This week’s featured artist is an extended interview focusing on the work of multi-media visual artist Joshue Ott.
Joshue Ott is one of those innovative artists who visualizes new media in a broader spectrum. Having created superDraw, a platform in which he customized to become his visual instrument, along with multiDraw and Thicket, both interactive projects, Josh is constantly at the forefront. Working with soundscapes, his distinct style of visuals experiments with the basic qualities of form, texture and movement. Since 2005 Josh has been creating live visuals for numerous musicians and various performances around the world. I first experienced Josh’s work live at the 2010 Unsound Festival in New York. We had this conversation in his studio in Brooklyn where he lives with his wife and two children.
Helen Homan Wu: Okay, let’s talk about how you started superDraw. How long ago was it?
Joshue Ott: It was…years ago. Morgan Packard and Ezekiel Honig released Early Morning Migration and I played at the release party. It was some sort of debut. The first time I did superDraw live in front of people and called it superDraw.
This Saturday’s Warm Up event at PS1 MoMA will be a good one. The line-up includes Animal Collective, Blondes, Prince Rama, Oneohtrix Point Never, CFCF, and Babe Rainbow. The set starts from 2PM to 9PM. See the full schedule here.
Beautiful churches always stop me on my track. Situated on a peaceful residential street, the Christ Church of Cobble Hill may not necessarily stand out next to all the brownstones, but the postcard that said “Playthings Of The Gods” caught my eye. This seductive title drew me to go see one of the shows on Thursday. Produced by the Vertical Player Repertory or VPR, the “Playthings Of The Gods” series is the vision of producer/director Judith Barnes. I had little idea of what to expect for the show except for what’s given in its title–Love’s Labyrinth: Music of the Spanish Baroque. It was a gracious excuse for me to take a respite from the heat and chaos. The music was performed by Anima Baroque Music Ensemble featuring a soprano singer. Thirty minutes into the performance, my mind began to drift to a different time and place. Or as my friend described it, the whole experience was timeless and placeless.
Yesterday was Mr. Marshall McLuhan’s birthday. Anyone who read the cult classic The Medium is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects knows that Marshall McLuhan is the godfather of philosophical media analysis. He did deep studies about how the media could effect an individual, and although those theories were written in the 60s it can easily by applied to what’s happening now. This video interview is a good introduction to Mr. McLuhan’s work and would perhaps inspire us to question our own role in today’s machine-obsessed world.
I’m really excited about launching this new “featured artists” series as it will bring a different focus on Artcards Review. There are so many talented artists here in New York, and it’s usually the fresh and emerging who need to voice out, which is where we will focus the spotlight. Our first Featured Artist of the Week is Kevin Cyr. For this fabulous encounter between Kevin and I, we met at his latest show entitled “Gimme Shelter,” a group exhibition currently at Mixed Greens Gallery.
When I first saw Kevin’s Camper Kart I was as excited as a child walking into a toy store. Not quite hippy, nor scientifically geeky, this installation hit me in a profoundly personal way. The exterior is only a fraction of the entire piece. First the combination of a shopping cart with a Chinese-Mongolianesque shaped tent is one of the craziest juxtapositions I’ve seen. Then reality starts to seep away as I peek inside the little windows and imagine a life inside this romantic place.
The anticipated LUSH LIFE opened this past Thursday in nine galleries spanning through the Lower East Side. The curators of this project Franklin Evans and Omar Lopez-Chahoud cleverly used the novel written by Richard Price as a connecting thread. Each of the nine galleries represent a different chapter in Lush Life (2008), which is a psychologically gripping tale about a murder investigation and concerning the gentrification of lower Manhattan. Basically it reveals some of the ugliness behind today’s yuppified Lower East Side. This is the neighborhood where I first landed as child, so I can definitely relate to those changes first hand. Now that the bodegas, hosiery and leather shops have moved on to be replaced by pricey wine bars and boutiques, it’s nice to see a new wave of galleries coming in. Which brings in a whole different dynamic to the area, and you can feel it while walking down the streets at any time of the day, it’s such a unique mixture of energies in the LES that is unlike anywhere else, because it has gone through so many layers of changes, just like those stickers plastered everywhere. And this exhibition is unique in a sense that these galleries have created a sort of ensemble, which attracted a flood of people, some who had never been to any of those galleries before. Of course the artists and the work matters just as much, but what’s more remarkable is the unity of the event as a whole–the bigger picture. Perhaps it is what the downtown galleries need right now, to generate some action, especially since those hungry sharks in the bigger art market usually gets all the attention. If you haven’t seen the show yet I advise starting from Chapter One: Whistle at Sue Scott Gallery. Closing dates vary depending on the gallery, but here’s the list: Sue Scott Gallery, On Stellar Rays, Invisble-Exports, Lehmann Maupin, Y Gallery, Collette Blanchard, Salon 94, Scaramouche, Eleven Rivington. Don’t be overwhelmed, there is a free map that you can pick up at any of those galleries. (more pics after the jump…)
The phrase “They Knew What They Wanted” poses countless questions, especially when placed as the title of a collaborative exhibition between four galleries across the city of San Francisco. As it turns out “They” are artists chosen by each gallery to curate a show comprised of artwork from the backrooms of all four galleries. Altman Siegel Gallery chose Los Angeles based photographer, Shannon Ebner to curate their portion of the show. She chose a series of thirteen random objects ranging from glasses of water to photographs to a baby incubator in an attempt to show that “reality is comprised of basic units.” The show at Altman Siegel is successfully disjointed with pieces that are singularly intriguing. Tom Otterness’s ‘Broken Humpty Dumpty’, a bronzed Humpty Dumpty situated on the floor, creates a vibrant dialog with the viewer because of its surroundings. Ebner knew what she wanted from the back rooms of these galleries, but you will have to look to Fraenkel Gallery, Ratio 3, and John Berggruen Gallery to see what their selected artists wanted.
The group exhibition appropriately entitled Shred curated by Carlo McCormick opened yesterday at Perry Rubenstein. This slightly informal exhibit houses an eclectic collection of collage work (i.e. Jess, Bruce Conner, Leo Fitzpatrick) mixed with edgy urban art (i.e. Swoon, Shepard Fairey). The show is definitely a stand-out, drawing downtowners (there is one Dash Snow piece) as well as skateheads from the Lower East Side. Although collage as a medium is not something new, lately it’s seems to be resurfacing and Shred exhibits a rare grouping of established artists together next to emerging local artists. I’m a fan of the ex-Beatnik Bruce Conner (1933-2008) who produced inspirational works in a diverse range of mediums from found materials collages to experimental film-making. Also drawn to the newcomer Leo Fitzpatrick’s subtle assemblages, which at first sight doesn’t seem like much, but on closer inspection they reveal a hint of wisdom.
The first U.S. exhibition of German painter Otto Dix, at the Neue Galerie is long overdue, and after a recent visit, I have discovered a newfound admiration for a painter whom I only thought of as creating Portrait of the Journalist Sylvia von Harden. This exhibition proves Dix to be an incredibly self-aware artist who dedicated his life to the study of painting, and in turn, the study of the human condition as seen in his many variations on portraiture. The exhibition at the Neue Galerie begins with a small gallery full of his work made during World War I, a body of work that ultimately sets the tone for his entire artistic career. Continue Reading More »
Yesterday was a big day of openings. Despite the heat and humidity, people were enthusiastic about seeing art, cooling off inside galleries, while smoozing over wine. My favorites were Jack Pierson’s gorgeous photographs (nailed into the walls) at Bartolami and The Tell-Tale Heart (Part 2) at James Cohan curated by Elyse Goldberg. I just had to check out Andy Warhol’s Rain Machine (Daisy Waterfall) at Nicholas Robinson, which was surprisingly empty but offered a moment of comtemplation. Ended the warm evening to see friends’ works at Leo Kesting in a group show featuring street art called Dead Letter Playground. It was like a mini art fair happening in Chelsea, and so good bumping into you all! (more photos after the jump…)
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