Cody Arnall uses his unique vision to approach the mundane and utilitarian objects that surround him. By seeing the potential in these objects, Arnall transforms latent possibilities into new combinations that simultaneously approach a mysterious beauty and a perceivable yet unnamed functionality. Much of Arnall’s reconfiguring has to do with bringing a distinct “energy, force, and movement” (his words) to the everyday objects in his[…..]
Early in 2013, six Australian artists made a pilgrimage of sorts. They left a sweltering southern summer for the gray frigidity of London, where they spent three weeks working on-site at the Freud Museum; Susan Flavell and I were among their number. At the museum, we encountered the shrine-like space of Sigmund Freud’s study, preserved as it was in the final year of his life,[…..]
How is Blackness performed? Most African American contemporary artists will admit in confidence that they are often expected to perform their Blackness for the power players of the art mainstream, regardless of their choice of artistic medium. Artists working in two dimensions such as Kerry James Marshall, Kara Walker, and Wangechi Mutu have gained currency by creating work that makes the construction of black identity[…..]
Help Desk is an arts-advice column that demystifies practices for artists, writers, curators, collectors, patrons, and the general public. Submit your questions anonymously here. All submissions become the property of Daily Serving. Help Desk is co-sponsored by KQED.org. How valuable is an MFA these days and is it really worth the cost? I’ve spent the last two months researching schools and preparing applications for MFA programs in[…..]
Elijah Burgher delves into the symbolic and uncanny in his one-man show Friendship as a Way of Life b/w I’m Seeking the Minotaur at Western Exhibitions. Large, painted drop cloths act as psychic doorways into an ancient universe of strange magic. On the other side, a confident series of colored pencil drawings feature unknown icons, nude men, or both. Excremental Philosophy Illustrated, Vol. 1 (2013) is[…..]
Taking its name from a 2006 feature in National Geographic, Sprüth Magers’ latest London exhibition, From Wings to Fins, features the work of color-field painter Morris Louis and Cyprien Gaillard, a young French artist recently established within the international circuit. While Louis’ position is firmly mid-century, Cyprien Gaillard is a locus of tragic postmodernism. Drawn to modernism’s ideals, contradictions, and historical failures, Gaillard has risen on his[…..]
Help Desk is an arts-advice column that demystifies practices for artists, writers, curators, collectors, patrons, and the general public. Submit your questions anonymously here. All submissions become the property of Daily Serving. Help Desk is co-sponsored by KQED.org. I graduated from college about a year ago, and have been pursuing art passionately and persistently ever since. My work is well received, and I’ve participated in shows,[…..]
