quick style depicts vaguely recognisable features such as tall buildings and people. Because of his gestural style his work has a sense of time, much like a long exposure on a camera. He has also incorporated the use of linoleum and wooden panels into his work, this has the effect of distorting the view point. Are these part of the image, something obstructing our view or something else?
Another artist whose work interested me was Aime Mpane. His work is not strictly painting but his choice to work on a 2d surface and system of creating compositions lends itself to this section.
The biennial handbook tells us, ‘Mpanes work focuses primarily on the legacy of colonialism on the African continent’. The violent action of hacking portraits into wooden boards represents the scars left behind, even today, on the indigenous people.
The work is quite political and in my eyes, due to the tactile qualities and the physicality has been executed in a very powerful way.
I know we're not meant to have favourites, but after our initial visit I returned to the old Rapid building a few times just to see Tim Eitel’s ‘Matratze’ paintings.
His compositions, which make statements about desolate humanity, are very powerful. I feel this is due to the isolation of particular components. The biennial handbook tells us ‘he is nevertheless interested in understanding what type of images are retained by our minds from the overwhelming flood of mass communications.’ On reading about his process, I found that he first makes photographic documentation by taking snapshots of compositions that unexpectedly catch his attention, and then he will extract selected elements to become the core of the painting. I find that this method of filtering away the unnecessary factors makes a simpler yet stronger statement.
Those who know me best will know that these are of course, the paintings. The first painter whose work we are introduced to is Zbyněk Sedlecký. These pieces are very large in scale and despite his use of acrylic on canvas he chooses to water down his paints like water colours. His quick style depicts vaguely recognisable features such as tall buildings and people. Because of his gestural style his work has a sense of time, much like a long exposure on a camera. He has also incorporated the use of linoleum and wooden panels into his work, this has the effect of distorting the view point. Are these part of the image, something obstructing our view or something else?
Another artist whose work interested me was Aime Mpane. His work is not strictly painting but his choice to work on a 2d surface and system of creating compositions lends itself to this section.
The biennial handbook tells us, ‘Mpanes work focuses primarily on the legacy of colonialism on the African continent’. The violent action of hacking portraits into wooden boards represents the scars left behind, even today, on the indigenous people.
The work is quite political and in my eyes, due to the tactile qualities and the physicality has been executed in a very powerful way.
I know we're not meant to have favourites, but after our initial visit I returned to the old Rapid building a few times just to see Tim Eitel’s ‘Matratze’ paintings.
His compositions, which make statements about desolate humanity, are very powerful. I feel this is due to the isolation of particular components. The biennial handbook tells us ‘he is nevertheless interested in understanding what type of images are retained by our minds from the overwhelming flood of mass communications.’ On reading about his process, I found that he first makes photographic documentation by taking snapshots of compositions that unexpectedly catch his attention, and then he will extract selected elements to become the core of the painting. I find that this method of filtering away the unnecessary factors makes a simpler yet stronger statement.
Thursday, 2 December 2010
My Little National Portrait Gallery Bible
I wasn’t aware of the BP Portrait award until my foundation year in 2008. I spent the final term of the year producing figurative paintings, and it was at this point that one of my tutors suggested that I should enter. It was something that really interested me, as I would really like to go into portraiture. Over the summer holidays after the completion of the foundation course I started working on a portrait of my Grandpa. The piece was entered, but was not accepted (although I wasn’t surprised by this. I just really wanted to have a go). But I did decide to invest in a guide of the shortlisted works. And I’m so glad I did!
I love my BP Portrait Award 2010 booklet. I actually do carry it everywhere with me. It’s just so handy to flick through when I’m feeling lost with my project. And believe me, recently that’s been a lot!
Bruce Hanke's entry, a portrait of his son, was one I found quite humerous. Although I'm not sure if I should. It could hold quite a serious statement, but there's something about the adolescent pose that seems quite awkward and mischievous.
Nathan Ford's work really interests me because of the disintegration of the facial features into the matrix of the background. It reminds me of the work of Francis Bacon. I feel that it could represent the transience of life. I am absolutely fascinated by Ford's portraiture and will definitely research his work further.
I feel I must mention Butler's quirky entry, 'The Rubbish Bin Men'. It is again the humor of these two eccentric characters standing awkwardly in unsusual suits which makes this such a memorable piece. Also the way the title 'The Rubbish Bin Men' can be twisted to different meanings.
Are they bin men? or are they rubbish at being bin men?
What makes this painting so beautiful is the reality of the luminostity of the skin, the choice of palette and directional lighting. It seems so ghoistly and calm. The figure seems in her own bubble, not making eye contact with the viewer and not within any recognisable space, which I believe is a powerful metaphor for the affect an iPod has on us.
I enjoy the painterly yet realistic style of Nicola Philipps's work. Philipps works from life and I feel that the texture of the paint adds a quality of this interaction with her sitters.
I love my BP Portrait Award 2010 booklet. I actually do carry it everywhere with me. It’s just so handy to flick through when I’m feeling lost with my project. And believe me, recently that’s been a lot!
I wanted to take the opportunity to select a few of my favourites from the booklet to show you too.
Raoul Martinez's composition choice is really innovative, and something I feel quite inspired by. It is rejecting the normal rules of portraiture with its plain white background and the large amount of space above the figure. But this is the exact reason why it pulls us in. In a way it's style is similar to a family photoshoot, but because it is painted the work has a much more powerful effect. To me, the space above the figure gives the illusion of thought or spirituality. This is something I would like to explore in my own work.
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| Raoul Martinez- 'Alan Rickman' |
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| Bruce Hanke- 'Like Father' |
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| Nathan Ford |
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| Nathan Ford- 'Paul' |
I feel I must mention Butler's quirky entry, 'The Rubbish Bin Men'. It is again the humor of these two eccentric characters standing awkwardly in unsusual suits which makes this such a memorable piece. Also the way the title 'The Rubbish Bin Men' can be twisted to different meanings.
Are they bin men? or are they rubbish at being bin men?
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| Jason Butler- 'The Rubbish Bin Men' |
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| Jason Butler -'Peter' |
What makes this painting so beautiful is the reality of the luminostity of the skin, the choice of palette and directional lighting. It seems so ghoistly and calm. The figure seems in her own bubble, not making eye contact with the viewer and not within any recognisable space, which I believe is a powerful metaphor for the affect an iPod has on us.
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| Michal Ozibiko- 'iDeath' |
I enjoy the painterly yet realistic style of Nicola Philipps's work. Philipps works from life and I feel that the texture of the paint adds a quality of this interaction with her sitters.
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| Nicola Philipps- 'Paddy (Le Flaneur) |
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| N'icola Philipps |
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| Nicola Philipps |
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
Embracing The Bendy Boards!
My recent work has been about line, tone and volume. I have been looking at topography and homing in on features of the face. The paintings which are on canvas board have been propped up against the wall for some time. This has caused them to dip in the middle, giving them a three dimensional quality.
I purposely bent one of these boards to make it stand on its side and work as a sculptural piece. I have made reference to the work of Richard Serra for his large iron sculptures.
I attempted to present to work on a wall. I preferred this style of presentation for several reasons. When the work was on its side on the floor, the spectator would be able to walk around the piece. This proved to be problematic because of the lack of depth and the fact that there is only an image on one side. If the piece was presented horizontally on the floor I feel the concept would change and it would be more about power, likewise if the viewer had to look up to it. The contrast between the flat wall and the curved canvas works as it exaggerates this new volume. For the work is hung in the conventional style of a portrait, at eye level, then I feel it will have a stronger link to the history of portraiture.
Work by Lucio Fontana and Adam Fearon has also proved to be of interest for their exploration of the canvas as a sculptural medium.
I attempted something similar for myself. By removing the canvas for the frames I was able to drape it over chairs, fold it and hang it in an alternative manner. However, due to the inflexible nature of the canvas the outcome wasnt as effective as the 'bendy boards'.
I purposely bent one of these boards to make it stand on its side and work as a sculptural piece. I have made reference to the work of Richard Serra for his large iron sculptures.
I attempted to present to work on a wall. I preferred this style of presentation for several reasons. When the work was on its side on the floor, the spectator would be able to walk around the piece. This proved to be problematic because of the lack of depth and the fact that there is only an image on one side. If the piece was presented horizontally on the floor I feel the concept would change and it would be more about power, likewise if the viewer had to look up to it. The contrast between the flat wall and the curved canvas works as it exaggerates this new volume. For the work is hung in the conventional style of a portrait, at eye level, then I feel it will have a stronger link to the history of portraiture.
Work by Lucio Fontana and Adam Fearon has also proved to be of interest for their exploration of the canvas as a sculptural medium.
I attempted something similar for myself. By removing the canvas for the frames I was able to drape it over chairs, fold it and hang it in an alternative manner. However, due to the inflexible nature of the canvas the outcome wasnt as effective as the 'bendy boards'.
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