One of the most important artists of our time, Louise Bourgeois (French-born American) passed away today at age 98. Her work has spoken to me in so many ways, and I’m sure many of you were touched by her art as well.  The NYTimes has this to say.

(above: Untitled from the illustrated book Ode a ma mere)

May 28 – Micmacs opens tonight in New York!  Being a fan of Mr. Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s work (I must’ve seen Amelie more than 200 times), I am looking forward to his comeback with a French comedy twist (in the style of Delicatessen, 1991). Humor along with a visual feast to the eyes, and the incredible French actor Dominique Pinon? Mr. Jeunet’s films almost always comes with an amazing collection of sound tracks as well. Can’t ask for more this weekend. Rotten Tomatoes did a recent interview with the director. See the trailer here.

I noticed this huge ad in the back of the NY Times this morning, ran by the oil giant BP in an attempt to apologize.  Apparently they are running full-page ads on the Washington Post, NY Times, the Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, aside from all the live-feeds on the internet.  It’s disheartening to see photos of the disaster and how it is affecting our environment, animals, local people, and eventually us.  I don’t think most of us even know that the British Petroleum has been feeding its superpower by drilling the deep waters so close to our coast. The rate of acceleration of the spill is 210,000 gallons per day since April 22, according to USA Today.  For those of you who haven’t seen where the flow of oil has been taking place, here’s a nicely illustrated map. A detailed timeline of events trailing back from the explosion is explained on Treehugger.

As for the spoof stand-up comedian in your face apology (below), this hardselling strategy may stereotypically work, but as a New Yorker I think it’ll take a little more intelligence to convince.

Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present is still going on face-to-face challenging herself and the audience in this intense performance.  I still have not made it to the MoMA yet, but was so inspired and touched by these beautiful portraits of individuals who were all “present” with Marina that I wanted to share some of them here with our readers.

(photos by Marco Anelli)

Here is a comment by one sitter Paco Blancas, who went back to sit for more than 10 times.

I think Marina’s piece has a very strong magnetism. It’s hard to explain but it’s almost like you feel this force, it draws you in, like a magnet. Sitting with her is a transforming experience—it’s luminous, it’s uplifting, it has many layers, but it always comes back to being present, breathing, maintaining eye contact. It’s an amazing journey to be able to experience and participate in the piece.

Also, I love meeting people in line. I’ve met a lot of people and have made a lot of new friends, many of them artists, but really all sorts of people. I keep in touch with them and we e-mail constantly to talk about our experiences. It’s like a little community of people who come to participate in the piece.

(excerpt from P.S.1/MoMA’s Inside/Out)

When I was told that Alva Noto would be performing at the Kitchen last night, I braved it to Chelsea just in time before he started his set. Carsten Nicolai a.k.a. Alva Noto is a minimalist sound artist, post-techno electronic musician. I started following his work since his early collaborations with Sakamoto Ryuichi. What I didn’t realize is that Mr. Nicolai also produces visuals. Last night’s performance was mind-blowing, literally, the heavily broken beats, blips, and prolonged static are sounds from faxes, modems and the telephone. They were in sync with the intense visuals which was manipulated real-time by Mr. Nicolai himself. There is something quite ecstatically surreal in this work in which he uses old technologies (with recordings by poet Anne-James Chaton) that throws you off the chair. It is the art of minimal simulation to the max. The show is presented by the Pace Gallery.  More photos to come.

(courtesy Leo Kesting Gallery)

Looking at Ray Sell’s images is like walking into an American vintage pop culture magazine.  It’s my first encounter with Mr. Sell’s work, so I have a fresh eye for what’s up at Leo Kesting (been wanting to visit the gallery for ages). I was not disappointed to see Ray Sell’s mutedly vivid collages raising questions about American boyhood rising into manhood.  Perhaps some of the imagery comes from his own experiences.  Nonetheless, the subjects are stylishly positioned and he seems to work within a nostalgic color palette. Although the images that Mr. Sell uses are only a few decades old, it feels like some strange distant world. Television, pin-up ladies, cowboys, guns and Miller-Coors beer. Just about sums up the American (macho) “high life” before cyberspace came into the picture.

Ray Sell: Stand Yer Ground is on view from May 13 – June 13, 2010

(image courtesy the Whitney Museum)

If you haven’t already seen the 2010 Whitney Biennial, now is your chance. The Whitney has announced that it will remain open for 24 hours from May 26, 12am Wed. night to May 28, 11:59pm Fri. “Open All Day and Night” was conceived by American conceptual artist Michael Asher as a part of this year’s Biennial. Perhaps it is meant to act as a closing ceremony for the show, which I think the Whitney deserves a respectable applause for granting this to come through. How many reputable cultural institutions would allow this type of conceptual work to happen? Granted that this is such a rare happening, I will definitely join the night owls and become a part of the piece. And cheers to Mr. Asher!