Initially I suspected the title of the 18th Biennale of Sydney, the trendily lower case ‘all our relations’, might be one of those curatorial conceits that work better as an intellectual device in the abstract than in the physical reality of the exhibition. I was wrong. Joint artistic directors Catherine de Zegher and Gerald McMaster have successfully created a coherent and evocative series of narratives[…..]
Going to Basel during the art fair is like battling a multi-headed Hydra. It’s the biggest, potentially most daunting international art event of the year. You may not be able to do it all – but you might as well die of alcohol poisoning while trying. Indeed Basel is, like many international art fairs, biennials and events – a massive party attended by every international[…..]
L.A. Expanded: Notes from the West Coast A weekly column by Catherine Wagley A 29-nine-year-old man in a Mercedes Benz led cops on a high-speed chase a week ago, traveling across four L.A. freeways and ending up on surface streets. He hit three cars and injured five people, including himself and a three-year-old boy who had been a passenger in an SUV. The reckless driver[…..]
Thank You for the Music recently ended the second part of its showing at Kiasma, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki, Finland. The exhibition presents works by artists inspired by music, musicians, and the way individuals and communities experience a place, their past, and themselves, through the myths and rituals surrounding music. In particular, the notion of performance in the construction and reconstruction of[…..]
MoMA PS1 is an art institution reputable for its exhibitions and events that inspire an unparalleled contemporary dialogue in both the United States and internationally. It’s building – a recovered and repurposed public schoolhouse – alone commands a stamp of novelty. The exterior recalls an architectural era that predates the now ubiquitous rolling glass façades with its sumptuous terra cotta bricks and ornate eaves. It’s interior has[…..]
L.A. Expanded: Notes from the West Coast A weekly column by Catherine Wagley Did you ever read Jack Bankowsky’s 1991 Artforum essay on slacker art? It’s a pretty good one, called “Slackers” after Richard Linklater’s very slack, brilliantly drawn-out film, also called Slackers and out in ’91. Linklater’s film begins with a monologue by a young guy (played by Linklater) with a bowl cut. He[…..]
Despite our best efforts, memories eventually fade away. For centuries, people have created memorials sites, and used objects and images to honor and preserve the remembrance of those that have passed. These sites are often designed to document existence, while inevitably underscoring absence. For over a decade now, Japanese artist Motoi Yamamoto has been engaging with his memories through the physical act of creation. Building[…..]
