Maurizio cattelan

hello SPIes just wanted to introduce you a crazy crazy crazy crazy artist for those who havnt met him yet. he was the one who exhibited the horse suspended from the ceiling in mca for sydney biennale 2008! italian sculptor Maurizio cattelan (b.1960) has a very satirical yet radical, perhaps even disturbing, style of approaching life and death and everything inbetween. here are some google-searched images of his work

his works are an instant attraction and fascination. but i dont think i can fall in love with them. its just too painful to even get too close up on the screen. crazy crazy artist. here is an interview with Cattelan by michele robecchi http://www.interviewmagazine.com/art/maurizio-cattelan/ slightly long but quite interesting.

check him out!

art and politics (annotated bibliography) - liu bolin

http://www.liubolinart.com/
liu bolin's official website. as his personal website it has very thorough biography and insight into his previous and current works. he's photo gallery is nicely divided into sulpture, photo, oil painting and blackboard which all have very high resolution documentations of his work. the website also contains links to different articles featuring his work as well as a message board which enables people to contact him directly. the photo gallery did not have any description of each works which was quite confusing. and unfortunately for "hiding in the city" photo documentation series i dont think it was the full collection of his series were uploaded. however the cctv footage shots of peoples reaction towards his camouflaged body was documented which is quite interesting. the website couldve been more useful if it contained some academic writings of his practice.

http://whitehotmagazine.com/articles/2008-interview-with-liu-bolin/1245
charles schultz's interview with liu bolin in 2008 (translated by christine wang). Despite most of this interview being about his work China report 2007 and only 7 question short interview it gives enough insight into his experience, ideas, concepts, influence and practice. China report 2007 which i havnt mentioned in my presentation is another very political work of liu bolin. so i could relate the artists ideas presented in this interview into "hiding in the city" series.

http://www.ifa-gallery.com/artists/liubolin/texts.html
ifa-gallery website contains a curator review Everything Is Not Quite Right about liu bolin's practice. written in april 2008 by Bérénice Angrémy it gives short introduction to his persponal life then moves onto Urban Camouflage which talks about his "hiding in the city" works, influence, intentions, aesthetics and concepts very deeply. then moves on to talk about Eyes Blindfolded which explains his more sculptural practices such as "burning mao" and "red hands". as all liu bolin's work has a reference back to chinese politics and government and as this text talks mostly about the artists "hiding in the city" series it was a very helpful site providing more academic writing compared to other sources.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=liu+bolin&aq=f
youtube, as an addition to everything else, was a "must see" source for me in order to understand the process of liu bolin's "hiding in the city" practice. it is not only fascinating but also educational in a sense.

arthur ganson

Arthur Ganson (b.1955 usa): amazing kinetic sculptor i came across listening to TED.com
he's works are quite musical and gestural as if they are trying to whisper something into your ears. listen to his talk on

http://www.ted.com/talks/arthur_ganson_makes_moving_sculpture.html

art and audience

http://jumpinginartmuseums.blogspot.com/

blogspace JUMPINGINARTMUSEUMS created by Allison Reimus invites people to send in photos of themselves jumping in front of artworks and in art galleries. you should really check this blogspot up, its amazing. people from all around the world have posted their pictures, some hillariously funny some with amazing skills. in Allison Reimus's blogspot profile she writes

I am an avid Art Jumper. Sometimes, while visiting art museums and galleries, I am so excited by what I see that I have to jump for joy.

it is truly great to see people sharing such love for art. the audience role have not only heightened but these photographs have become new artworks themselves.

art and its institution - exhibition space

continuing on from the discussion we had in class for nick's presentation on art and audience i would like to discuss about "exhibition space" in relation to week 9's topic Art and its Institution. its interesting how one topic connects to everyting else. Personally i have to admit that i come across more artists and their works online than going to galleries and reading paper. this way i can keep up with new artists rising in iraq and south america with a tap of my finger. internet is what enables the world to communicate, thus globalise. it gives big and not so big yet artists opportunities to update their profiles and portfolios, and often use it as their new medium. there are now various online art galleries and auction sites, educational materials and network. it saves people time and effort. however whether this is all entirely healthy is questionable. i remember reading something on galleries and museums slowly losing their status in society. childrens are losing interest in physical activities and adults are too tired working six days a week. this is so unfortunate because seeing artworks in real life provides a very different experience from seeing it on your computer screen, most of the times. sculpture, performance and installation, especially. and whats the point of creating body of works if its only to be viewed online?

so what i really wanted to say was that we should all go gallery hopping sometime soon.

art and globalisation - biennale

hello everybody. Im sorry ive been really slack with blogging and its already our last week of 2010! I cant believe we got through this year this quick, its scary. Well im going to get on to some serious blogging so watch out.

First ive got some thoughts on biennale, the contemporary art festival, in relation to week 8's topic art and globalisation.

We've just had our 17TH SYDNEY BIENNALE. Apart from the overloaded MCA i quite enjoyed the works. Our biennale is the fourth oldest in the world since 1973 and probably the biggest international visual art event in sydney, maybe australia. According to the official biennale website, we have so far presented works of 1355 artists from 82 countries with 436,150 visitors attending 2008 sydney biennale. I wonder how much we had this year? To me, this is globalisation. It is an amazing experience to see how artists around the world interpret and create art. And through these works i can recognise the embedded cultural elements that are so similar yet different to one another. Biennale does more than just celebrate contemporary art, it promote international artists and raise awareness about the life around the globe, and upgrade our, the artists and the public's, understanding of art and the world.

globalisation dont only mean that the we, the artists, are influenced by the truth around the world but also that we have an opportunity to communicate back to the world population.

its great.



http://www.bos17.com/page/about_us.html

art and spirituality - yin yang

Brian Chessmar - yin yang

jud turner - spring/sprang

robert arneson (1930-1992, usa) - egg heads

volkswagon beetles - yin yang

"in chinese tradition, the yin-yang symbol represents the contrasting pairs of attributes associated with femaleness and maleness" www.buddhismtaoism.suit101.com/article.cfm/what-is-the-meaning-of-yin-yang-symbol

the different interpretation of the same subject quite interests me. how we can be so different in the way we think, feel, understand and express. and also the intercultural issues. traditional chinese philosophy yin-yang have become almost a global understanding of harmony and balance.

art and identity - daniel edwards

presidential bust of hillary rodham clinton, 2006

Daniel Edwards (b. 1965, Indiana) is a controversial sculptor who often stirs up media with his celebrity depiction and criticism. his subjects includes britany spears giving birth, paris hilton autopsy, nadya suleman (octomum) and her babies, and hillary clinton and her low-cut dress.

According to CBC NEWS (www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2006/08/10/clinton-sculpture-bust.html) 'Edward has said that his intent was to show the 59 years old New York senator "not as a covered up person, but as a woman".'

casted in a classic style of portrait sculpture, to me, clinton seem to have the traditional emotion-less facial expression. Edward, however, describes "with her head held high, a youthful spirit and a face matured by wisdom". the supporting stone marked with the mimic of presidential seal shows that this is not just any portrait sculpture but a political one. clinton, with her sexual powers, pursuing for a turn in american presidency. i find the purpose of this work, and in most of Daniel Edward's work, quite ironic yet true to reality.

art and body - Jamie McCartney

design a vagina - great wall of vagina

Jamie McCartney’s (b. 1971, uk) bizarre work ‘Design a vagina’ caught my attention. And made me laugh. The artist’s peculiar obsession has invited 360 volunteer female and transgender-man between the ages of 18-64 to contribute to his the ‘great wall of vagina’.

"For many women their vagina is a source of shame rather than pride and this piece seeks to redress the balance, showing that everyone is different and everyone is normal. I hope this sculpture will be definitive and effective in alleviating the anxiety many women feel about their genitals, just as many men do, at the same time as being a compelling and beautiful artwork." Says J. McCartney.

I must say, as ridiculous as his work may appear, I quite like his intentions.

check out more about J.McCartney on www.brightonbodycasting.com/design-a-vagina.php

and the short film clip on www.whiteedge.net/dav. its quite fascinating.