Ryan Frank’s work borrows from objects that we normally take for granted. Mailboxes, wooden fences, cinder blocks, shipping pallets, and, this one is my favorite, industrial PVC strip curtains. If you have seen Ryan’s photo curtains, you would probably never look at these industrial plastic strips the same way again. Last month, I was invited to do studio visits at the Wassaic Project, and although I completely missed my last appointment, which was Ryan’s, his work definitely caught my attention. At the recent opening of “What is the Where” a group exhibition at the Invisible Dog, I had a chat with the artist standing next to his latest pieces – stage-like mailboxes and a door. Continue Reading More »
Using scent as an inspiration for making a film is not something you would normally hear. Commissioned by Six Scents, a group of filmmakers and artists collaborated with the perfumers Givaudan to create short films based on their childhood memories involving their sense of smell. I had a brief chat with Kaya Sorhaindo, one of the founders of Six Scents, during the Series Three launch party, where he expressed a profound interest in “figuring out new ways for people to engage with fragrance on a more personal level.” Film is definitely a very personal experience, but even more interesting are the bundling of an eclectic group of creatives including designers, perfumers, taste-makers, and artists (Robert Knoke, whom we featured previously, did the packaging art). The selected filmmakers for series three are Alia Raza, Lucas Michael, Olaf Breuning, Sue de Beer, Rainer Judd, Tim Richardson, Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard, Heather Sommerfield, and James Widegren.
Artists and fashion designers collaborated last month to create a remix of pre-Halloween fun at PS1 MoMA. A nice and unexpected mix of crowds showed up, especially for the free hair, make-up, and clothes sponsored by a whole chain of brands. My favorite show was the Olaf Breuning X Cynthia Rowley collab. It’s nice to see the entire creative process as the stream of audience moves along. From outfit selection and being dumped with a bucket of paint by Olaf, to being photographed and displayed instantaneously on the walls, to finally reaching the hallway where the painted collection is displayed neatly in a row. Continue Reading More »
An instigator of the social norm, Pilvi Takala’s artistic practice provokes many hidden questions dealing with societies and communities, and she does so with such nonchalance that almost matches with her innocence. Pilvi is definitely careful and clever in carrying out her performance acts. This past Summer, Pilvi and I had a nice conversation about her recent project Real Snow White, her feelings about the iconic Disneyland, and what irks her about malls. Her solo exhibition at the Finnish Norwegian Culture Institute in Oslo opens on November 18, 2010. Pilvi Takala is a performance and video artist based in Amsterdam.
When did you start doing these live performance acts?
In 2004 I went to Glasgow for an exchange from my school in Helsinki, at that time I was more interested in art in the public space and not so much showing in galleries. There I made the first piece that was kind of meaningful. It’s an artist book based on a performative intervention called Event on Garnethill. Continue Reading More »
(Trailer for The Last Days of Shishmaref. East coast premier on Nov. 15, 2010)
The Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival is the longest-running, premiere showcase for international documentaries in the United States, encompassing a broad spectrum of work, from indigenous community media to experimental nonfiction. The Festival is distinguished by its outstanding selection of titles, which tackle diverse and challenging subjects, representing a range of issues and perspectives, and by the forums for discussion with filmmakers and speakers.
Mead Festival at the American Museum of Natural History
November 11 – 14 Full schedule
Forgotten, discarded, orphaned, lost; stolen, bought, discovered or found; the vernacular images in HELP ME are culled from Gillian McCain’s extensive collection of photographs in formats including tin-types, cabinet cards, Polaroids, and snapshots. Continue Reading More »
For months, after the last Shepard Fairey show at the Deitch in SoHo, I have always wondered what would come next. Luckily it wasn’t another boutique. Last month Levi’s launched a playground for photo fanatics. We all know that Levi’s is a pioneer in denim wear, but not everyone is familiar with Deitch Projects, which pioneered in its own right as a gallery for street and contemporary art. To give a little background (and props) to the gallery, since its beginnings in 1996 the Deitch has housed a roster of artists such as Keith Haring, Shepard Fairey, Yoko Ono, Jon Kessler, Swoon, Mariko Mori, Os Gemeos, and Clare Rojas. Today, the spirit still survives through the Levi’s Photo Workshop with guest collaborators having their work exhibited along with the program. A Levi’s photobooth is appropriately installed in the space, although not as an installation, but as a complimentary booth for everyone. Call it a corporate marketing scheme, but who cares when you can shoot, print, scan, and rent photo equipment completely for free. A complete list of collaborating artists can be found here. Scroll down for more photos. Continue Reading More »
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