Arto Lindsay "untitled" (colored filters) 2013. Image courtesy South China Morning Post

They say Hong Kong is a cultural desert, a city that only welcomes commercial high-brow art. Though I don’t completely disagree, that cliche is slowly  disappearing and for a performance curator coming from New York’s vibrant art scene, it is exciting to break through new grounds. I wouldn’t have missed the chance to create a massive public art project– an Art Basel commission, for the launch of its inaugural edition in Hong Kong. When I was asked to produce such an event, it seemed just a perfect fit, perhaps even a dream project, as I’ve been an admirer of the progressiveness of its cultural programming (think Basel Miami’s Oceanfront Nights and Art Parcours), and an excuse for me to work with many talented artists and performers all at once.

Cedric Maridet at Art Basel Hong Kong

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Han Bing and friends, Art Basel, Miami, 2006/photographer unknown

I wrote my first poem after participating in poetry as a “good audience member” by attending the performances of  friends who were poets.  I was sharpening my ear for a style of poetry writing I prefer–work written to be performed rather than for the page. In celebration of National Poetry Month for this month’s Artcards Review,  I returned to earlier work which was inspired by interdisciplinary approaches to life, living, and learning–Expatriate Recommends Diaspora and the accompanying photograph is the result of those forces–transcribing an interview about its subject, Anthony Xavier Edwards, for artist Nathalie Latham, whom I met at Paris Photo in 2006 formed the content for the poem.  Later that year, I arrived at Art Basel, Miami, met artist Han Bing and his wife Maya Kovskaya (right of Han) pictured above, learned about his performance piece which become part of the movement “walking the cabbage”, and also learned of their friendship with Nathalie.  Poetry creates community and rewards minds with the imagination to see that everything signifies and that everything connects.

Expatriate Recommends Diaspora

Now Tony, dear, what do you call yourself?

Enthused, confused, stunned, besotted…and a designer Continue Reading More »

There is a lot to be learned from the 21st edition of arteBA in Buenos Aires.

1. One art fair at a time can be a good thing.  In contrast to art fair weeks with multiple, concurrent art fairs, arteBA held the spotlight with no competing fairs, which led to an intimate and enjoyable experience for collectors. The city of Buenos Aires offers plenty to capture your mind and eyes, including: Fundación Proa, an amazing contemporary art museum; Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA), a must-see for Latin American art; Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, a survey of international art; and many sights of the city like Cementerio de Recoleta and Centro Cultural Recoleta. Given this full agenda of sights to see, not having to worry about multiple fairs frees you to enjoy everything the city has to offer at an enjoyable pace.

2. Surrounding events enrich the experience. The 98 galleries showing at arteBA gave collectors an expansive look at Latin American artwork and a great opportunity to get a good deal; additionally, surrounding events organized by the fair with local spaces added energy and enrichment to the experience.

3. A dynamic art scene lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Local spaces in Buenos Aires range from institutions like MALBA and PROA to lively artist residencies like Boulogne Sur Mer Art-Bulding. Nascent galleries with international vision are beginning to take hold. For example, Peña Galería recently opened a beautiful space in Recoleta. Make sure to map their address before visiting, as the underground space is hidden behind a nondescript wood-paneled door. The gallery features emerging artists and organized a show in New York City earlier this year. Rounding out the scene, established galleries display interesting works, most notably at Ruth Benzacar Gallery.

4. There is much great Latin American art to be seen. Below are some quick pictures from the events.

arteBA Fair Opening Night

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Loren Connors, Julien Langendorff, Jim Jarmusch, Hiraku Suzuki (photo: Louie Metzner. courtesy of Opalnest)

Hiraku Suzuki (photo: Louie Metzner)

Photo: Amy Mitten

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Film Noir #1405 Bill Armstrong

All photographs courtesy Sam Matamoros

The Aipad Photography Show in New York, held March 29-April 1, 2012, continues to unite the past with the future of fine art photography under one glorious roof at the historic Park Avenue Armory. Here, the past’s usefulness is on display as prescribed and thoughtfully described by Israel Zangwell–namely, the past is for inspiration (not imitation) and continuation (not repetition). Continue Reading More »

10 Chancery Lane Gallery

The 2011 Hong Kong Art Fair in its 4th year, is the biggest fair to date, and has been extremely well received on many sides. Compared to the previous year, the 2011 fair has a tighter selection of galleries (I’ve been told the quality of art went up as well), better organization of events and a spacious layout of fair grounds, with superb marketing and service. On day one of the fair, while trying to tackle the jet lag many gallerists from New York seemed somewhat nervous, but by the final day many have completely mellowed out and happy with their results. Many say they look forward to returning next year, especially being speculative about the merge with Art Basel. The fair is separated by the main section of galleries, emerging galleries in Art Futures, and a focus on Asian artists in Asia One. Red art is speckled here and there, and so is the talk of Ai Weiwei. Organizers and galleries have been giving out “Where is Ai Weiwei” tees and buttons, although so far I haven’t seen anyone wear them in China.  Leaving the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong, and arriving in an artist village hideout in Shenzhen, China, I’m finally able to reflect a little on the events.  Enjoy the photos. Continue Reading More »

Enjoying the undercover street vibe of the Pheonix Hotel, we headed into the imaginative re-purposing of this Miami-esque hotel to report back on the ArtPadSF experience. Continue Reading More »