My show at Gallery 825 opened Friday. If you missed the opening you have ’till Oct. 5th to check it out, please do and let me know what you think. The work is very personal, and the first things I’ve made alone in the studio for a long time. On the wall behind my desk is a list of questions about my work that I was asked to write during my last year in grad school (almost 8 years ago). One of the questions is “if my work is becoming more about interaction, participation, exchange, interdependence, how can I make work only in the isolation of my studio?” So now that I have completed a body of work that requires a more traditional level of engagement with the viewer I am eager to move on to new projects and address this question again. Lately I have been talking about relational or dialogical practices with other artists (Tim and his MEWS-PARI, Adam and his untitled private encounter, Art as Excuse series). I guess I have been off and on working in this genre for years, without always having the terminology to talk about it. Last year I read Conversation Pieces, and know I should read Relational Aesthetics. Anyway, I thought about it again today after receiving an email announcement from PICA about their TBA festival and following a link to Mammalian Diving Reflex, a performance troupe in Toronto that engages in interactions with the public under the guise of entertainment, just as our brunch with Adam last weekend was under the guise of, or “excuse” as Art. So for those of you interested in these practices, take a look at MDR’s Social Acupuncture series. I’m especially fond of the work they are doing with kids.
Also last night most galleries in LA had openings. Jeremy and I couldn’t possibly get to them all, but managed to make it to a few. Chris Jordan’s show at Paul Kopeikin Gallery, Ruben Ochoa’s and Mickalene Thomas’ shows at Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects and Alexis Weidig’s show at Overtones are all worth spending time with.
I found a nice little photo-essay on the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland today, which I have always wanted to visit. I believe it is the location where the cover photo of Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy was shot – with Robert Plant’s little hippie kids running all over it.Incidentally, the same blog [fogonazos] has a very nice photo essay featuring Zeppelins over Manhattan. Lovely.
I found a nice little photo-essay on the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland today, which I have always wanted to visit. I believe it is the location where the cover photo of Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy was shot – with Robert Plant’s little hippie kids running all over it.Incidentally, the same blog [fogonazos] has a very nice photo essay featuring Zeppelins over Manhattan. Lovely.
Following some links around last week, I found this great little architecture and design blog called Dezeen. Lots of interesting stuff to read in there, I spent a while catching up in the archive.
Check out this recent post on the new Nestle Museum in Mexico City – a great little origami space ship by Rojkind Arquitectos.
Well, I have finally made the much needed updates to my portfolio on RISE so check it out. (click on my name below to the left.)
Hey y’all. ArtInRuins hasn’t been updated because I am out of town in the Wild West for two weeks. Having a great time in the Tetons and Yellowstone. Went to a hot spring-fed pool today in the middle of the mountains, 10 miles from the main road. Been having a grand ole time without much cell phone or internet, but it is hard for me to stay away. I’ll have some grat photos later, and will post a Flickr link here when I get back. ‘Till later…
Loudpaper magazine, created by Mimi Zeiger, is resurrecting the long-lost Boring issue as a blog. I had submitted my RV drawings to her a while back, so they have resurfaced over there. There is a bunch of other good stuff in there, so I guess you had better read the whole Boring issue, and while you are at it, check in on Loudpaper often. It’s nice to see it out there again.
I just came across this set of incredible photos from the USSR in the 70s. Its a great glimpse into the culture of the other side of the Cold War and they are just beautiful photos.
Last week my niece Sarah and her boyfriend Dan drove out to Los Angeles from Connecticut as the first big step in their move to the west. This put me in the mood for some travelogue writing. While mucking about in the archives of good ‘ol Fireland, I found this gem. The Black Pill Diaries, which chronicles his move the other way across the country.
This Saturday I will be showing work in the California Design Biennial, which takes place at the Pasadena Museum of California Art. As the name implies, it is a showcase of California designers featuring fashion, furniture, transportation, consumer products, and graphic design.
The work I am showing is a digitally created, ASCII-like vinyl mural called California Pastoral. The mural, a 30′ x 7′ layout of vinyl text installed on a glass wall, was originally commissioned by United States Artists for their offices. United States Artists is an organization created to identify and support American artists, providing around 50 fellowships yearly. California Pastoral creates a large-scale image of lush foliage out of 1/2″ tall text abbreviations of the 50 states. The work provides a layer of privacy to the USA offices, as well as a dramatic backdrop to the front workspaces.
The show opens with a public reception on the 18th of August from 8-10 pm. The museum charges $5 admission. The show will be up until the 30th of September.
See PMCA for more information.
Pasadena Museum of California Art
490 E Union St
Pasadena, CA 91101
626.568.3665
I have photos of the original mural up on flickr, if you want a peek. For the show, I am recreating a full scale portion of the mural, plus showing a video about how it was made.
rss feed